Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
This week I am grateful for...
Once again I am pleased to join Maxabella Loves I feel I have so much to be grateful for but my life has undoubtedly been massively enhanced by;
5. Learning to Windsurf. Taking up any sport as an adult is challenging and Windsurfing is really technical. I spent a week feeling a bit thick (the whole wind direction and sail points regarding wind took a lot of getting my head around). However, I have achieved the basics and can't wait to get on the water again. This new hobby has given me a new sense of self and re-awakened a child like enthusisam for life. It has also improved my self confidence by giving the old baby brain a thorough work out!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
One week of windsurfing and I'm hooked!
We are back from our Windsurfing holiday in Greece and I am hooked! Can't wait to try out my new (limited) skills at our local beach. I know there is less appeal when you have to rig up your own kit (and wear a wetsuit) but I am keen to keep Windsurfing.
When you haven't been abroad for a while you forget the way the heat hits you as you step off the aeroplane. It's wonderful, however I must say LD struggled with the heat for the first couple of days. We discovered UV sunsuits are perfect for swimming but very hot for hanging around and sleeping in - shorts, T-shirts and shade worked much better. Oh and why do manufacturers make the buggy uv nets black? Surely their is a niche in the market for light coloured ones?
Vasiliki is a small village on the Island of Lefkas, just off the West Coast of Greece and is a wind-surfing hotspot. The lack of wind was not a problem for the virgin windsurfers like myself. Getting to grips with the basic techniques is best practised in light winds. For those (like hubby) who can already windsurf and wanted to try new skills, test different boards or just hoon about it was not a great week for wind.
I was apprehensive about taking LD abroad (just couldn't get Madeleine McCann out of my head) and wanted to have a look at the creche before blindly releasing my precious man in to the depths of the unknown. This was a bit of an error as the kids club facilities were amazing. They were based on the beach with a lovely cool room and lots of toys. Sadly they were fully booked so my reluctance to book LD meant he really missed out. On the up side he spent a lot of time with Daddy whilst I was doing my Bridget Jones goes windsurfing impressions and this has really cemented their relationship. LD now asks for 'Daddoo' most of the time!
The great about this kind of holiday is you meet lots of other like minded people. The social life at Club Vass was awesome. Having a toddler kind of changes the way you approach the night life (we were in bed by 10pm more than once) but we still enjoyed meeting new folk and have swapped numbers and e-mail addresses to keep in touch. On the last night we found ourselves having a meal and drinks in the town with the other three families - isn't it amusing how families gravitate towards other families? A shared understanding, perhaps?
Now we are home and it feels like a dream. We have started saving for two weeks at Club Vass next year .... maybe if I keep practising I may be able to stay on the board by then!!
When you haven't been abroad for a while you forget the way the heat hits you as you step off the aeroplane. It's wonderful, however I must say LD struggled with the heat for the first couple of days. We discovered UV sunsuits are perfect for swimming but very hot for hanging around and sleeping in - shorts, T-shirts and shade worked much better. Oh and why do manufacturers make the buggy uv nets black? Surely their is a niche in the market for light coloured ones?
Vasiliki is a small village on the Island of Lefkas, just off the West Coast of Greece and is a wind-surfing hotspot. The lack of wind was not a problem for the virgin windsurfers like myself. Getting to grips with the basic techniques is best practised in light winds. For those (like hubby) who can already windsurf and wanted to try new skills, test different boards or just hoon about it was not a great week for wind.
I was apprehensive about taking LD abroad (just couldn't get Madeleine McCann out of my head) and wanted to have a look at the creche before blindly releasing my precious man in to the depths of the unknown. This was a bit of an error as the kids club facilities were amazing. They were based on the beach with a lovely cool room and lots of toys. Sadly they were fully booked so my reluctance to book LD meant he really missed out. On the up side he spent a lot of time with Daddy whilst I was doing my Bridget Jones goes windsurfing impressions and this has really cemented their relationship. LD now asks for 'Daddoo' most of the time!
The great about this kind of holiday is you meet lots of other like minded people. The social life at Club Vass was awesome. Having a toddler kind of changes the way you approach the night life (we were in bed by 10pm more than once) but we still enjoyed meeting new folk and have swapped numbers and e-mail addresses to keep in touch. On the last night we found ourselves having a meal and drinks in the town with the other three families - isn't it amusing how families gravitate towards other families? A shared understanding, perhaps?
Now we are home and it feels like a dream. We have started saving for two weeks at Club Vass next year .... maybe if I keep practising I may be able to stay on the board by then!!
My first ever ice lolly - yummy
Let's have a beer then Daddoo!
Amazing kit at Club Vass
I am moving - really I am ....
Ok so this is how it should be done!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Fun ahoy!
We are going on holiday next saturday - whoop whoop. Vasiliki in Greece (windsurfing) for a week and then visiting family for the following two weeks.
Exciting as this is, the thought of packing for LD is making me want to hide behind the sofa. Amusingly I have, instead, busied myself with a spot of on-line shopping. So far I have bought a very cute doggy hooded beach poncho thingy (for LD, not myself) and a bumble bee raincoat. On reflection I think the latter is an example of my extreme procrastination on the packing issue ... it is 26 degrees in Greece and the raincoat is WAY too big. Oops, cute though.
I have only ever tried windsurfing once before. Daddy used to partake a lot but it is a bit tedious carrying all the gear down the various cliff paths to the beaches of Cornwall so he took up Kite Surfing instead. The prospect of our move to Scotland re-awakened his passion and he bought me a wind-surf board. A few days later I found out I was pregnant and didn't want to risk my precious unborn baby by the inevitable crashing in to water that was to prevail.
Taking up skiing in 2008 made me aware of the difficulty in learning a new sport as an adult. Bridget Jones pretty much described my form on the slopes so I can only imagine the fun and games that await on the water!
Having spent the majority of my life obsessively training as a horse rider (which will forever be ongoing) has made me quite competitive with my self - I can't help but wonder 'will I be able to surf big waves by the end of the week?' In reality I will be pleased if I can just learn how to set all the gear up and stay on the board ...
21 months after the purchase of the board I am finally going to have a go - bring it on!!
Exciting as this is, the thought of packing for LD is making me want to hide behind the sofa. Amusingly I have, instead, busied myself with a spot of on-line shopping. So far I have bought a very cute doggy hooded beach poncho thingy (for LD, not myself) and a bumble bee raincoat. On reflection I think the latter is an example of my extreme procrastination on the packing issue ... it is 26 degrees in Greece and the raincoat is WAY too big. Oops, cute though.
I have only ever tried windsurfing once before. Daddy used to partake a lot but it is a bit tedious carrying all the gear down the various cliff paths to the beaches of Cornwall so he took up Kite Surfing instead. The prospect of our move to Scotland re-awakened his passion and he bought me a wind-surf board. A few days later I found out I was pregnant and didn't want to risk my precious unborn baby by the inevitable crashing in to water that was to prevail.
Taking up skiing in 2008 made me aware of the difficulty in learning a new sport as an adult. Bridget Jones pretty much described my form on the slopes so I can only imagine the fun and games that await on the water!
Having spent the majority of my life obsessively training as a horse rider (which will forever be ongoing) has made me quite competitive with my self - I can't help but wonder 'will I be able to surf big waves by the end of the week?' In reality I will be pleased if I can just learn how to set all the gear up and stay on the board ...
21 months after the purchase of the board I am finally going to have a go - bring it on!!
Image by Salvatore Vuono
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Review of the Scottish Baby Show
When friends asked if we would like to go to the Glasgow Baby Show with them last year I was excited to say yes but tentatively added; “we had better take our own car just in case...” our first baby was due in 5 days and I was willing ‘it’ to arrive. How true that proved to be as shortly after returning home, I went in to labour and Finley entered the world at 12.49pm on 24th April 2010.
Amid the excitement of first birthday celebrations, I jumped at the chance to return to the fabulous event this year and re-live the anticipation of the twiliight hours of pregnancy.
On our first visit my husband and I looked around with inexperienced, overawed eyes, thinking; wow - do we really need all this stuff? as a sense of panick bubbled beneath my hormonal surface. The ironic thing is, when the very helpful lady from Lansinol asked if we wanted a demonstration in using the electric breast pump I replied something like; “ no thanks, I am planning to breastfeed and am happy to use a manual pump for the bit I will need to express.” As luck would have it,I had big problems breastfeeding and exclusively expressed until my baby was six months. (With an Ameda double electric breast pump.)
Anyway enough about last year. This year, thanks to Emma's Diary, we bundled our 'almost' toddler on to the train and joined our friends, Lynne (take a look at her fab blog ooh baby - all things cuteable) hubby Darryl and Finley’s new pal Maya for another great day out at the SECC Glasgow.
The event looked smaller through my now more experienced eyes but this is probably due to the fact I am not waddling like a weeball and fending off early labour pains as “just another braxton hicks”.
There were many gimmicks, and the odd hard selling business person, but on the whole the vendors were friendly and offered useful advice. The food was reasonably priced with a choice of light lunches in The Emma's Diary Cafe. Stokke provided the high chairs - I only wish we had the need to try one out last year as I think they are fab and may have invested for the wee man. Boots provided a fabulous baby changing area complete with nappies and wipes and there was a brilliant creative area for older children (something I didn't explore in detail but will definitely use when I visit in the future.) All in all a perfect set up for a family day out.
We visited pretty much every stall and a few really stood out:
Finley isn't quite walking so we are holding off buying restrictive shoes for his developing feet. However, I was keen to find footware that will keep him warm and offer some protection from rough ground whilst cruising - no easy feat (excuse the pun) when the owner of the feet in question is a mini action man in the making; shoes or socks simply do not stay on when put to Finley's climbing, crawling and cruising test! With this in mind I am pleased to say I found the ideal bootie at Zippy Tots. The Oxxy Boot comes in a huge variety of funky colours and is available in soft leather or suede. I love the way they are easy to put on wriggly people and stay put when crawling at speed! I couldn't resist buying two pairs - red suede and green leather, yay!
(image taken from zippytots.co.uk)
This company specialises in creating stunning hand and foot castings for babies, children and adults. I really love the idea of catching a little bit if time to keep for ever (I guess that is the hopeless romantic in me). I have brought my husband and mum fingerprint jewellery and would love to have a cast done for myself in the future.
I have to say these little works of art look even more amazing when you see them for real.
(images taken from www.babyprints.co.uk)
I love this business quite simply because I love cakes! I am a hobby cake decorator and am fascinated by the precision and love that goes in to celebration cakes.
Finley has just had his first birthday and we were kindly given many beautiful toys. We are lucky enough to be invited to his new friends birthdays too so I am always on the look out for funky, practical toys. This business spesializes in toys with outstanding play value and educational benefits. They were reasonably priced and almost nostalgic in their appeal. It is lovely to see an independent toy shop with such clever, well made toys.
The shop is located on the South side of Glasgow and definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in the area.
Having a few nasty falls from horses (and doing a lot of mucking out) has led to me having a bit of a bad back. This makes carrying Finley in a standard carrier uncomfortable. Consequently I have been on the look out for a sling. He is quite a big boy and far to wriggly and independant to stay in one for long but we woud love another baby in the future so when I saw the Papoozle from Tots Bots I had to have it.
We borrowed a sling from friends when he was very young but I found it complicated and awkward to fit. The Papoozle couldn't be easier. It has a strap that easily clips around your waist and the rest ties. The waist strap also takes most of the pressure so the weight is distributed evenly. Finley is snug and comfortable but, as I said, he gets bored and wants to resume his action man antics before long. I just wish I had found this product earlier and know I will reep it's benefits when wee one number 2 arrives.
So that was our fab day out with lots to try and see. Finley had a wonderful time and was delighted to have a sing and dance with his pal Jo Jingles. We go to the group every week so it was great to join the crowd for a dance with Big Jo. I recommend this music and movement class to any one with a baby or infant as it really stimulates them and they love it!
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