A special weekend

This weekend, Chris and I managed to get away for 2 nights by ourselves. We left after Chris finished work on Friday, at about 6:30pm, and then didn't return until Sunday morning!!! 

My sister had bought me a 'buyagift.com' voucher for 2 nights away and my Mum kindly offered to look after the kids for us. It was so lovely to have some time to ourselves. We went to St Albans where we ate loads, did some Christmas shopping, visited the Cathedral and, on Saturday night, went to the cinema to see Bohemian Rhapsody, which was amazing!!!!! 

We were going to come back late on Sunday but due to my working schedule at the moment, we don't get much family time all together, so we headed back early and picked the kids up at 10:30am.

We had a Halloween fun-filled day planned and the first stop was to pick up our pumpkins from a local farm. We were originally going to go pumpkin picking, like we have for the last few years, but we didn't really have enough time. Of course we did manage to get some gorgeous pictures of the kiddies though!

When we got home, we started with the carving. Florence is obviously a bit too little for that though, so we also let the kids paint their pumpkins. Florence LOVED this! I did so much more craft stuff with Jackson when he was little and now he's at preschool he does it there too, so I really need to make sure that I do more with Florrie. 

Our boiler had unfortunately broken on our return home so I was wearing a hat and Jacks wanted to copy so wore Chris' hat! 

Things got messy quickly, haha! 

Jackson took it all very seriously. 

Afterwards, we let the kids watch a movie, mainly so we could clean up but also, a weekend at Yaya's meant 2 very tired children. Jackson has always loved being snuggly when watching a movie, which has started to rub off on Florence! Although, this angelic scene lasted all of 10 mins max, before they were up making a mess and asking for more food again. 

For dinner, it was very basic, mainly because we had VERY little food in the house (food shop was coming at 8pm) but they had a big lunch anyway. We did have to eat it in the dark with the candles on in mine and Chris' pumpkins, at Jackson's orders! The kids' ones were too wet still. 

For me, it was a perfect end to an amazing weekend. We also penciled in with my mum for our anniversary weekend in 2 years, so that we can go away again, haha! We so needed it and they loved 2 sleepovers at my mum's, which gave some special bonding time with her. 

Thanks to my mum for looking after the kids and dogs and thanks to my sister for the voucher! 

Love Sophia xxx 

Top Children's Books - Under 4

Jackson LOVES books now, especially before bed, which could be because he's trying to delay bedtime but it's not exactly a bad thing to be honest. Now that the weather has changed, I'm sure that we will be back taking trips to the library to mix up our collection but for now these are his favourites. 

1. Toy Story- Where's Woody by Kristen L. Depken

One of Jackson's favourite games at the moment is hide and seek - we must play it about 5,000 times a day! This book includes Jacks' favourite characters playing his favourite game and it has flaps that the children have to lift up to help find Woody. 

2. Elmer by David Mackee 

He doesn't really have a favourite from the series as he just likes the whole collection. They are a bit of a classic book but just in case you haven't heard of them, it's about a patch-work elephant who likes to play tricks on the other elephants. 

3. Superworm by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

This one is from the creators of 'The Gruffalo', so you know that it's going to be a good one. Its about a 'Super Worm' that gets kidnapped buy an evil lizard and all the other insects help together to get him rescued. 

4. There's a House Inside my Mummy by Giles Andreae and Vanessa Cabban 

Obviously this ones a bit more specific but I think that it's one of the best for explaining a mother being pregnant. We bought it when I was pregnant with Florence and Jackson had no interest or understanding though, so it is definitely one for older children. 

5. There's a Dinosaur in my Bathtub by Catalina Echeverri 

We got this book as a present and it's brilliant and so much fun. It's about an imaginary dinosaur that only the little girl can see and they do all sorts of fun things together. 

6. Kipper by Mick Inkpen 

Again, Jackson likes the whole range of the Kipper books. They are such sweet books and easy bedtime stories. 

7. Pog and the Birdies by Jane Simmons 

I really like the illustrations in this book, they are done to look like paintings. It's about a cat who loves the sound of the birds singing but then chases them so they don't sing to him anymore. Eventually, after showing he can be kind again, the birds then return to sing to him again. 

8. Daisy and the Moon by Jane Simmons

This one is from the same author as the one above, so the illustrations are the same. This one is about Daisy the duck who wakes in the night and goes out to play but then an owl scares her so she needs her mouse friend to help her back home to her Mama. The first few times I read it to Jackson, he was quite scared but now he enjoys the scary part of the story! 

DITL- Relaxing day

A relaxing day with the kids....

Love Sophia xxx

What My Kids Ate - Oct

We have been using the Grow Clock for Jackson again recently, as he was getting up sooooo early all the time. We now have it set it for 7am and, with it being so dark in the morning, he generally stays in bed until then. 

He was down stairs before me this morning. I got down about 7:15am and made his breakfast straight away. He started with his 'coffee' (just milk in his elephant cup) and a bowl of multi grain cereal. 

Then, for his second course (thats right - we have courses for breakfast!), he had toast with honey and some strawberries. He ate all of it, leaving just the crusts. 

We were at my mums last night until late, so Florence had an epic lie in and I had to wake her at 8:50am to go and drop Jacks at preschool! Then, when we got back, we had just enough time to grab some breakfast on the go, before heading to a school visit for Jackson. 

Florence had her milk and the cereal but she didn't have the Soreen bar until she woke up after her nap later on. 

Jackson was in a full day at Preschool, so I made him his pack lunch. He had Dairylea Dunkers, a yogurt, grapes, blueberries and a homemade banana cake. Jackson ate most of it, minus a few blueberries and some of the cake. 

Florence had a similar lunch - Dairylea Dunkers, blueberries and strawberries. She ate all the fruit and about half of the bread sticks. 

After preschool, Jackson is always soooooooooooooooo hungry. I made a bowl of blueberries, grapes and strawberries and started on dinner straight away. The kids do eat other fruits as well as berries but this has just been their fruit of choice today! 

Dinner tonight was an easy one as I had made it a while ago, so it was just a case of taking it out of the freezer and popping in the oven for 20mins. We mostly eat the same as the kids but tonight we are having prawn stir fry, which wont be nice reheated, so I tend to have a few meals that I have made previously in the freezer for times like this. 

I made them corn on the cob as well, as I did forget that there was sweetcorn mixed into the meal, but at the moment Florence is going through a fussy food period so if its not sweetcorn or fish fingers, she barely eats it. Like I expected, she just ate the corn on the cob and I'm pretty sure she didn't even touch the fish pie, which used to be one of her favourite meals. Jackson ate the whole thing, even though he announced beforehand that he doesn't like fish pie! 

For pudding, I gave them both yogurt. I don't remember ordering muller corners but Chris was here to collect the shopping so it may have been a substitute. Needless to say, Jackson was over the moon!!! Florence had the little one. 

Hope you enjoyed a day in my kids' tummies! Let me know if you have a suddenly fussy eater and have any tips - hoping it's a quick phase that she's going through. 

Love Sophia xxx

12 uses for Zoflora

Can't quite believe it but I am writing a whole blog on a cleaning product! What has my life come to, haha! However, everyone that I mention this product to doesn't seem to know about it... HOW?! It's something that I have been using for years and has to be one of my favourites.

So, this amazing product is called Zoflora. It's a concentrated disinfectant and it comes in a few amazing smelling scents (you can even get themed scents each season).

I mainly buy it from Pound Land, as that's where it's the cheapest - the bigger bottle is £2. 

Over the years I have found so many uses for Zoflora, here are some of them: 

1. I had an empty spray bottle which I have filled with Zoflora mixed with water and I simply use it as a spray for the kitchen sides.
2. I use it in my washing machine, mainly with the towels and bedsheets but sometimes I use it on all the washing. I have 2 kids and 2 dogs, so I need disinfectant in my life! All I do is put a cap full in the prewash compartment in the draw.
3. I also use it in the washing machine to actually clean the appliance itself. When it's empty, I put about half a bottle (small one) and run it on the high temperature wash. 
4. Putting a cap full in the loo makes the bathroom smell amazing and of course disinfects the loo at the same time. 
5. Same reason as above but I also use it in the sinks, both in the kitchen and the bathroom, by pouring some boiling water in the bowls and allow the room fill with the gorgeous smell. If you want, you can also throw in your sponges to give them a clean. 
6. Like I said, with 2 kids and 2 dogs, my sofa can get quite grubby so spraying it with the Zoflora water mix is brilliant. One thing to mention is that if you use it around pets, you need to wait for it to dry before they come near.
7. Soak a Tumble Dryer sheet in the Zoflora, wait for it to dry and then pop it into your sofa cushions. Again, this helps make the sofa smell amazing. 
8. When I change our bins, I put a piece of kitchen roll, soaked in Zoflora, in the bottom to help mask the smell of the rubbish.  
9. I always put a cap full in the bath and then wipe it down, when cleaning the bathroom. Make sure you rinse the bath before you use it though. 
10. In the winter (or whenever your radiators are on) wipe the radiators with Zoflora and wait for that amazing smell to fill your home. 
11. I use a steam mop to clean my floor, but around the area where the kids eat and also in the bathroom (I have a son who has just started peeing standing up!) I feel I need a little more help than just steam, so I spray the Zoflora on the floor before I mop, just for a little helping hand. 
12. I was given this gorgeous room defuser for my birthday last year and once it had run out, I put some Zoflora in. It definitely didn't work as well as the original liquid but it worked a little. 

Please tell me that I am not the only one that has a weird obsession with Zoflora!!! 

Love Sophia xxx

17 Weeks Pregnancy Update

I know that I said this last week but I will be taking a photo next week! I have been bad in general at taking photos!!!  

Symptoms: I have to admit that this week, I have been completely fine, feeling just like normal. I have been back to my usual cleaning routine and even went to Spinning, Zumba and Yoga classes at the gym. 

Food Cravings: Just any food in general, still back to loving cooking again. 

Movement: Nothing this week. The midwife said that the baby was very active so I am surprised that I am not feeling much but she also said that I am busy with the 2 little ones so not too worried, I am sure it will come. 

Sleep: My sleep has been fine this week. 

Things I am missing: This is the first time that I have thought a glass of wine looks really good! 

Best Moment: Just feeling back to normal!!!! 

Worst Moment: Nothing I can think of. 

Love Sophia xx

October Goals

I recently decided that I want to start setting myself goals for each month and am starting from now. Here is this month's list:

My October goals:

• At the moment, we have very little family time and one of the only times we all get together is on Tuesday afternoons. After Florence's nap, however, that does not leave us very much time, but I want to make sure that we still go and do something. Today, it was just a simple dog walk to the park and it was lovely. 
• Chris and I are going away on our first mini-break without the kids soon, for 2 whole nights!!! We have left the kids separately but never both of us at the same time before, so we are both looking forward to some much needed time together as a couple. Even dates nights are hard to get in nowadays. I want to make sure that I book or plan something lovely for us to do every now and then. We booked this one ages ago and it has come around very quickly! 
• I have a National Trust pass but go to the same one each time, as it is close to our house. So this month, I want to go to two new ones, or at least two that I haven't been to in the last year. 
• Now that I am feeling better, I am back on the cleaning front and am almost there with restoring our house back to normality. I really want to keep on top of my routine from now on.
• I want to take the kids pumpkin picking this month. I love the thought of it as, this year, Florence will be running around after Jackson which will be so cute! 
• We are going to make more of Halloween this year and plan to do some Halloween crafts during the half term - embracing the mess!!! 
• I am also planning on making our Christmas cake during half term, so it is not so last minute, as it normally is (not sure I'll stick to this one, haha).
• Sticking with the Christmas theme, I want to start Christmas shopping ASAP, which some may think is far too early but I think it's just great to be organised! I am generally quite good with presents and it means that I am not rushing out in December trying to get everything. 

Do any of you have monthly goals? 

Love Sophia xxx

15 and 16 Weeks Pregnancy Update

I feel like there is no point in writing about these 2 weeks separately as it's been pretty much the same for both weeks. I am yet to take a picture but I will try to get one this week. I need someone to take it for me but by the time Chris is back from work, well, I look pretty terrible!!

I had my 16 week midwife appointment which all went very well. We got to hear the baby, which Jackson absolutely loved!! We mentioned the old wives tale that says if the baby's heartbeat sounds like a horse or a train it's either a boy or a girl (can't remember which way round), to which Jackson said 'No it's a boy'! I don't know if it's a boy or girl yet but I do know its not a horse or a train, haha!!!

Symptoms: I am still on the mend but not completely there yet. It is mainly in the evenings that the nausea comes, after a day of running around after the kids. I found out that I had an infection too so I have been on antibiotics for a few days. Hopefully now that is finished I will feel better.  

Food craving: Just food, I am feeling more like cooking at the moment too so making all sorts of yummy home cooked food. 

Movement: I felt a 'roll' this week but it wasn't much - so different to how Florence was. Not going to lie, I was so happy to hear the baby's heart rate as I was a little nervous to why I hadn't felt any proper movements but it was absolutely fine. The baby didn't like being prodded with the stick though, as he/she kept shooting over to the other side! 

Sleep: No problem sleeping this week but I am having some crazy dreams again! 

Things I am missing: Nothing that comes to mind.

Best moment: Hearing the baby's heartbeat!

Worst moment: Has to be the infection.

Love Sophia xxx

Meal Plan

Now that I am feeling a lot better, I am getting back into the kitchen and picking meals that take a little longer to make and are more yummy. I am also trying to fill up the freezer again, as during the last few months, we have completely emptied it! I am just going to do 5 meals a week, as normally we eat out or are at a friend's/family's once a week and now that I am out all day on Sunday's, that is Chris' turn to cook. He did get a Pizza Oven for his birthday but he has promised me that it wont be pizza every Sunday!!!!!!!!!

Day One - Ham, New potatoes and Salad - I'll make a whole ham so we can have fresh slices for lunch during the week. It also freezes very well. 

Day Two - Chicken & Chorizo Ragu - Haven't made this before but it sounds amazing. I'll probably do it with a Jacket Potato for Chris and I and then with pasta for the kids. 

Day Three - 'Spag Bol' - I actually made a HUGE batch last week so this is an easy meal from the freezer. 

Day Four - Sausage and Mash - self explanatory really. Jackson now loves sausages, although he is not too keen on the mash, but I am going to put sweetcorn in it which last time convinced him to eat it. 

Day Five - Crispy Chilli Beef - the kids wont eat this and I will be making it too late for them, so they will have an easy dinner like fish fingers or something.  

I am also planning on making the kids Apple and Sultana Muffins as a bit of a treat this week. 

As an extra, we had a lot of Butternut Squash leftover, so I am going to make Thai Squash Soup for some lunches as well. 

Love 
Sophia xxx