Jack and the Beanstalk at The Mercury Theatre

On Monday we was very lucky to be invited to visit The Mercury Theatre for this year's pantomime, Jack and The Beanstalk. Lylie is only just two so perhaps a little young to fully appreciate the story of Jack and The Beanstalk, however she was captivated for the entire performance which lasted two and a half hours with a twenty minute interval. Although pantomime is generally aimed at family friendly fun there was definitely some references thrown in just for the adults benefit which had myself and my husband giggling away. Dame Trott, Jack's mum was comedy gold for the duration and as a big finale even gave the man sitting next to me a very welcomed birthday lap dance he will never forget.

Babe, the Sheep Pig at the Mercury Theatre

On Thursday we was very fortunate to be invited to this years summer family show Babe, the Sheep Pig at The Mercury Theatre in Colchester. I was instantly excited, and then a little nervous. You are promised 90 minutes of fun although trying to keep a 22 month old toddler still for that long is nothing short of a miracle... well they do say miracles happen! 

We love a Tipsy Tea Party

The sun was shining over the bank holiday weekend and the only place to be on Saturday afternoon was at the Rayleigh club where the beautiful Amy Langmead hosted her first tipsy tea party. Luckily for me hair of the dog was exactly what I needed, as soon as I walked through the door naked men were handing me glasses of bubbles.... OK they weren't exactly naked ... but still. There didn't seem to be any holding back on the bubble's, Amy knows how much us Essex ladies love them, they kept flowing all day.

The food was delicious and plentiful however the focus was definitely more on the entertainment, there was so much going on that I almost forgot to fill my belly with the delicious sandwiches and cakes available. The cakes were just a glitzy as the party decor, sparkle on everything - the red velvet cake was as yummy as it was gorgeous! 

Singing waiters took the lime light of the day, there wasn't a dry eye in the house everyone was in hysterics. We were all calling for an encore when they finished and I was even given a rose. Lucky Me. 

By the middle of the event everyone was feeling a little bit tipsy, there was lots of singing and dancing like a big friendly party. The lovely Amy even treated us to some vocal styling she has such a wonderful voice it was a real highlight of the day. 

I was very kindly invited for free however at only £35pp it was such good value for money, everyone was commenting on how the event was able to fun and be so amazing as such an affordable price. The only negative thing to say was that we needed at least another four hours to party!!

Photo Credit Naomi Millbank-Smith

I was very lucky to meet some wonderful local blogging ladies, sometimes at events when you are sitting down with bloggers you do not know it can feel quite awkward but this event was so relaxed it made everyone in the room feel like old friends. 

I will definitely be booking onto another Pink Vanilla event soon! If you are looking for something extra special for your birthday, a hen doo or even just a night with the girls Pink Vanilla Events have you covered! 

Toddlers on Planes

We recently took the plunge and went for it... we took the toddler abroad. When ever anyone asked if I was excited for my holiday only one thing entered my mind, sheer panic about the flight! Even though I like to think as a mother I have now gotten over the caring what other people think about... well anything anymore really, it still panicked me that I wouldn't be able to escape if she did kick off. And my kid is a particularly head strong little thing. I thought I would share with you a couple of things that got me through the travelling aspect of our holibobs! 

Do you believe in fairies?

On bank holiday Monday we spent the day with the fairies at Nevendon Manor. 

I wasn't sure what I was walking into and it is fair to say this place was an instagrammer's dream come true, I was completely in my element.... and Lylie loved it too! 

How to take 'Instagrammable' photos of Toddlers

Instagram is my favourite social platform (even with the stupid algorithm) I love seeing how people express themselves through images. I would say I am quite a visual person even though I am not very artistic, Instagram is available for everyone to be creative in their own little way. 

I've always struggled with being in the photos for my blog, difficult when you are writing lifestyle piece I know, so when my daughter was born and I made the easy transition into parenting blogger I finally had my subject. Although I am in some of the photos, mostly I am behind the camera snapping away, which is my preferred location. 

Lylie's best toddler tantrums

With my daughter at 18 months old I thought I had a little while until the terrible twos started in my house, but apparently not. It seems that as soon as they can walk they start the whole 'strop flop' to the floor. This behavior is an expression of frustration, they are unable to use their words to explain to you what the problem is and you are unable to reason with them. 

Toys my one year old actually plays with!!

Toys are everywhere in my house, it's like a sea of coloured plastic wherever I turn. If you happen to watch my Instagram stories you will know this is not an exaggeration. But what toys does my one year old actually play with? In a recent post I talked about the toy rotation realisation and I still stand by this concept, however there are definitely some toys my little girl enjoys lots more than others. 

Tips to sooth or prevent nappy rash

I didn't realise the sheer quantity of drama's teething would bring. You hear whispers about it being hard work, but for me and the majority of my mum friends it has been a nightmare. Runny nose? Teeth. Cough? Teeth. Won't sleep? Teeth. Won't eat? Teeth. But so far the worst thing for us to come from the dreaded teething is extra poop's and a VERY sore bum!

Themed Days at Marsh Farm - Unicorn Day

January is such a miserable month we decided to book in a treat day of fun to beat the gloom. Typically as our magical unicorn day came around the heavens opened and tried to rain on our parade. We decided to wrap up warm and make the best out of the day as our tickets were non refundable. Having a 15 month old who isn't yet steady on her feet outside in the pouring rain does raise one or two challenges however luckily Marsh Farm does have both indoor and outdoor activities available, and the older kids were loving channeling their inner Peppa and jumping in all of the muddy puddles. (side note not everyone loves jumping in puddles Peppa, you liar!) 

The toy rotation realisation - you need to do this!!

In the back of your mind you sort of realise that a baby is bound to take over your house a bit, but in reality it ends up being more that you could imagine, at least that's how it is in our house. At this stage Lylie doesn't have a set playroom, this may change when she reaches an age where she is likely to have independent play. However at the moment our whole house is her play room. 

It drives my husband up the wall, it actually bothers him a whole lot more than it bothers me (I am so used to being in the middle of a pile of brightly coloured toys at this stage) He is always asking me when we can 'get rid' of this or that, she doesn't play with half of it anyway. Although I have purchased the majority of Lylie's toys from charity shops and therefore have no emotional attachment to them it is still difficult for me to give them up. What if she decides to play with them later?

Survival Tips - Getting through a wedding with a baby

I don't know about you but now Christmas is well and truly over I am about ready for spring. Today I saw daffodils in the shops and it made me so happy... soon the shelves will be full of egg shape chocolate (my favourite type) The thought of impending warmer weather coincided with a bunch of save the date cards hitting my door mat, that's right wedding season is on the way. Lylie is only just one and she has already attended THREE weddings, so I thought I would share my survival tips for making it through the wedding day with a baby in tow.

Going into 2018 Confidently

Last year was consumed by my newly found motherhood, remembering back to this time last year I was a bit of a mess - mentally and physically. I have learnt so much in the last 365 days about babies and my daughter.. and surprisingly also about myself. Looking back over the past year I can barely recognise myself as the mother I am now. I was terrified to leave the house with this new human I was suddenly in charge of, what if she did a poo? what if she made a noise? Now I feel quite confident in my role, even if I made decisions that I know would receive eye rolls on the mama forums. I own my mistakes. These day's I could even pass as a normal functional human being.