Jen

Last month when Jasper was 15 months old, me and James took him to Cbeebies Land. We went on a Thursday, stayed overnight in the Cbeebies Land Hotel and then came home on the Friday. It was a really fun trip and a great place to visit with children, even as young as Jasper. It was quite expensive though and I found there wasn’t as much interaction with the characters as I would have liked. I did a lot of research before we went to make the trip run as smooth as possible and so we could get the most out of it. I also learnt some things whilst we were there so I thought I would share my top 11 tips for parents when visiting Cbeebies Land at Alton Towers.

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motherhood

3 Tips For Coping With Sleep Deprivation

October 6, 2019 Jen

Jasper has never been a great sleeper, he is amazing in every other way but sleep has never been a strong point, so I am quite well versed in sleep deprivation. Before Jasper was born I used to be one of those people that loved sleep and needed around 10 hours sleep most nights. Now you will hear me say things like ‘we had a really good night last night’, when I got 6 hours of sleep and that’s without even mentioning that it was in 3 blocks! So I thought it could be useful to share my top 3 tips for coping with sleep deprivation.

A day time nap with my baby (this was before he started to nap in his own bed)

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Recipes

Sushi Bites – Snack Inspiration – Healthy Toddler Meal Idea

September 27, 2019 Jen

Sushi bites, some snack inspiration for you which can be shared as a healthy toddler meal idea too (a bonus rhyme!). This is a super simple recipe with just 2 main ingredients. But it can be easily jazzed up with different fillings to give it different flavours and get your little one used to different tastes. Sea weed can be quite a difficult food to include in your diet so this are a great way to include this sea vegetable that is a good source of iodine. Depending on the age of your toddler this is also a fun activity to get them involved in making.

20190910_094427 — Jaspy’s lunch: sushi bites, houmous and cucumber.

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other mothers

#othermothers Summer Challenge Roundup

September 20, 2019 Jen

Over the summer I took part in the #othermothers challenge on Instagram. It involved a different prompt each week, as listed in the picture below, to create a post on. I took part in the first 6 weeks but missed the last week because we were away at cbeebies land. I thought it would to be nice to share what I posted each week in one post as a roundup. If you want to see what other people posted check out the #othermothers hashtag on Instagram.

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motherhood

15 Month Old Baby / Toddler Update

September 9, 2019September 15, 2019 Jen

How am I writing Jasper’s 15 month old baby update already?! He is 15 months old today and walking pretty well now so he is definitely a toddler (even though he will always be my baby). I say this at every single stage with Jasper but he is just at an amazing age at the moment. He’s learning new things every day and understanding more and more and it is so amazing to watch. I love looking back at these updates* to see how much he has changed and I hope they might be useful to someone wanting to know what to expect with a 15 month old.

20190909_114500 — Jasper’s hand and feet prints at 15 months old.

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Recipes

Courgette, Banana and Almond Butter Muffins – Healthy Snack Inspiration – Plant Based Recipe

August 30, 2019August 30, 2019 Jen

Healthy snack inspiration; courgette, banana and almond butter muffins. This plant based recipe includes a vegetable, fruit and a source of healthy fats, so it is ideal for fuelling your little ones with energy. They are really tasty and can be made with sugar to make them a healthy treat or without sugar so they taste more like banana bread. The muffins can be batch cooked and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to a month, which is really convenient and handy when you need a healthy snack quickly.

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motherhood

Baby Firsts – Choosing Babies First Shoes

August 21, 2019 Jen

Last week I took Jasper to get his feet measured and to get his first pair of shoes. Since he was not confidently walking yet we went for the crawling/pre walking shoes so that they are still really flexible as his feet get used to walking and he gets more sturdy. When we were in the shop he kept curling up his toes because he wasn’t used to wearing shoes so it was really hard to get them on. Then when we did manage to put them on he pretty much refused to walk or stand in them because he had no idea what was going on. The first few times after this he kept tripping up over them so we let him wear them round the house quite a bit to get used to them.

IMG_20190821_190233_123 — Jasper’s first outing in his new shoes.

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Recipes

Potato Cake Recipe – Healthy Snack Idea

August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 Jen

I am always on the hunt for different snack ideas for me and Jaspy to try to keep things varied and interesting but that are also healthy. So when I had some leftovers potatoes, I thought it would be really good to try and create some potato cakes. They turned out really well and Jasper liked them too (he ended up taking them to soft play and toddler yoga as his snack) so I thought I would create a recipe. Potatoes are a good source of energy, potassium and vitamin B6 so it makes them ideal for toddlers and for all the mummies and daddies running around after them too! This recipes also utilises leftovers so there is less cooking involved which is always a win.

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motherhood

Baby Firsts – Jasper Takes His First Steps

August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 Jen

About 2 weeks ago, I was just pottering around in the kitchen and Jasper stood up at the door and took like 6 steps towards me. It was literally the craziest thing and I wasn’t expecting it. He had been standing and pulling himself up for ages and had taken the odd step here and there but not really without holding on.

Action shot of Jasper practically running across the park!

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Recipes

Healthy Porridge Topping Ideas – Carrot and Walnut Porridge Recipe

August 10, 2019August 17, 2019 Jen

When you wake up really hungry (like I always do!), having options for breakfast is great for getting food in you faster. As porridge is a real go to for us (even in summer!) I like to try keep the toppings varied especially on days when I don’t work. So I have compiled a reference list of nutritious and delicious porridge toppings so there is less thinking to do when you are tired and for a bit of inspiration too. I have also included a recipe for mine and Jasper’s current favourite breakfast – carrot and walnut porridge. It tastes kind of like carrot cake but it obviously much healthier than having cake for breakfast!

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