Things I Said I Wouldn't Do Before I Became A Parent.. But Did.

I suppose I could admit perhaps I was a bit judgmental before I became a mum. Just someone with too much of an opinion. Don't get me wrong, I didn't go round telling people my opinion obviously. But a lot of thoughts came to mind 'I don't know why you'd ever want to give your child a dummy, they look horrible' little did I know hey!

There were various other thoughts that came to mind too, like 'my child would never have chocolate'. 'I will be a super strict parent and my child would do no wrong'. Those are only just a few!

Luckily I was happy to see I am not the only one that said they wouldn't do certain things before they became parents but did, I asked some fellow bloggers what their thoughts were and I can totally relate to them!

I wouldn't stick them in front of Peppa Pig to get 5 minutes peace! - Jennifer

I wouldn't let them sleep in our bed - 6 months of sleepless nights changed that!  - Nicola

 The list is long! Dummies, Screen Time, Sleeping in the Bed, Allowing him to have any sugar, Dressing him up just for photos... I've broken all my (silly) rules! - Christy

Give them a McDonald's when they were toddlers - Kerry

I wouldn't let them be fussy eaters...fine this is the last time you have pasta and cheese!  - Gareth

I said I’d never let them have a tablet/iPad... ooops! - Beth

I wouldn't let them get up and watch tv on their own in the morning. I would be always present and do craft instead. HA! - Louise

I said they'd never have a dummy. Within 2 days of being born my daughter had a dummy - Katie

I said I wanted to breastfeed, but after a terrible experience with my first I'm now glad I didn't with my second and third!  - Sarah

I said I would never let her win an argument as a toddler and bribe her with chocolate . This is now a daily occurrence -Jessica

I said that breastfeeding past 1 year was weird and I’d never have a child in my bed... here we are at over 2 years of breastfeeding (and we’ll continue until he weans at natural term), and we bedshare every night... wouldn’t have it any other way!!! -Emily

I would never bribe them to behave with the promise of a treat! Bah ha ha! - Victoria

 My kids were only ever going to have wooden, educational toys, nothing with batteries or flashing lights. - Robyn

 I said I'd never dress siblings in matching outfits...until I had two girls! I just can't resist! - Natalie

I swore my child would never own a character onesie. Now the proud owner of a 100% synthetic PJ masks onesie pick your battles I say  - Sinead

I love these, I do tell people who aren't parents now that make a comment, 'honestly do not say anything until you've had a child of your own. Parenting completely changes you doesn't it, haha.

Can you relate to any of these or do you have any different thoughts to the ones listed above? I'd love to hear them, I find it so funny.

Amelia

xxx

How To Get Free Food

So I just wanted to write a quick blog post talking about something really cool I discovered recently. This is probably going to look like a sponsored post but honestly it's not. I think we all suspect it now days when someone is raving about something they must be getting paid for it.

I've been googling ways to make money every since I went on maternity leave and now 2 and a half years later I still am. Now this isn't a way to make money however it is a way to save money which is still pretty handy!

Shopmium is basically an app which is on the app store and the amdroid store. It has a list of food items on there which you can go and buy, it will tell you the specific shops you can buy the item in which is generally most big supermarkets. You purchase it, keep your receipt, take a picture of it and scan the barcode and bam the money you just spent goes straight back in to your bank account. It will also ask you to take a short survey to basically review what you've just bought. One thing i've noticed is a lot of the items on there are new to the market, so it's to get you to try them out...not the case for all of them though.

I recently bought the toddler little dish meals from tesco and realised when I got home that they were on there so I got my £2 back, I just think it is brilliant.

ALSO... if you use my code: 3m88n you'll get a free Lindt bar of chocolate which is amazing!

How I Felt Looking Back As A New Mum

I was 21 when I had Darcy which could be considered as 'young'. I was excited though and I knew that it was going to be hard work but on the other hand I felt so lucky and grateful to be able to embark on such a wonderful adventure. 

Those early days were so tough, almost as though I didn't know what I was expecting when like I said I knew it was going to be tough. I hope this is normal but thinking back it just seems like such a blur in my memory, I do feel sad about that. I think with sleep deprivation and hormones floating around perhaps it is normal. I can't really remember what it was like to have my newborn baby, time has just gone so quickly. I struggled so much with breastfeeding and so wanted to be able to do it, so much so when the health visitor came round one time I lied and said I was expressing.. I wasn't. I had actually given up trying and started using formula but I felt like such a failure that I just couldn't admit it. What would the health visitor actually of done, I mean at least I was feeding my baby. In hindsight I do think if I hadn't of stopped trying to breastfeed I would of very quickly of fallen into depression because I sure was getting there. I think one of the reasons I lied to the health visitor is because when the topic of going to baby groups to meet some new friends came up she mentioned a breastfeeding group. I felt very isolated, as though because I would of gone along with a bottle I wouldn't be welcome. Looking back, how stupid was I to even think like that. I didn't really ever attend baby groups and I did make myself very isolated, I suffer with social anxiety and I don't think that is ever taken in to consideration for new mums. You're expected to just go out and meet people.

I think having a newborn baby can put a strain on your relationship too, you're both tired and I know it did for us. You're constantly in a competition of who is allowed to be more tired, and when I look back I realise how silly this really was. Of course you're both allowed to be tired, one of you is looking after a newborn all day and the other goes to work all day. Whilst having a new baby is such a happy and wonderful time, I feel sad that I can't look back and think I felt the same. Don't get me wrong I was happy and grateful to have such a beautiful baby girl but I don't think I knew what to expect

The Mummy Tag

Today I decided to do a tag which I've not been tagged to do as I am a little bit lame, who needs to be tagged anyway ;) I tag anyone who would like to do this.

1. Are you a stay-at-home mum, or a working mum?

I am for the most part a stay at home mum, however I work two days a week just to get those pennies in, I am lucky enough to have a partner who works full time which enables me to stay at home a lot and to be quite frank, childcare is too expensive.

2. Would you have it any other way?

Absolutely not, I love being able to stay at home and enjoy time with my little girl. I do like working two days a week though to get adult interaction, ha.

3. Do you co-sleep?

At one point we did as it was the only way Darcy would settle, however we don't any more. The bed is too small and she's gotten too big! No one was sleeping well.

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?

This is such a tough one to narrow down to just one thing, excluding all the essentials, maybe her soft octopus blankie, it settles her really well and she just loves him. 

5. How many kids do you plan on having?

No more than 2.

6. Date night? How many nights per month?

At least once a month to go out but you can have date nights at home too.

7. Your child’s favourite show?

Peppa Pig is always a winner with Horrid Henry & Ben & Holly a very close second.

8. Name one thing you bought before you had your baby and never ended up using?

Plenty of clothes & baby shoes.

9. Your child’s favourite food?

Pizza.

10. How many cars does your family have?

2

11. Weight gain before pregnancy, during, after and now?

I didn't put on too much weight whilst pregnant and I am now back to my normal size however my hips have definitely gotten wider.

12. Dream holiday with your kids?

Florida!

13. Dream holiday without your kids?

Bali, Maldives, The Carribean, Mexico or Dubai. The list could go on to be honest but I'll stop there!

14. How has your life changed since your baby has been born?

It's a massive lifestyle change, but I love my life more now than I did before.

15. Finish the sentence: ‘It makes my heart melt to see …'

Darcy playing with her toys and talking to them.

16. Where do you shop for your kids?

Next, Zara, Marks & Spencer and Primark.

17. Favourite makeup and skincare products?

Charlotte Tilbury, Chanel, Liz Earle & MAC.

18. Huggies or Pampers?

Neither, I like the Aldi nappies.

19. Have you always wanted kids?

Yes, definitely.

20. Best part about being a mum?

Feeling so proud of everything they acheive, feeling completely responsible for a little person and the love they show you in return.

Thank you for reading, like I said above I tag anyone that wishes to also do this, would love to read yours.

Amelia

xxx