When I was preparing to have my first baby, I read so many of these ‘What’s In My Hospital Bag? posts online. It must be one of the most googled questions in every pregnant woman’s search history – what on earth do I take with me to have this baby?! This time around, rather than spending too long reading other people’s lists I have simply drawn on my own experience from last time. I’ve tried to remember the things that I was really glad I had with me and the things that I really wished I had taken. I think that compared to a lot of lists online this is quite a simple one. What I have decided to take has been based on the fact that this is my second child and my first labour and delivery had no complications, therefore I have no intention of staying in the birth centre any longer than necessary.

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It still seems alien to me to refer to myself as a ‘work from home mum’. This must mainly be due to the fact that primarily I see myself as a ‘stay at home mum’ and also that I genuinely love my job so much that it often doesn’t seem like work. But still the fact remains, I am self employed, I earn money, I work from home. Being able to stay at home to raise my children whilst earning my own income on the side is a dream come true for me, but that doesn’t mean that it is always plain sailing. It’s not the ‘easy life’ people could assume that it is. Over the past six months or so of being officially self employed I have certainly learnt the juggling act and gradually over time I’ve found a rhythm and a routine that works for me and my family. My priority is always Darcie (and Ernie when he arrives) so as much as I can I try to do the bulk of my work while she is asleep or entertained by other people. I stayed at home to look after her not to become a blogger and that is always at the forefront of my mind. (more…)

No matter how much you love pregnancy, there will always be some things about life before pregnancy that you really, really miss. Things that you simply can’t wait for once you are no longer pregnant. It goes without saying that the thing I am most excited for after pregnancy is meeting my baby boy, holding him in my arms and embarking on a new journey together. But there are also some other things that I can’t wait for, things that I have sorely missed throughout pregnancy.

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I’ve written many, many posts now on the subject of making our rented house, our home. Everyone who rents will know the struggle of not wanting to spend too much money on a property that isn’t yours but also desperately wanting to put your stamp on it. We’re lucky in that we are able to decorate our house however we wish, but that does also make it harder to resist the temptation of splashing the cash to make it ‘ours’. The best way I have found to not waste money on decorating a rental property is to keep the walls simple and neutral and to create the personality with accessories. It’s all in the details. (more…)

Dear Little Bump,

Today I  found out that you exist. I already knew you were in there, I recognised the signs way before a pregnancy test could pick you up, but seeing those two little lines still made my heart burst and my hand shake. It was different to the day I found out I was pregnant with your sister because she was my first and so there was so much fear of the unknown mixed in with the joy of finding out. With you there is just joy, elation, and pure excitement. I also found out a lot sooner with you, I think you can only be around 3 weeks old and so I can barely imagine you in there yet, apparently you are the size of a sesame seed. (more…)