tattycrafts

Make no bones about it,  I've been bloody lucky with my pregnancy.  A little morning sickness which stopped about week 16, and now some sciatica. That's it.  I know I've got off lightly.  No swelling,  a neat bump (albeit getting bigger by the day), and generally feeling pretty well. It got me thinking about how everyone's experience is different,  but for women to keep going through this, some of us multiple times,  there must be things we really enjoy about being pregnant.  Moments we savour,  little things which create excitement, glee, and bring a smile to our face. I realised mine today.   I'm in love with my pregnant body. I don't have full length mirrors at home and rarely see anything but my head in mirrors.  But, at work, I have to take the lift up to my floor now, and it has mirrors.  Oh boy!  Whenever I get out of the lift I'm beaming from ear to ear.  I find myself giving my belly a rub and saying a...

At night when I can't sleep,  I try to relax and clear my mind but I can't seem to shut my brain down.  I'm forever thinking of all the things that I need to do and the list just seems to get longer and I wonder why I'm wasting time trying to sleep.  Sometimes just writing everything down and putting a date that I'm going to complete it helps. My current list is missing completion dates.  I'm trying to determine need vs want and prioritise everything.  I'm not wonder woman and I don't have vast sums of money in the bank so I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself.  I'm looking forward to the feeling of satisfaction in crossing them all off. .. Only problem is for every item I cross off,  two more get added on.

In our bid to do the nursery on a budget it's time for a project! Over the summer we acquired one of these from Freecycle: Only... ours doesn't look like that.  It had been kept in a chicken house for some time and is in very poor condition.  We also got a pine cotbed second hand from a friend, and the wood of the two items is very different. But you know beggars can't be choosers.... and I do love a craft project. Watch this space to see what we end up with!   *fingers crossed*

If your little one could look like this:  or like this:  which one would you choose?  On looks alone I know which one I would choose, but there's so much more to consider.  While it would feel good to do something for the environment, ultimately it comes down to costs for me. I'm unhappy with the idea of forking out money on a regular basis and lugging home large quantites of disposable nappies with my groceries every week.  It seems so wasteful as well to use something once and throw it away.  But... they are easy to use and are less hassle in terms of maintenance. So what are the real benefits to using re-useable nappies.  When I first started looking into this I knew nothing about them except OMG they're so cute!  I didn't have a clue about what they were made of (not nasty terry towel anymore - try warm fluffy fleece), and how they actually worked.  I mean do you really put a used dirty nappy in a washing machine? *shudder*...

My lovely friend Vicky published a post on her blog today which got me thinking,  no, it didn't get me thinking, it got me motivated. I've been thinking for a long time now, and taking action, then stopping, then starting, then stopping, then... well you get the picture. In a little under 12 weeks I'm hoping to have a mini me, of course it may be a little longer, but still, that's no time at all!  Mini me needs a room of their own to relax, and a house which is functional, and can hold everything they need. The house we're in is far from ideal for this, but until we can get it on the market and sold, we have to make do. I've just spent the last hour moving items out of the room which is to be the nursery, and generally making the rest of the house an even bigger mess.  In order to rectify the even bigger mess I have to crack on with putting stuff in the cupboard under the stairs, and in the loft.  Bit difficult when the cupboard under the stairs is curre...

I spent the evening yesterday with family, including my brother, his partner and their two gorgeous boys. I only tend to see them every few months and I'm always blown away by how much the boys have changed and learnt in such a short space of time. They're super cute, intelligent, funny and charming as hell. Of course, being an Aunty and not seeing them as often as I would like may mean that I only get to see the good stuff and that I am a little biased.  However, as a mum-to-be, I'm already starting to think about how my own child is going to turn out and how others will perceive not only my child, but mine and D's parenting skills. Children don't come with an instruction book, and yes you can buy all sorts of parenting guides but your child is unique and the parents are the ones who know the child and what works best for them. It's a challenge for sure and I can imagine how easy it would be to see only the things that you perceive you've failed on and...

This morning my mood is matching the weather.  It's dark and gloomy,  and a bit damp. It's the time of year where social activities are everywhere and for the first year in my life I'm being a bit of a hermit.  It's not that I don't want to do anything but I don't want to be the sober companion to all the drunkards. It's not the alcohol I'm missing, it's that happy, social, festive atmosphere. The affection and care everyone shows each other. Sitting home on your own drinking tea just doesn't cut it. Nor does waking up on your own knowing your other half will return at some point in the day hungover and no good to anyone for another 24 hours. It's a bit dark in here.  Time for a new light bulb. The weekend is ahead of me and I have lots to do.  *flicks the switch*