A Little Lyrical

22Oct 2015

Finding time to Blog

It’s already been over a week and a half since I last posted on my blog. Life just seems to get in the way. I have so many things I’d like to spend time writing about and documenting, but I never seem to be able to find the time.

I have a full time job and on the days I’m not in work I have Flickster to look after. I also volunteer as a peer supporter at the breastfeeding group each week so that takes up another morning. Then of course there are weekends, which are spent in a spin of washing, cleaning, family time, going out.

I must make more of an effort to spend just a little more time documenting life as a family. I want the boys to have their memories to look through in years to come and my blog is way of doing this.

The other thing of course that takes up a lot of our time at the moment is moving house. It’s really getting quite stressful as we move towards the date we are hoping to move into our forever home, with packing, putting things in storage and sorting through all the clutter there seems to be little time for me ever but I suppose thats standard for mums.

Once we are in the new house though, our forever home I will make more time for me and for making memories for the boys that they will have to treasure forever. But in the meantime I must remember this famous quote…

11Oct 2015

My Sunday Photo

by Lyric ⋅ 4 Comments

08Oct 2015

Moving House after a Homebirth – Saying Goodbye

by Lyric ⋅ Leave a Comment

A house is made of bricks and mortar, a home is where memories are made. One of the biggest memories of our time in our current house, if not the biggest was my home birth. My second baby was born in our home, right there in our living room. He took his first breath as I lifted him from the water. The first thing he saw was my face in our front room. He decided to make his way earth side on that day in that place. How can I say goodbye to that place, knowing what happened there.

We bought this house in 2006, it was a new build so we are the only people who have every lived here. It was our first home together as a couple, we have grown together, got married, brought our first baby home here and Flixster was born here. This house holds many many memories for us. We are packing our physical belongings and taking our memories with us but the one thing I’m struggling to physically let go of is the place where the miracle of life and birth happened.

While we are waiting for the last things to be tied up in terms of the house move, I’m preparing to say goodbye to one spot in particular that will always hold a place in my heart, my second babies birth space.

In order to keep his very special place marked I have written all his details on a piece of paper with the words “was born in this home”, folded it up and hidden it between the floorboards and the ceiling below upstairs. I know that it’s there and will probably be there now for a very long time to come. It has helped me get ready for saying goodbye to the special place.

So it’s with a heavy heart I will be saying goodbye but as the door closes on that chapter of our memories I’m ready to open the door on a wonderful bright future and turn the page to reveal the next chapter in our memory book.

I can’t wait!

28Sep 2015

Childrens Jokes

by Lyric ⋅ Leave a Comment

So I know that no one will ever find this funny, but I do because it’s so unfunny, and I want to write it down so that I don’t forget all his little moments.

The boy is a keen fan of jokes, I don’t think remotely for one minute he gets them, or understands them. He loves to make his own jokes up and he will say the same one over and over for weeks. I have to laugh….everytime….

On the way home from school today:

Mummy I’ve got a joke for you

Ok, thats great what is it? (Thinking oh no not again!)

What do you call a pork with no eyes?

I don’t know? What do you call a pork with no eyes?

Jurassic Pork! (Cue lots of fake laughter from me, and a whole lot of internal dialogue for myself)

Do I tell him that it’s Jurassic Park not Jurassic Pork? He hasn’t even seen the movie so how would he understand. I think for a moment, about explaining that its a park with dinosaurs, but will this just scare him?

He tells me that he’s told his teacher…oh great now his teacher has had to fake laugh as well. I try to think about where he’s got this idea for a joke from………a pork with no eyes………..I just don’t get it, I guess I probably never will. I love that boy so much!

15Sep 2015

Kitchen Wish List – Husband Guest Post

by Lyric ⋅ Leave a Comment

We are going to move house soon (if all goes through, fingers crossed, touch wood) and I’m looking forward to having a larger kitchen, our current kitchen is a good size for cooking on your own but it’s not really big enough for cooking as a family and it’s certainly not big enough for all the kitchen gadgets that I absolutely, positively need in order to make mealtimes more technical and science based.

I’ve been spending a lot of time planning for the new kitchen and this post represents my more realistic plans for the new kitchen and I’ve omitted some of the more esoteric, single use gadgets that my wife will never ever let me have…

The Coffee Station

Taking my inspiration from Pinterest, I plan to dedicate a section of the kitchen to a coffee station. Two small children have made coffee a major part of my life and I recently took the decision to reduce the quantity of coffee I consume and improve the quality. I really appreciate a fantastic coffee, and good coffee is worth the effort!

Wall Art

I love this print which can be found here, it will make it the centre piece of the my coffee station.

The Coffee Machine

We have a popular coffee pod machine which will be coming with us and it’s great for quick and easy coffee but I’m now looking to have some fun and practice the art of coffee a little more. I’ve been researching coffee machines and after speaking to a Sage representative at the intu Trafford Centre, I’ve decided that the Sage Barista Express is the machine for me. It offers an inbuilt grinder that delivers the right dose of coffee directly into the portafilter and a thermocoil for heating the water and generating steam for the milk giving me an opportunity to try my hand at latte art. Plus it looks good, I like the brushed stainless steel look, and the reviews are great.

To complete the barista experience, I’ll also be looking to buy a knock box and a stainless steel milk jug. I can’t wait to try and perfect my coffee and latte art!

The Coffee

We’re big fans of Pact coffee and we currently use their service to provide us with small batch, freshly ground coffee for drinking at work (I use a Hario V60 dripper and my wife has ‘borrowed’ by aeropress), so I can see us adding beans to our subscription as we like the variety that pact gives us.

I’d also like to mimic the espressos served my favourite Manchester coffee houses, so I’ll be buying some Cult of Done espresso as served by Pot Kettle Black and Barnraiser as served by Grindsmiths and North Tea Power’s Deerhunter house blend.

Knives

I’ve always wanted to own a set of Global knives but I’ve been a bit intimidated by the sharpness and precision of their Japanese steel but I think I’m old enough and proficient enough to now invest in some.

Knife Block

As much as I love Globals, being a father to two young boys has made me a little more safety conscious and the Joseph Joseph LockBlock is a locking knife block while prevents little hands from being able to remove the knives.

Chopping Board

I’m obsessed with Joseph Joseph and their innovative approach to design, so I’ve got my eye on their Index chopping boards which are stylish and space-saving.

Fridge Freezer

We’ll finally have space for an american style fridge freezer, this Samsung one is perfect, and I’m sure the boy will love being able to access chilled water and ice on demand!

Scales

I like the idea of the Drop scales which link to an iPad based recipe app and I think that fits well in my ‘smart home’ strategy (although I’m not sure about the iKettle)

Other stuff

I want to make fresh pasta, so I’m going to need a pasta maker and our pots and pans could do with a refresh, why not leave a comment and give me some recommendations? I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the kitchen and I’ll write reviews of all the items listed above as and when we buy them.

08Sep 2015

An Emotional Start to School

by Lyric ⋅ Leave a Comment

My beautiful boy has been in school for a week tomorrow. My lovely best friend and buddy has started school and its been an emotional start for him.

The boy is a very emotional little person, he always has been and it’s just him. It’s part of his personality and I love him for it. He shows empathy to other people who are upset or sad. He is very sensitive to being told off. On the odd occasion he would do something not quite right at nursery he’s be distraught if he got told off, even hours later when I’d pick him up he’d cry when the staff would tell me. He’s very tactile and tells me when he’s feeling sad and needs a hug. He’s just a perfect and gentle person (on the whole!) So I knew starting school would be hard for him.

At nursery the staff understood him and how emotionally sensitive he is, they’d hug him when he needed it, I know at school teachers can’t do that. They have too many other things to do and all the other children to consider.

He’s been going into school fine in the morning with no problems but it’s the evenings when the strain on him is showing. Everyday after school once we are home there have been tears and sobbing. It’s been breaking my heart to see him so upset. I’ve tried talking it out with him but I don’t think he has the words to explain it at the moment so just says he doesn’t know why he’s so upset. I love this little guy so much but I don’t know how best to help him.

(First day, after school shot – hence the untucked shirt!)

I have to remember he’s only just turned 4 (he’s an August baby) and school is a massive change for him. Even though he’s used to long days at nursery, school is a completely different environment and peer group.

I hope dear sweet boy that you can make some friends at school and that you start to enjoy it. I’m sure you will, it’s just going to take time to adjust to everything. It’s a new environment, new peer group and new adults to care for you, new routines, new rules and new lessons to learn.

For now though as always I’m here for you, to hold you and hug you and wipe those tears away. We can get through this together xxxx

02Sep 2015

NHS Expo 2015

by Lyric ⋅ Leave a Comment

I don’t talk about my day job on my blog as I like to try to keep my work and personal life separate. However today I felt like I needed to write a little bit about where I have been.

I work for the NHS, I always have, ever since I left school, doing various roles, working my way up and learning new skills all the time. For the last few years I’ve been comfortable in my job, just plodded along and done my best. I’ve had gaps to have my beautiful babies but now I feel much more ready to step up a notch within work. I’m engaged, I want to help, I like getting involved with things that are going on.

Today I attended the NHS Expo in Manchester, which is on for two days at Manchester Central. I have come away feeling amazed, enthused and so fired up to be the best I can be at work. I want to help lead change at work, the NHS as an organisation is always changing, always evolving, always going forward. I want to be a part of that. I’ve attended lots of different sessions today covering a broad range of subjects. I was able to listen to talks about ‘devomanc’ the devolution of Manchester health and social care. I listened to other people who had built change platforms, on purpose and by accident. I was so inspired to get involved with the #matexp programme. If you haven’t heard about #matexp just look it up on twitter, the people driving it forward are an inspiration and today I was lucky enough to share the room with them and listen to them talk.

I went to a talk about the language of motivation within a team which was also fascinating, and I’d love to learn more to take back to the team that I work within. There are so many incredible people out there, driving forward with so many incredible plans and I want to be onboard!

It was standing room only at Jeremy Hunt’s speech and even then you’d have to stand 5 or so people back from the viewing window or screen, interesting to hear him talk about the future of the NHS and particularly the technology and access to your own patient records.

(My view of Jeremy Hunt from behind the viewing window!)

The expo itself has been so well organised, it’s a credit to the people behind the scenes who are making the experience seamless, there is almost too much choice! There are so many things I wanted to hear about but had to pick my priority areas. I’m looking forward to returning tomorrow to listen and join in with conversations going on throughout the NHS, after all it is the people’s NHS, lets drive it forward into the future together!

01Sep 2015

School Eve

by Lyric ⋅ Leave a Comment

Well here it is, it’s finally here. School Eve, the evening before my tiny baby starts school.

How have we got to this?

Where has the last 4 years gone?

My beautiful little baby is going to school tomorrow and starting a new chapter in his life.

I’m not sure how I feel?

Excited that he’s growing up.

Nervous that he’ll be scared and will miss me.

Sad that our time together on weekdays is over and that I should have appreciated it more.

Angry that school are stealing him away from me.

Anxious that he’ll not get lost in a sea of other children. I know that teachers are very used to the receptions starting and that it’s all new so I’m sure he’ll be in good hands and the school is lovely, I’m so pleased he’s going there.

It’s a massive mixed bag of emotions, it only seems like a week ago I was watching other mums take their children to school on the first day and now all of a sudden its us. I can’t take him tomorrow or Thursday due to work commitments but I will be there to take him on Friday for his first full day. I won’t cry because I don’t want him to see me upset and it’s not what I do! But inside I’m sure the tears will be flowing.

I’m glad that after his first full day I’ll be able to spend the weekend with him before it all starts properly next week.

Good luck baby boy, as I’ve told you tonight, it doesn’t matter how much you get right or wrong at school as long as you always try your best that’s all we ask of you. I’m looking forward to watching you grow and learn but I’m also grieving for what has passed and that my little pre-schooler is now at school. Love you always xxxx

07Aug 2015

Dear Boys

by Lyric ⋅ Leave a Comment

Dear Boys,

Everything Changes and the world keeps on moving…..

This letter is mainly aimed at you my dear sweet boy, on the eve of your 4th birthday on this wonderful world. So much has come before this day, so many mountains you’ve had to climb and the fun we’ve had sliding down the other side to face the next challenge together. In some ways the last 4 years have been so long but in many and most other ways they have been so very, very short. I cannot remember a time without you in the world, yet just 4 years ago I had not set eyes upon your face yet or smelled the sweetness of your breath of the familiar softness of your touch and the fluffiness of your young hair. I had carried you inside me for 10 months yet didn’t even know you.

Here we are 4 years later and you’ve changed our world for the better. I hope that tomorrow and everyday you realise how loved you are not just by myself and daddy but by the extended wider family too. I hope you realise how your touch the lives of those that you meet with your funny comments and sweet little ways. Each day I can’t wait for you to wake up so you will give me a hug and a kiss so I can tell you how much I love you. The next few months will see changes in all aspects of your little life and I hope that you can easily adapt to everything. I will be by your side each step of the way and together I will guide you through. Next month you start school. Having only just turned 4 you’re still my baby yet are expected to be in school 5 days a week. I hope that you face the challenge head on and settle in quickly, making new friends along the way. I am trying so very hard to keep mentioning how exciting school will be for you but I’m not sure you’ve grasped the concept that it’s everyday for many years to come. I’ll miss you on Mondays and Tuesdays (my days off), I’ll miss your company and how funny you are. I’ll miss how sweet you are with Flixster and how entertained you can keep him while I try to get on with a few housework jobs. He’ll miss you too. His face lights up when you enter the room.

As we prepare to leave nursery behind and move on to pastures new I hope that your enthusiasts for new things and excitement don’t get lost in a classroom full of your peers. I will however make sure that our weekends really do count; we’ll have family time and do lovely things together even if it’s just picnics in the park and feeding the ducks. I’m looking forward to seeing how you learn and grow at school and will be as involved as I can with your school journey.

There is another change on the horizon for us as a family too. We are going to be moving house in the next few months. When I explained it to you I wrongly assumed you would understand what that meant but from our conversations since, you were clearly worried about it and didn’t grasp that when you move house you take all your belongings and furniture with you to the next house. One morning you said to me first thing that you didn’t want to move because you loved playing with the ‘Toot toot’ drivers toys with your brother. I felt sad that you’d been worried about it and we had a proper chat about what moving house means. I explained that when you move house you take all your belongings with you as well as the furniture. At random times you now keep questioning me on things that we will be taking.

‘Even Mummy will we take the films?’

‘Yes, we’ll defiantly take the films’

‘Even Mummy will we take the bubble machine, because I really like it?’

‘Oh yes I’ll make sure I pack that’

‘Even Mummy will we take the doors, because I like them?’

‘Errrmm………’

I’m excited about moving too because the home we are moving too (providing all goes through ok, touch wood, fingers crossed, please universe!) will give you and Flixster much more room to spread out, play and be silly together. The house has everything we ever wanted on our wish list and I can already see that we’ll be very happy there. I can’t wait to make it our home and make many many years of happy memories for you both to carry with you through life once you’ve grown and flown the nest.

As I put you to bed tonight you told me that you’d decided what you’d like for your birthday, I enthusiastically listened, hoping it was something we could source this evening…….you said a parachute. So I’m sorry to let you down and not provide a parachute but you will be getting lots of lovely presents and so much love from us both.

So’ Happy Birthday’ little man, another year older, another year together, another year of memories have been made.

Please always remember I love you both unconditionally….forever.
Mummy xxxxxx

19Jul 2015

Nappy Grab Bag Review and Giveaway

by Lyric ⋅ 10 Comments

I was recently sent some ‘Nappy Grab Bags’ to have a look at and review. I was quite excited by the concept as I am a person who likes to plan for every eventuality, I love packing the nappy change bag and making sure we have everything so these are a great idea. It’s a small package that comes wrapped up complete with one nappy, four wipes and some cream. The packet turns into the change mat as well as doubling as a disposable bag.

As a mainly cloth nappy mummy it’s important to me that the plastic used is biodegradable which it is. Once you open the perforated seam at the back, the packet is unwrapped to reveal an eco-responsible Naty by Nature Babycare nappy, 4 Kinder by Nature Natural Wipes and a small sachet of Weleda Calendula nappy change cream.

The grab bags are available to buy currently from Ocado, Waitrose and Amazon and can be purchased in size’s 1 through 6.

As a baby wearing mummy I think this will lighten the load on short trips too, I won’t even need a bag now that I can slip one of these into my back pocket and off I go! I made a short video so that you can see mine being unwrapped, I think this was the best way to show the contents.