Coffee and Time with Friends Literally Keeps me Sane

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This Kenco shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

It started when I went on maternity leave: the loneliness.  I went from a very busy hectic office, surrounded in bubbly friends/colleagues, with a demanding workload / long hours.  I had "train friends" who I went to and from work with.  My BlackBerry bing bonged every second.  Home life was secondary to all of that.  Work goals, targets and deadlines were what provided my drive and zest for life!

Then boom! Silence! Maternity leave.  Husband at work, home alone, baby overdue (he was 8 days late).

Fast forward to being a Mum (skipping labour here) part of my PND symptoms involved pulling away from people.  There are friends I have not seen in a long time; years in fact!  I had a group of Yoga friends I have not seen since 2010, despite teaching for 6 years.  Yoga is yet to return to my life.

Thank God babies sleep: lots of time in coffee shops, chatting to the owner or fellow patrons, kept me sane whilst Aaron slept.  I timed my walks to coincide with his naps, so I would have company as he dozed.  This was my routine on the 4 days a week I did not work.  Laundry was restricted to one day a week, and housework, what's that?!?!?

Fast forward again, and I now have a routine.  One that's thankfully been with me quite some time now.  This routine involves seeing the following friends - captured in this video - often.  It is they and the coffee/time/laughs/chats we share together that keeps me sane.  As a SAHM (stay at home mum), I now no longer even have the 3 days a week that I used to work.  Aaron came out of nursery quite a few weeks ago, once it was definite that I am going to be a SAHM for now.  Aaron and I being sociable is now incredibly important; now that he doesn't get that time with other children at nursery.

Thankfully, Mummy no longer has coffee in coffee shops, but instead has it with friends, where Aaron has a good time too.  Him sleeping while Mummy relaxes is now off the agenda.

When your friends are good with children, or have children of their own, lunch/coffee is easily done.  You can even drink it whilst hot, and finish a conversation as long as little one is happy.

Siobhan, Deepa, and Sandra are the 3 people that are definitely my #BFF (best friends forever).  Yes I have lots of close friends ONline, but Aaron doesn't really benefit from that.  Although I tell a lie, we did have a couple of days on the coast with +Anya Harris and her boys in February and will have 4 days away with them again in a few weeks.

Funnily enough Sandra was one of those "train friends" who I am so lucky I stayed in touch with when she stopped working.  She's such a trusted friend, that when nursery told me in January 2011 that they could not take Aaron till September despite me going back to work in April 2011, it was Sandra that I trusted to fill the gap by minding Aaron for those months.

There's not many people I would trust with my precious cargo, not even some family members.  Good friends like that are a rare and precious find!

Good friends:

My friend Sandra, whose garden hosts all of these photos, is going to launch a business soon: Mama's Potent Pickle and the photo above is where she has allowed me to be one of the first to taste her newly invented Tomato Chutney - yummy!

I had phases where I became a hermit, but thankfully these friends gave me a nudge to meet up and now I would not be without them.

Thank God for a kettle and friendship.  The product I feature is Kenco Smooth and I can genuinely recommend it as a great instant coffee. I am in my 3rd decade of drinking coffee and don't really like the faff of filter coffee, so a great instant such as this is a hit with me!

Please take a look at my full shopping experience Google + album here: I bought my Kenco Smooth in Lidl.  You can also see more of our time at Sandra's.

Liska xx

What You Time Did you Have Since last Week? T'You'sDay

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Here I am again, to remind you to have some me time.

Hopefully you've got something planned or some me time that's happened since last T'You'sDay?

The me time I have had this week was short but ever so sweet.

Yesterday I had to go to Lidl to do a little #CBias shop and I left Aaron at home with Daddy.  Normally he would have insisted on coming with me but he was shattered from a weekend in Thomas Land AND he's so so close to Daddy now, who took a few days off for his birthday, so I took it as red, that he wanted to stay (although I did ask twice LOL) and ran for the hills :-)

It's a 20 minute walk there AND back.  I noticed every leaf on every tree.  I felt the sun on my face and took off the jacket I regretted putting on.

Once I realised how hot it was (you couldn't tell from indoors) I got myself back and changed into a summer dress, and took Aaron to a friend's, where we spent the whole afternoon in her garden.

Anyway, back to that shop.  I took photos to show the sort of things I was seeing and appreciating.

Loving the sun and its effect on the leaves.  Enjoying capturing it with my new camera!

Appreciating every burst of colour that I saw.

It might have been fleeting.  It may not have involved a spa day or putting my feet up.

But to walk without pushing a buggy, to start a thought and finish it without hearing "Mummmmmeeee" was priceless.

Sometimes it's the little things that are important.

What did you do?

Link up below; it's a blog hop after all.  Oh, and grab the badge, and encourage some other Mums to regain the spring in their step.





Liska xx

Drayton Manor Hotel Review 2013

We've just come back from a weekend at Drayton Manor.  We stayed Saturday night (15th June) at Drayton Manor Hotel.  

We had to decide whether to drive up Saturday late afternoon, have dinner and the night there, then theme park or, travel early and have two full action-packed theme-park days.  Wouldn't be our natural choice but our special boy Aaron was 3 years old on Saturday and LOVES Thomas and Thomas Land.  So we chose the latter.  In fact, this was our 3rd visit to Thomas Land; our 2nd time staying at the hotel.

On arrival on Drayton Manor grounds, we could not find a space in the Drayton Manor Hotel carpark and did not realise the ones that say Tower Suite and Hamilton Suite were also places we could park, so we actually drove to the theme park car parks in the end and did not check-in until after a day at Thomas Land.  Our luggage remained in the car all day, which wasn't a problem.

When we did later check-in, we were pleased.  Our room was airy and spotless.  

All three of us liked it:

The bathroom was modern and spotless too:

The thing that strikes you about Drayton Manor Hotel on arrival, and also the thing that leaves a lasting impression is how beautifully landscaped it is.

I think years ago I would have taken this for granted and it would have 100% gone over my head, but as a Mum who sometimes gets stressed and runs that very same 100% on adrenaline, the landscaping had an "ahhhh" effect on me, which tangibly lowered my blood pressure and had me breathing more deeply - no exaggeration!  Aaron fell asleep REALLY early, and with hindsight, THAT was my chance to go and "chill" and walk around the grounds... missed opportunity right there.

If you like the above photos and would like to seem them full size my Google Plus Drayton Manor Hotel photo album can be found here <<<.
 
The reception area feels slightly like a conference hotel, but is softened by the character people, the carousel, and the Thomas Land hotel shop.

The carousel is a lovely touch and only works if you push the red button (if you are on the far side of it, don't assume it is off or broken like I did the last time we stayed):

I love the "character people", who help to stop the hotel from feeling too corporate.  Aaron went and talked to them all with Daddy.

All of the above give little ones something to do, if there is a queue to check in or check out.

I can't comment on our dinner Saturday night, in the restaurant sense.  Aaron was very poorly and so he fell asleep early.  We took the option to order room service, which the hubby later confided he preferred anyway, as he was worried about Aaron misbehaving through dinner.

The room service menu was good and actually the prices were reasonable.  See if you agree:

Click it to big it (the pic that is)

This is what we had - the cold beer went down very well and I liked that it wasn't in a can or a bottle:

Bless Aaron. After a busy birthday in Thomas Land he fell asleep on the sofa bed.  It was really convenient for us as it was already pulled out AND the bed was made!

It was while he was asleep as above, that I should have treated myself to a walk of the grounds.

Aaron and I went down to breakfast at 8, leaving Daddy to get ready (he's ALWAYS slow)!  We looked around for the Character Breakfast but it was in a room off a room as below, and we hadn't booked for it:

The room off the restaurant that leads to the room used for the Character Breakfast!

The Character Breakfast - yes that is The Fat Controller sat right there in the middle!

Aaron played with trains for most of the time that we were at breakfast - there's 3 play tables dotted around the restaurant, but be warned, DO bring a train as they are not provided and the last time we came (October) there were SO many tears from Aaron (and I was tweeting about it) that they had to OPEN the shop at 2100 to get him one! You need a wooden style Thomas train, that fits wooden tracks, as the die cast ones will not fit.

The train he is playing with above is a wooden train called "Smudger", which I actually bought in the Theme Park Thomas Land shop on Saturday as despite knowing the above, I still managed to forget a train, but I am glad I did as what I bought fit the track better :-)

He did spend some time at the breakfast table with me - it wasn't all at train tables as above.  He even ate a whole plate of scrambled egg, despite being ill all night. I was happy as that meant he was set and energised for day 2 in the theme park.

We sat there till Daddy came down at 9!!! (he promised he'd be down at 08:40) and we even stayed with Daddy till 09:30.  I then sent the two of them out to the gorgeous hotel garden so I could go upstairs and tidy the room.  Daddy said "pack don't tidy" but for me you cannot do one without having done the other and the room was trashed a mess, despite us staying only one night.  Despite being up there from 09:30 to 10:00 we still didn't check out until nearly 10:30.  They didn't tell us off, which surprised me, as check-out is a strict 10:00 (which also surprised me given it was a Sunday).  Every hotel I have ever stayed in does 12:00 check-out at weekends.  Ah well.


The train tables do get very busy and children do fight over track space, until they start to learn to move around each other so do expect to have to supervise and ideally get a table near where they will be:

In the morning, there's a really convenient walk from hotel to theme park:

 
You start to see attractions as you walk along which builds up the excitement!

Drunken Barrels (below) is the first ride you come to but it's very average... we did not do that Saturday or Sunday as we experienced it in October.

On day two I went on the LONDON EYE lookie likey and loved it:

I don't want to make this review grim, but basically when he woke up, from that sleep I show you above, he vomited.  I somehow could tell it was coming, and got him to the bathroom, so all the bed linen was saved.  All day he'd been too excited to eat, so all he brought up was his bottle of ribena and some of Daddy's crisps that he'd eaten. So, it was NOT anything he'd eaten whilst there if you get what I mean.

He then came into our bed, (I had the opportunity to get his PJs on - Thomas ones OF COURSE) and to cut a long story short, it happened a few more times.  These times the bed linen was NOT saved, so I had to make many calls to reception.  Their patience, understanding and help was way beyond the call of duty even taking soiled ones away (which I'd dumped in the bath) so as not to smell out the room.  It came across as really considerate, but maybe they were also thinking of not having a smell linger for the next guests.  The beds had waterproof mattress protectors on, so I needn't worry about soiled mattresses.  I said to the hubby that it was actually a good thing it happened there and not at home, as at least it wasn't adding to our laundry pile and we could focus on Aaron and not on worrying that we were running out of changes of bed clothes.

Each time he woke he insisted on drinks, as he was dehydrated but they each in turn came up (ribena as above, then 3 oz of a bottle, then orange juice).  I went and got a bottle of water from reception and he woke me every half hour for the whole night having a sip each time, till morning when the whole bottle was gone.  He kept the water down, and thanks to its recovery properties WAS able to spend a day in Thomas Land the next day.

Thank God I brought 3 pairs of PJs (two of them Thomas) as we did need the two Thomas ones! 

In our bed before later going back into the sofa bed.  Oh what a night!

It did take it out of him though, so he did have an afternoon nap on Sunday even though he's grown out of them:

This gave us chance to walk back from the tea shop near Spencer's Adventure Playground, to the main park and have a wander before he woke up.

I will do a separate blog post about our time at Thomas Land.



Pros and Cons of the hotel

Pros

1. Spotless room, hotel, grounds and restaurant
2. New hotel
3. Friendly helpful staff
4. Rooms with everything you may need (including a safe, fridge, etc...)
5. Our room was way way nicer than the one we had in October (which was two singles) - this time we had a proper double room AND a sofa bed for Aaron.
6. Evening kids entertainment was available from 1700 to 1900.
7. Character Breakfast (we did not try it).
8. 15 Thomas Themed bedrooms (we did not book one).
9. The Manager of the front desk was on duty Saturday night AND Sunday morning (she finished at 10 p.m. and started at 7 a.m.) so she was available for all of my queries etc... very professional.  She was the one bringing me fresh bed linen (until the last occasion after she'd clocked off) and gave me the complimentary bottle of water that kept Aaron hydrated throughout the night (which he DID keep down).

Cons

1. They don't seem to be consistent with giving the Thomas welcome pack - we did not receive one.
2. Check in does feel like checking in for a flight, with a script that they roll off similar to "have you packed your own bag".  It needs to be a bit more theme parkie, but I guess I am particularly fussy about this, having experienced Butlins. There probably wasn't time for them to say much more to be fair, given that I had Aaron in the buggy who was impatient and a queue of people behind me, same.
3. We got a newspaper on Sunday morning, which we were charged for and did not request, despite them being free in the restaurant (I still have not read it - oooops)
4. The checkout of 10 a.m. is really wrong in my opinion. I would like a lie-in, leisurely breakfast and the option of checking out by 12, although with a theme park to head off to, maybe that's NOT such a good idea actually. 

For a limited time.. upgrade for just £50

Offer ends: 18th July 2013

For a limited time only, upgrade to a Thomas & Friends themed room for just £50! (Sundays to Thursdays).

Liska xx

And then you were three

My dear darling boy.  It's now 15 June 2013.  You are 3! Although technically I did not have you until 21:30 (21:24 to be precise).

I wonder, is 3 the landmark to be a boy, instead of a toddler?

To be fair, you have always been a big tall boy, so people always think you are 4.  It was hard explaining that you were only 2.  It will be way way easier to say that you are 3.  It won't be such a conversation stopper!

So look how far you've come little man:

Your thick shiny black STRAIGHT hair at birth all fell out a few weeks later, to be replaced by wispy curly brown hair LOL.

In that car seat pic, you are about to leave the hospital and get in a car for the first time, to see home for the first time.  That was taken Saturday 19th June and you were only 4 days old.  When I sent that picture to all the family in Ireland, they said that looks like a 3 month old, not a newborn.

It was SO hot that day, look you haven't even got socks on. I am not even sure if that is a baby gro, or literally just a vest.  The all in one, with feet and hands that I paid £25 for from Mothercare, as a "leaving hospital" suit (coat thing) was SUCH a waste of money!

I never got a moses basket, and thank God I didn't as you were such a long tall boy from the start.  New born clothes? Don't make me laugh! You were STRAIGHT into 0-3 months and for the life of me, I can't remember how long they lasted.  I wish I had documented those first few months (here on the blog) but although I was VERY active on Facebook and Netmums during that time, my blog, although already live, lay dormant for a few months - I ALWAYS regret that.  So many memories I COULD have captured or to use the word I learned at Cybher: curated!

Born at 9 pounds 10 oz, you were never ever small. During pregnancy I was classed as "large for dates" always measuring 2 extra centimeters on the length of my bump.

The consultant who delivered you said "this one's ready for school" - I never ever want to forget things like that.  The midwife was from Manchester.  He was Nigerian, like all of Daddy's family.

You've been born into good Guinness drinking stock :-)

Anyway without further ado, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my ONE AND ONLY.

Liska xx
Mummy xx

Things to Pack when You Are Going to Thomas Land!

And we best not forget a couple of Thomas Tank Engines, as there are tracks in the hotel reception area and restaurant, but no trains. Let's avoid tears this time shall we.  We don't want to have to make a Manager open the foyer shop out of hours again.

And every boy needs his own wheelie suitcase (far right above) which I think we will use in the theme park instead of a nappy changing bag! I love his Thomas Bag which we bought from the Thomas Souvenir shop the last time we went (yes, this is our 3rd time to Thomas Land, but when a boy loves something.....)!

We haven't used the LittleLife reins (next to his Thomas Bag in the far right photo) in a LONG time but I plan on bringing them as Aaron is going through a phase where he runs off, very independently, and I don't fancy searching a whole theme park for him!

If only I could get this Birthday Eve boy to bed!

Liska xx

Redundancy

Sitting in my PJs
It's really late at night
I don't know why I stay awake
Getting so close to day light

Late to sleep late to rise
It's become who I am
I ought to make an effort
But I don't give a damn

A part of me that used to work
Was turned off some time last year
The part that was ambitious
For which I could shed a tear

But crying's not within me
I only feel so numb
Why did I give my "all" like that
I really was quite dumb

While all the world got qualified
I ran around a treadmill
And now I don't know what to do
I find myself standing still

I say I want to stay at home
Be the one to hold the baby
But life is passing me right by
And all I feel is lazy

My feet are heavy
My pace is slow
My va va voom has left me
I don't know what will bring me to
The place I know I should be

What is for sure
Is this don't work
This sluggish lazy me

So I need to find
A path to walk
That's where I want to be

I know the route
The journey's end
Yet still I do delay
And every day that
I hang about
The price is dear I pay

For life is for the living
And there's time when I'll be dead
So now's the time to soldier on
And deal with the bits that feel like lead

Somehow I'll find a way to smile
And be the Mum I'm born to
But part of me is in a panic
As I know I'm worn too

By worn I mean I'm tired
Every day is such a struggle
Whenever I get clarity
It's followed by a muddle

The person that I was
I think she has gone missing
The one that's walking in her shoes
Is quiet and silently wishing

Wishing that the day will come
When everything has a meaning
Wondering when that day will be
Until then I'll be dreaming

For now it is the time to sleep
Put down my weary head
Turn off the phone put out the light
And drag myself to bed

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Our First Time at Kiddicare Enfield

We happened to be in Enfield yesterday, so I said to the husband let's go to to Kiddicare.  I sold it to him that I was going in there to get some of Aaron's birthday presents.  I had said I wanted to get a cheap water/sand table.  He gave me his credit card and said my budget was £20 LOL, as he wanted to get him something else... that's a whole other story.

Now, really I just wanted to go in there to be nosey as I have been dying to take a looksie since it opened.  Now, I thought that maybe it only sold car seats, cots and buggies, so as I walked in, I thought: "What am I doing coming in here for toys?"  On the same retail park is a Toys R Us, and I knew Kiddicare would effect their Babies R Us section, but judging by yesterday they will effect them on toys too.

Every time I have been into Toys R Us since Aaron was born, I always spend ages going up and down aisles trying to work out what thing is for what age. Even more so when I am buying for 6 children at Christmas which I've always done at Toys R Us, and never particularly enjoyed it - the staff are not at all friendly.

Anyway, Kiddicare only covers the years 1-5, so we have a couple to go as Aaron will be 3 on Saturday.  I felt at ease, at home, and like "a kid in a toy shop" the minute I arrived.  They KNOW how to do retail.

The staff are friendly in that welcoming Disney kind of way which I love to be honest. Yes I am a sucker.

There were FABULOUS offers on, and I DID manage to get the £20 water/sand table, and it is a really nice one as it was reduced from £40.  I can't photograph it now, as all of his new toys are in the attic waiting till Saturday - oh I tell a lie, as he was with me, he wasn't having that, so as a compromise I let him have the Play-Doh Diggin' Rigs digger, which he is playing with right now while I write this.  Here's a few photos from yesterday evening:

We love Play-Doh.  I always feel sorry for my husband's childhood as he never had any so he is not all nostalgic about the smell of it like I am.

Anyway the other thing I got was a toy house thingy (Buzzing Brains Busy Discovery House).  Oh my God me and Aaron played with it for ages (on the shelf).  The doorbell rings.  The outside light comes on. The bedside light comes on. The little girl in bed snores, the toilet seat lifts up etc etc etc...

On their own range of toys - Buzzing Brains - they were doing buy one get one half price and this house was the same range as the sand/water table so I was sorted!

Here's our photos.  It's the first shop I have ever taken Aaron in, where he can PLAY.  It's never been like that any time I have taken him to Toys R Us.

He was tired in the buggy as you'll see in the snaps but soon came alive when he saw what he could play with and promptly asked to come out of the buggy trolley.

I fell in love with this and it is heavily reduced, but we just can't afford it at the moment. It was with a heavy heart that I left without it

The water/sand table is right there on the right, with the reduced signage

Very tired until he saw what he could play with :-)

Then he's off like a racing car LOL!

All of their prices are digital - this is how heavily reduced the wendy house is - good eh?

This is the house we got. So so so many things to do on it - we both loved it!

Really comfortable clean trollies that are kept INSIDE the store

It's not particularly obvious from outside that they stock toys!

I hope he enjoys opening his toys on Saturday morning.

Liska xx