I can see where this days going.......... I wonder can santa help

Sometimes as a mum you can tell exactly how the days going to go before you even open your eyes from that  lovely dream where your lying on an exotic beach somewhere and all around you is peaceful and calm.

 This dream must be stored in the pre child memory bank as peace and quiet is something of a distant memory and exotic beach days  will have to wait for a time that motherhood is a paid  profession.

In my dream i hear the sound of the ocean as water gently drifts to and fro and then the sound of ..........waves crashing !!!!

I leap out of bed eyes still closed and walk in a daze in the  direction of the sound of the ocean and i do indeed find an ocean or more accurately a paddling pool with floaters! in a room that was once my tranquil bathroom.

 It seems E decided after using his potty for all necessary business that the very same full potty would make a much better stool then the one i provided to reach the taps. Needless to say the potty with him on it tipped over and he managed to turn tap on full blast on his way down.  He sits on the floor all innocent and says i was just washing my hands like you taught me to mummy, well what do you say to that.

 All cleared up we make our way down stairs for a drink i need my morning cuppa today more than ever . I am just about to switch the kettle on and i put my foot in a puddle i don't even need to look down as the aroma tells me all i need to know that is no one remembered to put the cat out!
I can definitely see where this days going.................................

By the time Ive cleaned up again we are running late so i skip the cuppa and go on to operation clothes on which is a mission in our house. E has a clothing aversion and if you can get him in them in the first place there off again by the time i have my own on.

 Finally we are dressed and fed and i go to the fridge to get the lunch bag to find instead a very empty fridge and no lunch bag . So a shopping trip pre nursery is called for................... Finally I'm back very much looking forward to the long awaited cuppa and you guessed it............................
No Teabags !!!!!!!

So ...................

Dear Santa , if your listening I've been a very good girl this year and i love my family very very much but please please please can i have a day off for good behaviour. A good nights sleep in a bed where there is no danger of finding an action figure in my pillow case and most of all to wake up to a lovely cup of tea  that does not involve any  cat pee.

 Thank you xxx


 
Thought of the day..................................   Dream a little dream !

Nautical boat bedroom on a budget recycling and upcyling

It is possible to create a gorgeous nautical boys boat bedroom without breaking the bank with some savvy shopping recycling and upcycling.

I have always loved the timeless charm of the nautical theme especially for a Little boys bedroom as it can easily be added to and updated and be made more grown up over time.

So when the time finally came to say bye bye to the nursery in favour of a toddler friendly boys room i set to work to create a nautical boat bedroom on a tight budget.

The key things to consider for a child's bedroom are storage and lots of it !! A wipe able floor that leaves enough space for play. A blackout blind for those summer nights where it still looks like day time at 9 o'clock at night.  I know summer nights seem along time ago at the moment but you will thank me when your enjoying a glass of wine instead of arguing with a child that it really is night time.

The first thing we did was remove a very useless built in cupboard that was large but did not really provide accessible storage. We also removed the green carpet that we inherited from the previous owners. Carpets are not a great choice for a child's bedroom as any spills or toddler explosions!! cant be wiped up and don't get me started on the smell that forever stays in a carpet long after a tot has mastered the potty. Last but not least carpets  don't really provide a great surface for toy cars etc.

                                                  

The new alcove that was created by losing the built in cupboard increased the rooms floor space and gave us a handy alcove space for a wardrobe and drawers.

I mentioned we were working to a tight budget so the flooring we decided on was a vinyl that had the appearance of driftwood. Vinyl for a child's bedroom is perfect as its wipe able and has the advantage over laminate that it is cheaper and also quieter underfoot which is good when kids are running around and also if you need to creep in when they are sleeping.

The next challenge was to find some inexpensive furniture and accessories etc i generally have expensive taste i therefore find i get better brands and more for my money if i search second hand or upcycle or recycle items i already have.

Children grow out of thing so quick that you can pick up little used pieces of furniture on eBay and as usually the item is restricted to pick up only therefore your only bidding against a few people in your local area. Other useful resources for buying are net mums nearly new and gumtree where you can look in your area for bargains.

So with a few selective searches on eBay, net mums and gumtree i managed to pick up a John Lewis gorgeous blue and white wardrobe bed and drawers set, white company bedding and a Laura Ashley blind and rug. I then re purposed a white unit from another room into a toy box/ reading seat by making  a seat pad out of a pillow and making some cushions out of fabric remnants. I used the blind as reference for colour when choosing paint for the wall and used a diy stores own brand paint which i found cheaper and just as good as the expensive big brands.

Finally the finishing touches, i really wanted to turn the bed into a boat with a sail so i scoured the charity shops and picked up two shower curtains which were the perfect fabric for a sail. I used the eyelets on the shower curtains as nautical detail down the middle and the natural slope of the ceiling to get the sail shape. I then used curtain tape to add more detail and sewed it in place to cover the raw edges of the shower curtain. I finished off by adding a boat style number plate with my little boys initials and date of birth using gingham fabric remnants. Using more fabric remnants and curtain tape from my sewing box i made bunting to hang across the bedroom beam. I then just finished off with further finds from charity shops such as metal buckets, little boats etc to add the finishing touches. Boat pictures using fabric remnants to tie the room together and finish off.

Im really pleased the room was created on a budget as the result is a balance of the old and new and items that you cant buy in the shops.

Thought of the day........................  Upcycling is very uplifting

Hedgehogs garden hoggitat

   Hedgehogs are at risk of becoming extinct in the UK so we were very blessed this summer to have a mum and baby visit our garden every night. They became very tame and came to our back door every evening to wait for a meal of catfood and milk.

Nino our cat was more than happy to share with them and they became really good friends who shared and played nicely. I wish it was that easy to get a toddler to learn the same skill as this is a real issue for E at the moment !!!

   October and November is the time for hedgehogs to hibernate for the winter and many it seems don't make it through to spring either getting run over in search of a safe haven or not finding good enough accommodation.

   We therefore decided to build them a hedgehog house in our garden to keep them safe and snug and out of harms way. Planning permission not needed for this particular type of extension however as usual a reliable builder was hard to find!!  Realising that my other half was not going to build in time we went for a mid range shop bought one called hoggitat from the garden center.

   I managed to get a general labourer in the form of a willing toddler to collect up the needed leaves and twigs to furnish the hoggitat to a high specification. This was a great way to teach E about wildlife and seasons and he loves the outdoors and as an added bonus we got the garden ready for winter.

 The hedgehog extension is complete and carefully situated in a quiet sheltered spot in our garden. Hopefully somewhere snug inside their new home is two warm cosy hedgehogs, I really want to peak in and check but don't want to disturb them. So i will have to wait till the the spring when hopefully one evening they will once again wait at my back door with the cat looking for dinner.


Thought of the day...............  Even in the smallest garden magic happens