Today has been a mammoth day and even with my mum here to help me, it has just been an exhausting day. To be honest most days with three children under three (technically under two) are tiring but today has pushed me quite close to the edge of exhaustion although I must admit we got very little done and it was all actually rather nice.

Not making any sense? Have a look see.

Baby Matilda woke at 5am and I think we were both dozing in and out of sleep from then until finally at 7.00am I fed Matilda before giving her to Nana and Daddy so that I could have a wash and sort myself out for the day.

At 8.00am I joined Daddy to have breakfast with the toddlers and also with Matilda Mae as it was Nana’s turn to get washed.

At 8.30am it was time to feed Baby Tilda again who then had a sleep in her Daddy’s arms while he started his work in the office.

As Nana is here at 8.45am I was able to organise and pack our bags for the day. We have our regular change bag, our puddle play bag, a snack and toy bag and our spare clothes for EVERYONE bag. Mostly these are just checked each day with snacks replenished, nappies and wipes refilled and toys rotated.

At 9.00am I begin the task of sorting and loading washing. Often unhelpfully helped by at least one toddler!

Today at 9.15am I changed all nappies and got everyone dressed to go.

At 9.45am Nana and I loaded everyone into the car and drove to our first activity, Jumping Beans.

We get to the hall at 10.15am where we put the toddlers socks and shoes on, unload everyone from car and walk into the class where we then take off coats, socks and shoes ready for the fun to begin.

At this time I also set up a play mat for Baby Tilda, before joining in the class with Esther and William before taking an enforced break to feed Tilda. Though I have to say sitting down to feed really is not a break though perhaps to some it may look like one.

At 11.15 Esther and William’s class finishes as Matilda’s is about to begin and so I set up a toddler picnic and activities for Esther and William then join in the baby class with Tilda.

The class ends at 12.05pm whereupon Baby Tilda promptly falls asleep and so quick as is possible I pack up all our stuff back into bags, put on coats, shoes and socks and ferry us all out to the car.

By 1pm socks and shoes are going on again and I unload everyone from the car and pack Matilda into the baby carrier.

At 1.10pm in public facilities I begin to change three nappies once again involving the on and off of slothing and shoes!

By 1.30pm with Tilda tucked safely away in the carrier again I play on the play equipment with the toddler twins while Nana runs back to pay for the parking ticket we have forgotten to buy.

When Nana is back we order some lunch and afford ourselves a few minutes to scoff it down before Esther and William are off playing again. Where do toddlers get their energy from? Whilst eating my lunch I am also, of course, giving the baby hers. Where do babies get their appetite from?

By 2.00pm we are heading back to the car but have to take a detour to the changing rooms again. Two terrfiying toddler nappies later we are back on our way.

By 2.30pm we are back in the car and ready to drive to the doctors.

3.00pm sees us arrive at the doctors, put socks and shoes on and unload everyone from the car.the short way to the surgery with Esther suddenly not wanting to hold hands and threatening a tantrum in the middle of the road.

Traffic incident averted it is time for Baby Tilda to have her jabs and Mummy to have a emotional moment.

William needs yet another nappy before we are loading up and once again hitting the road.

At 4pm we all arrive home and unload everyone and everything from the car.

A nappy change and feed for Matilda Mae whilst Nana takes the toddlers out the garden.

4.30pm the Tesco man arrives and I begin to unpack the delivery. At the same time I am organising the fridge and the cupboards, sorting the washing and re tumble drying the washing that my unhelpful helper has appeared to rewashed!

Just before 5 I make toddler tea whilst continuing to sort out the shopping. I dash upstairs to source pyjamas for all and sort out clothes for the following day.

I at the same time oversee toddler tea and serve dessert before giving the baby her feed.

Baby Tilda falls asleep while feeding only for the toddlers to wake her when they come crashing down from their bath.

Time to get the toddlers to bed and then start all over again with Matilda.

Such a busy day.

It sometimes feels like I never have time to draw breath. Even when I am driving I am constantly talking and ensuring everyone is okay, pointing out tractors and horses and trucks.

I love getting out and about and I make sure that we do so at least once every day but it really is tough. And through every activity with Esther and William I have to have the baby on. It can be physically exhausting. My poor shredded back is proof of that!

I think I would add minutes to our day and reduce stress levels by finding a way of getting the toddlers to keep their shoes and socks on in the car! Every time we get in the car their shoes and socks are lost.

And though I love days like today when we are exploring and adventuring and having lunch out as a treat we still have to come home and come down – the house is dirty, there are dishes and clothes to wash and to dry. My to do list goes on and on because nothing on it can ever be done!

And thank goodness that Jumping Beans comes with a cup of tea for the mummies or else I just would not have had one today.

But today was actually a lovely day and Esther and William had a wonderful time but it was hard hard work for Nana and I, and more often than not I am doing this on my own!

Maybe I’m not such a bad mum after all!?!

For the next two weeks I have my mum with me and as well as helping out with the children we are also hoping to have some time together too.

Our girly night out (with Matilda Mae in tow) will be to the Kings Hill Mums’ Expo.

the expo

Mums’ Expo has been set up by Joanna Hammond and Elizabeth Seage of prepmybaby.co.uk
and Marika Cooke who runs Kings Hill Mums Magazine. The aim of the Expo is to bring together local businesses to showcase what they do to the local community. We are real
supporters of ‘looking local’ and supporting those around us trying to make a difference with their business. We also wanted to create a fun evening for local mums and friends to go out, meet new people and have a bit of ‘me’ time as well as a shop, sip of wine and nibble of a cake. (We aren’t excluding dads!)

This will be our first event which is taking place on the 19th October at the Kings Hill Community Centre, starting at 7.30pm and finishing at 9.30pm. The interest from local businesses in and around Kings Hill, West Malling and Maidstone has been quite over whelming in that the event is now over-subscribed with 30 confirmed and a few on the waiting list. This is fantastic as we are building a great list of future exhibitors should we hold the event again.

Having attended a number of local Expos in and around the South East, we were spurred on to organise our own, since there has not been anything like this at Kings Hill for some time.

All three of us are mums and juggle family and working life to provide us all with a way of life that suits us, we want to try and make a difference in our community with what we do. As much as this is a great exhibition opportunity for local businesses, it could give other mums the encouragement they might need to also set up their own business.

Our aim is for this to be a great packed event, all our exhibitors are detailed on our Facebook page and if this is a success, we will certainly look to hold the event again… and possibly not just in Kings Hill….watch this space!

I am really excited about this local event and so pleased that my own mummy is here to come with me.

If you are local please do come along to support to ensure that great ideas like these are repeated creating great events and possibilities for us local mums.

See you on the 19th! And in the meantime check out Prep My Baby for gorgeous baby goodies x

ONE International are campaigning to put nutrition on the global agenda.

They need our help to convince world leaders to

help 25 million children reach their full potential by making measurable commitments to reduce chronic malnutrition by 2016.

Mummy Bloggers across the UK are playing their part and lending their voices to this vital campaign.

You can too and I am going to tell you how.

But first I am going to tell you why.

ONE is not a charity that asks for your money it is an organisation that asks you for your voice.

By supporting ONE, you have the opportunity to take action to support effective, proven initiatives that are delivering results in the poorest places on the planet: protecting families from preventable diseases like AIDS and malaria, putting children in school, providing economic opportunity and stabilising communities.

Join me and millions of people around the world who believe that where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.

Two mummies that I have had the pleasure of meeting and who’s blogs I read are currently in Ethiopia, travelling with a group of 11 other inspirational Mums and Moms as part of the ONE Campaign.

Our trip is about success – Living Proof – of what is working and why it is important that we continue to support projects that are making a huge, measurable difference for less than one percent of the entire US budget. It is about letting more people know what a tremendous difference the US and UK are making in the lives of millions around the world. And it is about adding thousands more voices to those already letting their elected officials know they support these life-saving programs.

From Michelle, Mummy From The Heart.

Many other mummies are coming together in the form of a blogging meme.

I have not been tagged in this meme but I want to join in anyway and lend my voice to such a worthy cause. I hope that nobody minds. I want my voice to join the throng as together we try to make a difference.

Seasider Clare started the initiative and has asked mummies everywhere to use the slogan ONE MUMS to write an acrostic poem sharing what it is like to be a mummy. What does being a mummy mean to you?

Here is my go at a #OneMums acrostic.

Overwhelming in every way
New discoveries every day
Endless worry, stress and guilt
Many magical memories built
Unconditional love, no matter who does what
Makes use of all energy, every effort, talent, you’ve got
Such a rich tapestry of respect, wonder and awe, I am Mummy to three and I still want more!

Why not join us? Lend us your voice? You can join the meme as well as signing up to support the campaign.

You can also follow the journey of Michelle and the team with the #ONEMums and #ONEMoms tags. I know they would value your support.

Please please pass this on!

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should
One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers
One life
But we’re not the same
We get to
Carry each other
Carry each other
ONE

Today David and I are in London with Matilda Mae.

We are at a wedding.

Esther and William are entertaining Granny and Grandad at home.

I have been looking forward to this night away for ages.

I bought new shoes, a £240 dress.

The wedding was at 4.30pm.

By 9.15pm I was in my Melba nursing pyjamas snuggling up with Matilda Mae.

This is where I want to be.

Snuggled up with my baby in my arms.

I am missing the toddler twins too.

So why am I always seeking an escape?

I love lying here watching Matilda sleep.

She is so peaceful.

So tiny on the expanse of crisp white hotel sheets.

I am drinking her in and wishing we had more times like these.

Have I really missed out because I have never been a mother of one?

Her little hands are resting on my chest.

She keeps reattaching herself to me for a sleepy feed.

We could not be closer than we are in this moment.

It is beautiful.

I am totally and utterly in love.

There is nowhere I would rather be.

Though I would love to have my beautiful two with me here too.

I am going to read this post and remember this feeling when a day at home is hard

Because above all else

Is love

Love Me!!

Esther and William’s vocabulary seems to be exploding at the moment. They are talking all the time. To themselves, to us, each other and to their toys.

Their capacity for imaginative play is growing by the day.

I am so so very proud of them.

Their day begins with breakfast. They let us know when they are ready to eat, help to set the table and choose their cereal. They then commentate on the entire meal. Who is eating what, how they are eating, what they are eating with. They comment on what we are all wearing, what they can see in the playroom, what the weather is doing and what they can see out of the window. We talk about what we will be doing that day and who we will see. This prompts them to go on to say what they know about the places we go and the people that we see.

In the car we generally have music on, children’s traditional music much of the time. Esther and William are starting to be able to sing along but mostly in the car we talk about where we are going, what we might do when we get there and who they might see. We also comment on the journey they tell me when we are going up hill, down hill, through a tunnel, over a bridge. They describe the vehicles that we see using colour and size. They love driving through the woods near our village and talk about the deep dark wood and searching for The Gruffalo.

They are starting to use pronouns correctly and love saying ‘on your …’ and ‘I’m coming with you.’ This is usually as they follow me to the loo!

They are beginning to understand plurals and talk about peoples a lot.

They can count up to four now and recite and recognise numbers from 0 – 9. They understand that zero means nothing.

They are starting to ask lots of questions and very funnily question themselves. What are you doing, Esther? Where’s William going?

They like to role play real life scenarios and can often be found breastfeeding teddy bears and changing toys’ nappies.

They can confidently name shapes including ovals and pentagons and know lots of colours with their current favourite being purple.

They know lots of animal words and food words and love to be dramatic in their descriptions. They are also great mimics and I am sure in the future at least one of them will be on the stage. Esther is always pretending to be The Grand Old Duke of York at the moment from Show Me Show Me, though she marches more like John Cleese!

They are becoming a tight team, a funny double act, the cutest comedy duo that you ever did see.

I love my children so much and am immensely proud to be their mummy.

What wonderful little communicators they have become.

Thank you Esther and William for making life fun!

October is an exciting month for Matilda Mae.

She is now 5 months old and is definitely ready for weaning.

She needs to be weaned on to solid food and out of our bed!

With all the changes ahead of us I have started shopping around for products to help us make the transitions we now need to make.

Through my research one brand seems to be sticking out to me more than any other and I think I have fallen a little bit in love.

I’m a little bit in love with Stokke!

I have been talking on Twitter and Facebook about how we need a new stroller. Until now we have used our Chicco Nunu but most of the time I end up wearing Matilda and pushing an empty pram. She does not like lying flat and she hates being in her car seat. Even in the car. She is not a good traveller. The only way she will go anywhere in a pram is if I am bent right over with my face close to hers and talking to her. It seems to me that the creators of Stokke understand my baby and have raised the seat of their stroller up high so that babies can connect with their parents and get the attention that they crave and the security that they need. At the moment Matilda and I have a problem. She does not want to be lying flat and I do not want her to be facing away from me. We need a parent facing pushchair and I think that the very clever, simply stunning Stokke Xplory could be just what we need.

Whilst browsing the Stokke website and admiring all the clever concepts of the Xplory I was also drawn to the details of their carrier. At the moment I carry Matilda in a Baby Bjorn Miracle which we both love but I am suffering from back problems as I am petite and Baby is not. Other mummies that I meet suggest that now Matilda is bigger I could carry her on my back. And actually I think she would love that! The Stokke My Carrier would make it possible to give back carrying a go and switch back to being on my front if either of us is at all unsure. What a great idea!

Once I had started admiring some Stokke products it would have been rude not to peruse them all. And guess what, each one made me fall a little more in love.

When your Baby is the best thing in your world you want the best of the best for them?

So add to the list above the fabulously funky and functional Tripp Trapp.

Wouldn’t she look cute?

Holding Out for a Tripp Trapp!

And the bed fit for a princess the Stokke Sleepi Bed.

That should see us through the upcoming toddler years.

Now to convince the Daddy!!

Today sees the launch of a wonderful new book compiled by Gemma Elwin Harris.

Big Questions from Little People is a collection of genuine questions asked by primary school pupils and answered by a range of ‘very big people’ including Sir David Attenborough, Bear Grylls and my personal favourite, Jarvis Cocker!

The opportunity to review this book has come at a great time for us. Esther and William are now two years old and are becoming very curious about their world.

I no longer, for example, go to the toilet alone because the wonder of mummy on the big potty is just too much to ignore. So off to the loo we all go with questions from my adorable children including, ‘What’s that sound?’ ‘What’s Mama doing?’ and ‘Where’s that wee gone?’

Last week we lost my husband’s Grandad and we deliberated for a long time about whether or not to take our children to the family funeral service. In the end we decided against for many reasons including that they would just have too many questions that we might not want or be able to answer at that time.

Children love to ask questions and they have no sense of what is appropriate and when.

I have very crooked teeth and I will never forget one of my pupils asking me when I taught Year 2 why my teeth were all broken. I will also always remember a young year 4 boy asking me why Jesus’ disciples were eating his body and drinking his blood.

Esther and William are just beginning to question what goes on around them and I am looking forward to helping them to learn and to learning alongside them too.

The Big Questions book I am sure will make a great starting point for preparing me for the years and questions to come.

I have just received the book today and am about to start reading so please do come back to the blog for our full review.

In the meantime, can you answer any of these? Jarvis Cocker can!!

How do you fall in love?
How far away is space?
Why can’t we live forever?
Why is space so sparkly?
Why do we have music?
Is it ok to eat a worm?

If you would like to read the Big Questions book for yourself then it is available to buy online from Faber at just £9.99 with at least 67% of royalty fees being given to the NSPCC.