For Bloggers Christmas Comes Early

Lottie and I were wearing our matching Christmas dresses to Horts Bristol (eclectic pub with a small luxury private sofa cinema) the other day. As above it was a BUMBLE Baby Cinema event to see Disney The Muppet Christmas Carol, hosted by the lovely Queen Bees She and Hem. Daddy was like "they'd be so lovely to wear on Christmas Day" and despite many years blogging I had to explain to him we get things way before Christmas so that we can share them with others as a great idea. I got our Want That Trend dresses so early my tree wasn't up so as below I used Costco as the backdrop for an Instagram pic. Luckily the staff thought it was a great idea so I didn't have to take pics looking over my shoulder. An employee even took some of the pics for me but Aaron took the one I actually shared on Instagram (Actually they're all there, as it's a slideshow of 10 pics if I remember rightly):

What happens when you want a festive scene for a 📸shoot but you've not put the decs up yet? Well you go to @costcouk that's what 😂... after school today.... well after the dentist after school..... SWIPE for all 10 pics... #Ad #WantThatTrend #MatchingDresses #TwinningIsWinning #RockingAroundTheXmasTree #WhatIWoreToday #BloggerFashion #UKParentBlogger #MumLife #ThatsDarling #MyHappyCapture #MotherandDaughter #MakeMotherhoodDiverse

A post shared by Parenting Blogger Liska (@newmumonline) on Nov 30, 2017 at 12:02pm PST

We went to Drayton's Magical Christmas in November and even Noah's Ark more locally as they were both blogger events. I don't mind doing things early doors as it means the festive period and the excitment to Christmas just lasts longer and it's less of an anti-climax than it is when you pile the pressure on just one day to be good.

We even already have our Christmas Day LONDON PJs thanks to Alex and Alexa and we all adore them:

It's the 🎄Christmas 🎄 for matching PJs & they couldn't be cuter. I'm being clever here as the London red on the buses, post boxes & phone boxes mixed with the London Eye ferris wheels which look like snow flakes are all quite festive yet because there's nothing actually overtly Xmassy about them they CAN wear them all year round 😁clever Mummy. I did this lil photo shoot while they were engrossed in Peppa 🐽🐖🐷 Do swipe left as there are 10 pics 📸keep an eye out for the one where they're holding hands 😢😍 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 I've had my eye out 👀 for classy matching PJs for weeks & was thrilled when I stumbled acrross these on @alexandalexacom ... take a look the design is incredible as there are Underground signs, black taxis, beefeaters & even Big Ben & Tower Bridge. As if that's not enough there's even a tea pot, cup and royal crown. We lived in London for 41 years and have been gone long enough that these are beautifully nostalgic. The Peruvian super soft pima cotton jersey feels like silk. Aaron said "they feel incredible" you can see the pic where he's hugging his knees. They're called Kissy Kissy White London Landmarks Print Pyjamas AND CURRENTLY HAVE 25% OFF meaning Lottie's are now £30 instead of £40. Machine washable at 30 degrees. #AlexAndAlexa #ad #KissyKissy #PerfectAndProud #BrotherAndSister #Siblings #childrenofig #XmasPJs #MatchingPJs #worldoflittles #childhoodunplugged #lifecloseup #developinglife #myhappycapture #dayslikethese #pixel_kids #cherisheverymoment #documentyourdays #candidchildhood #our_everyday_moments #UKParentBloggers #instakids #mamalife #thatsdarling #tinybeansmoment #letthekids #littleandbrave

A post shared by Parenting Blogger Liska (@newmumonline) on Dec 14, 2017 at 2:14am PST

We haven't done any toy reviews this Christmas so were thrilled to be asked to review

• a Mr. Tumble SS01 Something Special Learning Pad for Lottie (Let your child learn with Mr Tumble and Friends. Press and picture or image on the tablet to hear fun sounds and facts. Includes six games to encourage learning about colours, numbers, shapes, letters, characters and musical instruments. The touch sensitive screen makes exploration fun and easy to follow).
• a Thomas and Friends Flip and Learn Phone for Lottie (A chunky classic flip-up phone in blue, with a backlit answer screen and image of Thomas and Percy. Call Thomas and his Sodor friends to hear their greetings. Includes games to help children with number and colour recognition - press. Kids can even pretend to take pictures with the camera-phone feature. Helps children with colour and number recognition. Helps with simple communication skills. Sturdy, solid design is ideal for preschool children
• an Xtrem Trooper Bot for Aaron (Here comes the ultimate Xtrem Bot, Trooper Bot. Over 35cm tall, the high tech trooper bot is armed and ready for combat, with a missile launcher built into its arm – take aim and fire using the infrared remote control. Then when the battle is over, trooper bot can perform its own robotic dance! trooper bot can walk and slide forward, turn, move backwards, and follow up to 50 consecutive commands. The multi LED eyes have a variety of facial expressions. Trooper bot comes with a protective visor, 5 missile darts and USB cable for recharging (2 x AA batteries only required for the controller). infra-red transmitter reaches range of more than 5 metres. For ages 5 years and up.

So our delivery arrived and kept them busy this week which was great as Aaron broke up from school Friday 15th December.... I find that TERRIBLY early, as I am Irish and we celebrate Christmas till 6th January and breaking up that early means he goes back on 2nd January *cries*. Imagine spending New Year's Day saying "you better go to bed soon you've got school tomorrow" :-( I do know though that this year must be a DREAM COME TRUE for any office worker who works Monday to Friday. Normally up to 2012 that'd have been me. Getting everyone in the office to set out of offices on Christmas Eve with me then dashing to Stansted to collect my Mum from the airport. But with Christmas falling on a Monday people have 23rd and 24th off. They must be stoked!!!!! If only school holiday dates worked just as well.

So this is Aaron's new toy - call it an early Xmas present from the world of Blogging and scroll down for our video review of it...

Video review of our new robot on my youtube channel

Anyway bye for now. Hope to touch base with you all again before Santa comes down my chimney - oooh errr. And, you can always find me over on Instagram NewMumOnline my happy place.

Getting Your House Baby Ready

Getting the house ready for baby's arrival in the midst of Christmas? I totally get it. Lottie was born nearly two years ago on 25th January 2016. You don't know whether to buy bibs or Christmas Crackers. Whether to get the tree down out of the cot or her brother's old cot. The secret is making space for it all and being prepared.

Whether you’re in the early stages of planning for your pregnancy or looking at the final weeks before you expect to bring a new addition to the family home with you, one of the key issues you need to tackle is getting the house ready. You need to make sure it’s safe and clean for your new baby, and also that you have all the supplies you need both for you and the baby conveniently at hand. This is particularly important given that the midwife expects to land in on top of you for a home visit within a day or two of your being discharged from hospital - if you haven't had a home birth that is. Worrying about the house is the last thing you need so get it sorted whilst you're nesting and delegate delegate delegate.

Today we’ve got a few helpful tips to make sure you’ve got every angle covered when you bring your newborn baby home.

Clean and Clear

It’s important to bring a newborn home to a clean house – on top of that, with a young child in the house, you simply won’t have time for your normal housework routine. Doing a deep clean in advance of your predicted due date will ensure your house is ready, and also with what little housework you have time for in the weeks and months to come will be more valuable: you’ll be returning your home to that pristine state, not fighting back against accumulated years of clutter.

Creating a bit of extra room is always valuable, and never more so when you’re bringing a whole new person into your house. Don't forget you'll also need space for all those visitors that come with having a new baby. When Aaron arrived my Mum moved in with us for NINE WEEKS so you might not just be making room for a Nursery you might just be having to clear out the spare room too. If you are looking for self storage London has plenty of options for you, and this allows you to clear the clutter out of your house and into a secure storage facility, whether it’s something dangerous you don’t want in a house with a new baby, or the relics of an old hobby you have to admit to yourself you won’t have time for until your new baby is a little more independent. Even something as simple as bikes if you live in a flat without a garage or shed.

Food

Another useful thing to do is clear out your fridge. Make sure you have designated baby space – you’ll be storing a lot for them, whether it’s formula or breast milk, and the last thing you want is to mix it up with last night’s leftovers. This also creates space for you to cook and store lots of batch food. Time is going to be at a premium in the next weeks and months, and batch cooking a whole week’s worth of food when you have the opportunity to store and eat when you have less time is a great idea. My Christian friend is studying Theology and whenever one of the students or their spouse has a baby they all take it in turns to drop off a meal for the new parents scheduling it on Meal Train.

Stock Up

Make use of all the space you’ve cleared by stocking up on the essentials: nappies and wet wipes, of course, but also cleaning supplies: paper towels, baby friendly stain removers and detergent. You really can’t have enough of the essentials, so making sure you’re fully stocked up is a great way to feel ready for when you bring your new-born baby home.

When my 1st baby arrived in 2010 I got loads of decorating done in advance as I wanted my bedroom to be a tranquil place as I knew he would be in with us for the 1st few months. I was really happy with what we achieved: Baby Living in a Flat. 2 years ago I was busy tidying for baby Lottie's imminent arrival.

Good luck Mumma you can do it. Great thing about the festive and new baby visitors is you CAN get them to help with stuff. Delegation is key. Just don't give them the baby. Get those snuggles in while you can. Sniff that newborn head. Those heady newborn days don't last long AT ALL...

This post is a collaboration

Christmas at Noah's Ark Bristol

We recently received an invite to review Noah's Ark Farm Zoo, visiting on Saturday 25th November and I jumped at the chance. A sane woman would say "no I have a Christening tomorrow that I have been planning for months" but no, this was too good an opportunity to turn down and I have wanted to visit the place for 3 years. The fact that the kids would enjoy it was a bonus. The fact that Daddy and Grandma could do all the last minute shopping and errands for the party and buffet in peace... well that was the icing on the cake. So plans were made, cousin invited, alarm set and off we trekked. Oh and the usual prep for any event, Aaron was tasked with watching You Tube videos to get suitably excited and that he did in bucket loads as he was beyond thrilled with the selection of animals he was about to meet. Way more than we've seen in other places recently.... errrm... moving swiftly on.... oh but just look at that tractor above. They loved posing for a pic there and that's right before the entrance so they were delighted with the place before we even dived in or met our blogger group in the Food Barn. Even before that after getting out of the car in the car-park we were greeted with this scene of reindeer. They look quite mature don't they.

But that was not all. Whilst we gathered round chatting, having by now gone through the ticket barrier, the kids ran off to climb on this boat. Before I knew it Lottie was with them, safely climbing up, between cousin and brother and I was greeted with this scene. My 22 month old, gulps, up in the sky, having only turned 22 months that very day:

Clearly instead of telling them to get down I got my camera out and then greeted them (getting video footage too naturally) at the bottom of that yellow slide you see in the pic. To be honest I am a HUGE fan of silhouette photography so when I saw the scene above I couldn't get my camera ready quick enough. Well... clearly I did LOL! They look like they're going on a bear hunt don't they. And funnily enough there are bears in Noah's Ark. That's Lottie in front, cousin behind. then a stranger followed by Aaron taking up the rear. I was so glad that they had this to play on whilst us adults got reacquainted. It's been too long since I'd last seen Jane and Heather. With both ladies I have linked to their Christmas in Bristol posts so do have a looksie if you're local or nosey :-) There are bears at Noah's Ark but we didn't see them, mainly because the soft play area and not so soft (wooden) play areas are exceptional, so we kind of got holed up in there for hours but more on that later. It was now time to go in and meet everyone, so the kids were beckoned into the Food Barn so we could congregate for a tour. I'm actually impressed now with hindsight that they agreed to stop playing and came in. Once in the Food Barn I ordered some drinks and food and chatted with Jane and Heather. I suddenly thought "how come I am not being asked questions by the kids?".... a quick scan of the room and this is what I was greeted with. It was such a serene scene and too good to be true so I doubled up laughing at how very sensible, surprisingly so, they were being. However short-lived...... Again a moment for the camera

We then discovered that our blogger welcome pack had 4 vouchers for Hot Chocolate in it so I think I then got one for me and one for my niece (later giving the remaining 2 to 2 of Jane's ever so lovely boys). The Marketing lady who was our tour guide for the morning arranged with the catering department that we'd have pizza at 12:30 so off we trotted knowing we were building up a healthy appetite. At this point I had no idea just how very delicious that pizza was going to be. Aaron was pretty much on the go all day, whereas my niece was happy to help with Lottie and stay by my side a little more. Of course they were both free range in the soft play but this was Aaron pretty much the whole time we were outdoors. For an outdoorsie boy such as him Noah's Ark is a dream come true. It is LARGE - set in over 100 acres of beautiful countryside. Aaron having met the Emus:

If you're reading this as a blogger who was there that day, 25th November, this moment pictured below was the moment when I got cross. Lottie wouldn't let Aaron move her over at the glass and instead of being the "bigger" person and brother he kept trying to muscle in, on the same centimetres of glass that she was viewing the Leopard Tortoise through. I shouted out for him to stop as she was starting to press her head against his, like a rhino, and had he listened to me that would have been the end of it, but no he dug his heels in and tried to squash in front of the glass even more. I took this photo before what happened next. But he pushed so much that Lottie pushed back and ended up banging her head on the window frame. I was LIVID so if you heard me frustrated and telling him off just after this, then now you know why. I was too embarrassed to make eye contact with anyone after that. But if you are the parent of siblings you probably have the attitude "these things happen". I just get annoyed because he can be so so so very very good with Lottie. A complete Saint. So then I am not prepared for it when he acts SO stubborn and out of character. She's old enough now that she doesn't just back down either. Oh dear. You'd NEVER guess all of this from this pic would you (I think my niece is just looking at them in disbelief considering there is lots of glass to choose from):

Because she had a wee bump on her forehead after this I stayed cross at Aaron for a couple of hours. I can't bear it when she's hurt as a result of his behaviour and I was even more cross knowing it'd happened after I said something rather than before which meant Aaron was really disobedient. Looking back on it I wish it hadn't happened as it is SUCH a beautiful place but luckily the pizza and the soft play solved all problems and we were in very good spirits for meeting Saint Nicholas straight after food. But before food we went on a whistle stop tour of the whole zoo. So we met a donkey, goats and camels to name but a few:

Noah's Ark has artfully told the Christmas story through signage, which is very touching. This rather apt sign was next to the donkey. Visiting this signage is part of the History and Mystery Tour which is an illuminated walk culminating with a visit to Saint Nicholas. It is quite literally Christmas at the Ark. The day we were there he was available from 1-2, so it may be that you don't complete the tour completely prior to meeting him unless you whizz round as fast as we did, leaving soft play (and tractor ride) till later, as we did.

When we went to visit the Elephant Christmas Tree Forest the kids had to first stop to have a go on this. A slide in the shape of an elephant - FANTASTIC. It was cold but as you can see the sky was spectacular. One of those chilly sunny days. Aaron briefly posed and smiled for me below before whizzing down the slide. I guess I was lucky he did as this is sill before the pizza lunch. We must have made up by this point except shortly after this I remember we couldn't get him to join us. Can't remember what he was climbing on or doing by then. SO SO SO much to do there at Noah's Ark, but when he wasn't keeping up that time before lunch, Heather held back to take up the rear and walk with him. Thank you if you're reading this. What a great day out and such good value for what they charge.

I love this pic of my daughter and my niece in the Elephant Eden House. Jesus is safe. Again part of the Christmas story. Noah's Ark is Christian run. It has a magical vibe about it and Jane was lucky enough to meet the owner.

So not long after this we went to the Food Barn for lunch. It was packed despite it being out of season. There was a cheery hustle and bustle atmosphere and we headed for the reserved tables for our pizzas. They were handmade and utterly delicious. I must have had about 5 large slices and the kids had loads too. I didn't do that Instagrammer thing of taking pics before eating as the fresh air had made us too hungry for all of that. Shame though as the catering team deserves me to sing their praises with some beautiful foodie pics. If you go though do try the pizza as even the bases are made on site and they are goooooood. This is Pizza like Mamma used to make.... 

But then with full tummies we were off to meet St. Nic and his trusty Elf.

The kids LOVED the animals but they were laying an egg to get to the soft play and it didn't at all disappoint. I thought Lottie would be frightened being deep in a ball pit but she wasn't phased at all. Even copying her elders and sinking right down into it.

I have BRILLIANT footage of them in the play areas both wooden and soft but not really any photos as they were moving so fast any I did take were blurred. Plus in the wooden play area, while Aaron and his cousin ran ahead I was often with Lottie, so didn't get chance to stop for pics. Can't wait to edit it all into a vlog when I get chance. We did stop for a break though to do the tractor trailer ride which I can highly recommend. I must advise though that it is £2 per person and not included in your admission. The driver did a guided tour of Noah's Ark and it was very entertaining and original. It took us so long to convince Lottie to leave and put socks and shoes off that we missed one ride and met some animals while we waited for the next which would be the final one of the day. Aaron and his cousin were delighted to be able to have animals on their knees and to stroke them. I think they handled 3 different animals in total each.

We had such a good time at Noah's Ark and I wouldn't hesitate if I had the opportunity to go again. Although we were there as bloggers to review it, I do think it's well worth the admission fee. I had 3 children with me of such different ages: 1. 7 and 9 and they'd all give it a huge thumbs up. 

We were there till closing, such a good time we were having. Being 25th November it was dark when we left. Good night Noah's Ark.

Definitely add Noah's Ark to your list of things to do in Bristol. It's well worth a visit, such a large and beautiful place. This Christmas they have various things happening. The below is from Noah's Ark website, see www.noahsarkzoofarm.co.uk/events/christmas-at-the-ark:

Saturday 9th December: Ark Angel choir performance at 2pm in the Ark Arena. Come along and join in with some festive favourites as our Zoo Keepers sing some tunes to fundraise for the Crisis Centre.

Saturday 16th December: Come and watch a festive perfomance of the Christmas story with real animals. The Portishead Brownie group is kindly putting on a Christams Nativity for you all at 2pm in the Ark Arena. The nativity showing is included in the entry price.

Saturday 23rd December: Come along and get involved with your very own Christmas Nativity with real live animals. At 2pm in the Ark Arena we're inviting you to get involved and tell the Christmas Story. All props and script will be provided just turn up on the day and get involved.

 Do you belong to a local school or community group? This year our traditional Christmas Nativities featuring real animals are returning and we would love for you to get invloved. Please note booking is essential to take part and performance dates run from 4th - 22nd December 2017.

Disclosure: I visited Noah's Ark as part of a bloggers' experience arranged by Bristol Bloggers, therefore our admission was complimentary. I do however remain honest and haven't been told what to say. We truly LOVED our day at the zoo farm and can't wait to visit again. You'll see truly how much fun we had when I publish a video, as soon as I get time to edit it that is.

Bye for now, Liska xxx