Thomas's Cake Smash

After seeing lots of other people including Nicola do a cake smash for their child's birthday I decided to give it a go with Thomas as he normally likes to get stuck in and messy. Unfortunately it was a little rushed as I was unwell when I originally wanted to try the smash and we had to squeeze it in one night after work. It was also my first time testing my new camera out so here goes...

"Erm mummy why you put this messy cake in front of me?"

"Mmm I'll have a little taste"

 

"Yes this is nice and messy mummy"

"This is very yummy and fun mummy"

 

 "bored now mummy......ooo look shiny thing..."

Next year will definitely be bigger better and messier!!

Self Settling

A couple of weeks ago Thomas settled himself for the first time at night for me this has been a massive achievement as bedtime was the time of day that I actually hated. Every night was a a fight which could last for an hour or more. It was really begining to get me down as I was fighting this battle on my own every night and I knew it was time to get it sorted once and for all.

A couple of months ago I watched a program called "Bedtime Live" and normally I don't take much notice of these types of programs but I remebered something that I saw on there about using the gradual retreat method and I thought this may work well for Thomas as I think he thought I was abandoning him if I just placed him in his cot and left the room as that is when the screaming would start.

I started the new bedtime routine on a night when Thomas was already in a good mood and he wasn't over tired. I placed him in his cot where he started to cry almost imediately but I didn't go to pick him up or try to lay him down again. Instead I spoke to him in a calm and soothing voice and told him that it was bedtime now and that he needed to lay down ready to go to sleep. I then started to read him a bedtime story whilst he was still crying and before long he stopped crying and started listening to me read his book.

Once I had finished reading his book Thomas was nice and calm and moving around in his cot trying to get comfy so then I turned my back on him and every 5 minutes or so I shuffled closer to the door and by the time I was in the door way Thomas was pretty much asleep and he didn't notice I had gone.

Over the next few days I repeated this and started to make my way to the door faster until I was finishing his story and going straight to the door and Thomas wouldn't even bother. Bedtimes are so much easier now for both of us it's no longer a time of day I dread but I actually look forward to a nice calm time together before he drifts off to sleep.

This way of soothing may not work for everybody it completely depends on what your child is like but hopefully this may give you some new ideas to try if you are struggling with bedtime too.

Calcot Manor Spa Retreat Collection Review*

Calcot Manor is a new Spa body care collection that has recently been launched exclusively at Tesco and if helps you to get spa beautiful skin without paying the spa price tags. The spa retreat collection has wonderful skin benefits as well as smelling totally gorgeous and it also helps you to relax.

I have been trying out 2 steps from the summer skin routine the first step is exfoliation which I really need to get in to the habit of using more often. I have been using the Gentle Salt Scrub which you use on dry skin before you get in to the shower or bath and it is really gentle and not too abrasive which is good. It smells absolutely beautiful too. My skin feels instantly soft when using this and it also helps if you suffer with ingrowing hairs from hair removal.

The next step is the dry oil spray, I have been wanting to try one of these out for a while after seeing other brands bring them out so I was interested to see what it was like. Dry oils ensure that your skin stays hydrated by locking in moisture but it doesn't leave you skin feeling overly greasy. I have been using this after showering or bathing when my skin is still slightly damp and then rubbing it in to my skin. This works so well with the salt scrub and it smells gorgeous too. I think it will be great if the weather ever gets warmer and you don't fancy using a thick body lotion, plus it's much quicker to apply. The only downside for me is that it does take a little longer to dry that if you were to use a normal body lotion and you do have to be careful not to use too much or else you will just end up in a greasy mess.

Both of these are available from Tesco and for under £5 which is brilliant because I know they will last for quite a while.