Easter treats

We may have not being treated very well by the weather, but at least we try to make it as much fun as possible.

On the Easter weekend, the Spanish mummies organised an Easter Egg hunt that went pretty well. We bought an Easter Egg hunt pack in Tesco that had 4 paper bags, 4 sets of cardboard eggs and some cardboard signs for signposting the Egg hunt route.

Because our little bunnies are still too young (between 25 and 12 months), we decided not to give them too many chocolate eggs and not to make it too difficult for the younger ones. So we prepared 3 bags with some treats (small chocolate eggs, a bubble maker, a sweet whistle and medium size chocolate egg) and added a big Peppa Pig egg for each of them (Naively, we thought we will end up eating most of the chocolate, oh, how wrong we were...).

While they were getting ready for the garden, I went out a left a cardboard egg of each colour in different areas of the garden, I used the signposts for indicating the route and giving lots of hints. It was not a difficult hunt at all, but they needed as much help as possible.

Eloi, the oldest one, leaded the hunt and found most of the eggs, and Julia loved the signs as she was recollecting them instead of the eggs. Santi was just so excited to follow the other two around the garden than he didn't even pay attention to the cardboards I was giving to him.

The hunt ended up in the kitchen, with our three little bunnies devouring the chocolate and then demanding to play with the bubble makers.

A lovely afternoon that I'm sure we will repeat once the Spring decides to stay here a little longer.

Where is the spring, love?

Back from our holidays in Spain (again!) and the reality has really hit us hard on our faces!
What a nightmare of Spring!
Snow, hail, blizzards and rain: can you believe it?

Well, we better start making our best of being indoors and that's when some birthday presents have been absolutely handy:

 Playing with daddy and mummy with Mega Bloks: Best for under 2 years olds!

 Getting immersed in a really good story. What a reading bug we've catch!

And the latest birthday present: Tomy Aquadoodle! Great for those little artists and slightly OCD mums :)

Lesson 7: Travelling with babies

Another post inspired by Elena, she is lately a very good source of inspiration :) (And I still have another one about swimming with babies...)

Having the family abroad means that travelling is not a choice. So you better do it with some comfort or you will loathe the idea forever.

When Santi was only 4 months ago we did our first trip by plane, a small one to Bristol (1 hour away) to check the baby's attitude and our organisation capability. This trip was quite easy as we didn't have to check-in: our friends will lend us the maxi-cosi, the pram, the travel-cot, etc.
We decided then to travel as light as possible, only one piece of hand-luggage and the changing bag.
Our baby was comfortably on his baby carrier and we were happy travellers!

My two boys at the airport parking

Santi behaved marvellously and we certainly enjoyed the first experience.

The second time, it was much more difficult, a true stress-test for my capabilities. On my own and packing for the next 5 weeks. With the small possibility of asking husband to bring extra stuff after two weeks.
Since I was travelling with Jet2 (totally recommended!!!) and their luggage limit for babies is 10kgs, we decided to browse the Web for a light pushchair. After a little bit of research and reading a lot of comments of London commuters (they are heroes, aren't they?), we went for the Petite Star Zia 3.

A true beauty!!!

Our first impression wasn't that good, we thought it didn't look sturdy enough and it was too light, but, hey, that's what we wanted, isn't it?
I decided to travel light as well, so I checked-in absolutely everything: the luggage, the maxi-cosi and the pushchair. Travelling on my own meant that I would have limited mobility and I was going to get some help at the destination airport from my mum. Furthermore I had read that you are allowed to take the pushchair to the boarding gate but then you would not be able to recover it until the baggage claim, so not very helpful at all.

This trip again went great. Some inside trips, as the flight attendants were able to look at Santi on the baby carrier, we got some extra help from them, as he was charming them with his smile. We even got some extra kilos for free at Mallorca airport!!! (BTW, I cannot express how nice the Jet2 flight attendant were)

Our latest trip has been to the Canary Islands, just the three of us. Not knowing the destination very well or the facilities, we went for the "not-light" travelling. So, we needed extra space. Recommended by some colleagues, I got the Sunshine Kids Buggy Bag. It is perfect for keeping your bag clean and tidy until the destination, as well as some toys or other stuff that will not mind some tough treatment. It helps carrying lots of things and airlines are quite nice about them by not checking the content and allowing some extra kilos. From this trip, it is now a "must" in our travels.

More than enough space for the baby's stuff!

Next trip will be in two weeks with an almost walking toddler. Wish us luck!!!

Lesson 6: Dressing for maternity

This post has been inspired by Flor Enjuto and her latest post (Spanish only, sorry).

Most of us complain about how difficult is to find nice  (and cheap!) maternity clothes and dress during those months without feeling you are always wearing the same or that your clothes are boring.

Here are some of the basics that I used during my "bumpy" time:

•  Simple nursing t-shirts are a must! They are easy to coordinate and an investment for the future. My favourite ones are from H&M, but other brands have nice ones:





H&M



Vertbaudet



•  Leggings, versatile and comfy. Perfect under a dress or as a trousers with long t-shirts. Easy to wear with boots, trainers or shoes:





H&M



Mothercare



• Cardigans, chunky for the winter and light and nice for the autumm/spring. They will give you that extra push for not feeling bored with the same clothes. And very helpful for hiding the bump after the birth.

Vertbaudet

Asos

Jojo Maman bebe

• Get a nice dress that makes you feel beautiful. Believe me, you DO look beautiful, you just need to feel it inside. Go for it!!!

Topshop

H&M

Vertbaudet

• Super comfy jeans are another must. My favourites were the skinny ones, and I had some jeggings from Zara that I used a lot

Topshop

H&M

So, what do you think? Any other basics that you recommend? Any "musts" to add to this list?

Lesson 5: Dirty nappies

Cleaning nappies is an skill on itself, a very advanced skill that most mums are not able to master until late and by then the babies are no longer using nappies. (only joking, you will get the handle of it in a couple of fail attempts)

A dry nappy means a happy baby!

It may look like I am exaggerating but how many mums have looked at a very messy nappy and almost started crying?
Here are some of my tricks based on my and other people's stories and experiences:

• You can rate how messy is a nappy by the number of wet towels needed to clean it. The more, the messier!
• Always, always, always remember to take out the floppy part of the leg cuffs. It is one of the little tricks to avoid any spills.
• Use the bath for extreme situations: Ive had to do it 3-4 times in 11 months and don't regret it.
• Bin those vests that are too dirty. How much is a new vest? Is it worth the handwash?
• If the vest is beyond salvation and you can't be bother cleaning the whole baby (e.g. During the night or on a busy moment) cut the baby's vest and avoid spreading the mess.

 Any other tips or tricks?

For those of your that are completely newbies on this faboulous skill, here is a video of how to do it:

My last two weeks on instagram

Tips & tricks series 2

Once your little one is weaning, consider getting a nice variety of bibs for home and on the run. My "must haves"are:

• Tommee tippee Roll'n'Go, best for those starting days when she is not very mobile but can be very messy.
• Tommee Tippee Disposable bibs, essential on your outs and abouts.
• Ikea KLADD PRICKAR, all-in-one bib that will save your life. You are welcome!

Lesson 4: Working 9 to 5

Uf, getting back to the blog after the Christmas holidays and the horrible January. Sorry for the long absence.

And this hard month brings me to the next lesson: going back to work after the maternity leave!

Well, I will just say it plain: it isn't easy.

First you have to deal with the guilt feeling.
And it is not a simple feeling. You feel guilty because your baby is  at the nursery (that lovely place that he actually enjoys more than being all day at home but that you have associated it with a jail for babies, yep, that place).
You feel guilty because you are actually enjoying being away from him, having a small slice of your previous life back, having adult conversations, being something else than a mum. Don't deny it, you are having a nice time and you feel bad about it.

Secondly, you have to deal with the stress and the very very very tight timetables. You will spend longer than usual getting ready in the mornings, and you would have had less sleep than usual so your movements will be slower...
You will be running to the office without make-up or with uncoordinated socks or forgetting something or without checking your hair. Forget it. You will never be the same. You are a working mum!
And after all the hard day of work, run again to pick her up from the nursery. Entertain her while preparing dinner or organising the house and get ready for the bath and the bed routine. By 8pm you will die for a bed...

Last but not least, you will try to keep things as they were before. You will accept the same amount of work and even will try to juggle travel and outings with the colleagues, just to keep in the loop. "Nothing has changed, I am the same person" will be your mantra. Although some morning you will find difficult to remember your computer password.

I know, it looks impossible. But it is not. Just try to relax and enjoy the roller coaster that your life has become. I promise more fun moments are coming your way.

You will learn to live with a survival kit in your handbag and that will make you an asset in your office.

You will be admired and feared by your colleagues.

The few hours you will spend with your child will become the most fantastic and fun times of your day, and he/she will feel the same.

You will be a survivor!!!.