At four years old Frog was quite clear about what she wanted. She requested a rainbow themed birthday party and was eager to invite lots of her friends. Seeing as we’ve only lived in Devon for just under a year, many of her friends are fairly new ones. I thought organising a proper birthday party would be a good way of encouraging her friendships and help us take stock of how well settled we are here now. Plus, I am clearly a sucker for punishment.

With the village hall booked, the invites sent and an entertainer secured (Pyjama Drama – can’t recommend them enough), I got to work scouring Pinterest for some good rainbow food and decor ideas. Be warned: there is A LOT of rainbow party inspiration on Pinterest.

The decorations were a mixture of things I’d made, bought for a bargain on eBay, been sent by my friend Alison after a trip to Tiger, and things I already had.

We hung the polka dot bunting my mum made for our wedding around the hall, along with some rainbow bunting bought on eBay (from this seller) and some more from Tiger. I embraced my inner Mr Maker and used pale blue card to make some big cloud shapes and stuck different coloured tissue paper from them to create a rainbow effect (I used white cotton to hang them from hooks on the wall).

I also made some Pinterest and Instagram-friendly tissue paper pom-poms using this tutorial on YouTube. And I threaded some multi-coloured felt pom-poms we already had onto a string of pale blue wool, for another little decoration.

We had the obligatory multi-coloured balloons, along with some edible decorations in the form of empty jam jars filled with layers of smarties, decorated with a rainbow ribbon (bought from this seller on eBay) and a matching mini cloud. Yeah, I know, I may have got a little carried away.

When it came to the food, Pinterest was my saviour. I struggled to find that many savoury, healthy options for rainbow party themed food, but I did come across the idea to cut sandwiches into cloud shapes using a cookie cutter. My husband found this incredibly amusing – until I set him to work making the rest. And then there were the rainbow platters of veg with pots of hummus, along with some homemade (*polishes halo*) rainbow pizza strips.

I did all this on the morning before the party, as past experience has shown me that sandwiches made too far in advance just go hard and stale. Plus, I was too busy the night before making the birthday cake (never, ever, ever, ever again).

As there were no tables the kids ate their lunch on the floor, out of paper lunchboxes – another eBay find. That made the clearing up much easier too, because less of the food strayed onto the floor.

Topping it all off, making it Pinterest-pretty were some retro multi-coloured straws I’d found on eBay, along with some gorgeous mini rainbow parasols, polka dot table cloth, napkins and cute plates sent to me by the lovely team at Love the Little Things.

For afters, we had rainbow fruit kebabs (massive hit – there were none left at the end) rainbow jelly courtesy of my long-suffering dad, rainbow decorated fairy cakes  - just butter icing with a strip of rainbow fizzy sweet on top – and gluten and dairy-free brownies for the kids with intolerances.

And the jars of sweets, obviously.

The birthday cake – the pièce de résistance – was a real labour of love. My sister helped me make it the night before and we were up until gone midnight finishing it off. I’m sure experienced bakers wouldn’t make such a meal of it, but Mary Berry I am not.

I used a recipe from the Good Food magazine that has a mascarpone icing, but I’m told Alice at More Than Toast has a fool-proof recipe too (and there are loads all over Pinterest). It was surprisingly tasty with no trace of the food colourings in the sponge, plus the kids were hopping from foot to foot when they realised it had six layers – “SIX LAYERS MUM!!” – of different colours they could get stuck into.

The whole party only lasted two hours which was, in hindsight, the perfect length for 17 excited four year olds (and more than enough time for their knackered parents to sit around and drink tea gossiping).

Booking Pyjama Drama as the entertainment proved to be money well spent, as it saved us from having to organise party games, plus it gave the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine and my dad some quality time to read the newspaper and drink coffee in another room. Yes OF COURSE I took a sneaky photo after I’d rumbled them…

My friend Leanna (formerly of Diary of a Premmy Mum fame) went above and beyond the call of duty and helped welcome the kids, hand out stickers and give them cuddles – dressed as a giant Peppa Pig! I know. She is a bloody brilliant friend.

Not only that, but she came back in as Peppa later on to help hand out the party bags. Frog was BESIDE herself and regularly asks if Peppa Pig will be coming over for tea now.

And my mum proved her worth (and set the bar high) yet again by making each and every party bag. And when I say “making”, I don’t mean stuffing them with toys, I mean actually making. She sewed each one on her sewing machine, so that the kids would have a proper useful little bag to use afterwards to carry around whatever four year olds seem to carry around.

We filled the bags with a mini multi-coloured crayon set, some craft multi-coloured lollipop sticks and animal foam shapes, a fun bath toy, a bouncy ball (thanks to Love the Little Things!), some animal snap cards and a balloon. No sweets, but they got a piece of the monster rainbow cake to take home with them instead.

Because I’m clearly the world’s worst blogger I didn’t take any photos of the bags – or of my daughter blowing out the candles on her birthday cake – but it’s fair to say it’s a day none of us are going to forget for a while.

And of course, if I wasn’t pregnant I would have hit the gin bottle by 5pm that day. Still, big success. Now I just need a year to recover before the next one!

The post The one about the rainbow party appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

I never know how to answer the second question because, the truth is, I blog about almost everything. Politics, Michael Gove rants education policy, my outfits, interiors style, life as a working mum, parenting struggles, opinions on current affairs, pregnancy, relationships… the list goes on.

I started this blog for two reasons: to have somewhere to air the thoughts that were in my head as I pushed my baby on never-ending walks in her pram, and to create an online portfolio for my writing. But, mainly, I wanted a voice. Somewhere to say stuff.

And say stuff I have. For the last three and a half years I have said a lot of stuff. In that sense, this blog has most definitely served its purpose. More than that though, people have responded. I’ve made genuine, real-life friends with other mums who also blog (hello Jane, Gemma and Emma!) and we’ve agreed and disagreed on all sorts of topics. It’s one of the things I LOVE about being a “mummy blogger”. 

Notice I called myself a “mummy blogger”. That was deliberate, by the way. It’s a label I know lots of people loathe but, personally, I don’t mind it. Putting aside the fact I hate it when strangers call me “mummy” (I’m not YOUR mummy – that’d be weird, you’re 38) I genuinely am proud to be a “mummy blogger”.

But I think I get why others hate the label. It conjures up an idea for people who don’t “get” it that all you blog about is cupcakes and snotty noses. It lumps you into a niche that restricts you to only writing about parent-related topics. You can’t write about politics and current affairs or have your photography taken seriously if you’re a “mummy blogger” can you?

Not true.

At least, I don’t think so anyway. For me, one of the things I hated – HATED – when I became a mum was an assumption from some people who didn’t have kids that all I would be interested in now was breastfeeding and nappies. Don’t get me wrong – of course I WAS interested in those things (less so the nappies), but it’s not ALL I was interested in. I felt sidelined. I was on maternity leave, out of the workplace, not earning money and then when I went to the pub people would ask jokingly if I’d joined the “mum mafia”. I couldn’t win. They had me labelled and that was that.

But then I started my blog. And I wrote about all sorts of things. Yes I wrote about breastfeeding, but I also wrote about relationships and charity campaigns and things that really hacked me off in the news. I think I proved that I DO still have opinions that aren’t solely revolved around my role as a mum.

And that’s why I’m happy to embrace the label of “mummy blogger”. I don’t think being a mum blogger means you can’t write about politics, current affairs or post amazing photography. Why should having a “mum” label automatically negate what we have to say? Why can’t we write intelligent stuff, get involved in political debate, showcase our incredible creative talents (whether through cupcakes or illustration!) and still be mum bloggers too?

The thing is, I do blog about being a mum. I blog about parenting battles just as much as anything else. But I think that’s OK. Being a mum and a woman is a huge element of who I am. It’s what I do every day and I would be incredibly naive to think it has no bearing on my opinions about things and the way I approach life generally. I’m not saying it’s ALL I am, but of course it makes up PART of who I am. A part I’m pretty proud of, actually.

That’s why I’m standing up and embracing the “mum blogger” title. Yes I’m a mum, yes I like to do the odd bit of gardening and sometimes get involved in a spot of baking (all stereotypical “mum” stuff, apparently). But no, that doesn’t make my opinions on other stuff less valid.

Funny, I wonder if this is ever something dad bloggers worry about. I expect not.

Anyway, what do you think? Do you love or hate the “mum / mummy blogger” title? Do you think being labelled as a “mum / mummy blogger” negates what you have to say? How would you define a “mummy blogger”? Are you a “dad blogger” currently struggling with your blog identity? I’d love to hear some other views on the subject.

P.S. If you think “mummy bloggers” can’t take amazing photographs then check out Mummy Daddy Me. And if you think “mummy bloggers” can’t write cracking opinion pieces then read Not Another Mummy Blog. And if you think “mummy bloggers” only write about jam and cupcakes then head to Write Like No One’s Watching. I could link to a million more here, but it would literally take me all week. Anyway, you get my point.

The post What’s wrong with being a “mummy blogger” anyway? appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

An actual four year old. Four is SO much bigger than three. Four is school and, and – it’s nearly FIVE for goodness sake. And what comes after five? Six. And that’s PROPERLY old.

Anyway, while my child was busy turning from this:

Into this: 

I have been discovering that motherhood is more than just wiping bums and noses and pretending to be a patient in an imaginary doctor’s surgery.

So, as my baby celebrates her fourth birthday, here are some lessons I’ve jotted down for her, to show that her mum isn’t just good for making peanut butter on toast:

1. There is never an excuse to be rude to strangers

Whether it’s waving a thank you to another driver who has given way to you, or adding a “please” when requesting your order in a restaurant, politeness is a trait that shouldn’t be undervalued. It will help stop people thinking you’re an idiot, for starters. Plus, it’s never nice being on the receiving end of rudeness. Also to go with this lesson – be polite to waiters and waitresses. Always.

2. Stuff isn’t everything

Stuff is nice. New, shiny, sparkly stuff like shoes and dresses and Peppa Pig roller skates. But it’s not everything. And it certainly doesn’t make you a) a better person b) a more interesting person and c) an important person. The things that matter – that really, really, really matter – are the people who love you. Look after them and value them higher than any chocolate bar. You might not believe it now but they are worth a million packets of chocolate buttons.

3. Arrogance often hides insecurity

People who feel the need to tell you how great they are (and, sometimes, how they are better than you) are – in my experience – just insecure. After all, if someone is REALLY as good as all that they don’t need to tell you. You will find out for yourself. That said, sometimes there is no insecurity and they are just a bit silly. Take these people with a pinch of salt but don’t get het up about them. There are more important things in life (see lesson 2).

4. Time spent doing stuff you love is not time wasted 

OK, I use this liberally. I know you love CBeebies and I’m not about to let you watch it 12 hours a day. But, when you grow up, there will be some things you find that you love. You might love to read, for example. You might discover that Orange is the New Black is the best TV show ever invented. You might enjoy watching shark documentaries (it’s not weird – despite what your dad says). Whatever it is that you love, enjoy it. I know you will be a hard working, determined, motivated woman when you are big, just don’t forget to have fun too. Fun is very important.

Happy birthday Frog. Four years old today. Blimey.

The post Four lessons for my daughter on her fourth birthday appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

This week I’ve realised just how different this pregnancy is to when I was carrying Frog. It’s not the fact I’m far more knackered, already having a young child to run around after and juggling motherhood with work and general life stuff. It’s the fact I now blog.

Without wanting to sound like a total blogging cliche, starting this blog has had a huge effect on my life. I’ve learned new skills, made new friends (real life friends who I see and spend time with – not just Twitter mates!) and managed to gain new freelance work from it too. Who knew, when I trained to be a journalist 8 years ago that blogging would become a valid string to my freelance bow?!

When I was pregnant with Frog I did all the usual things: went to an antenatal class, Googled stuff about pregnancy, got excited about buying baby clothes. This time, I’m doing all that and more. As well as the odd Facebook status update (sorry non-pregnant friends – I know, I’m a baby bore) I have this pregnancy documented good and proper.

I have more photos of the bump than I ever had with Frog. My thoughts, feelings, gripes and rants are laid bare for all to see. And, most importantly, I’ve connected with a whole range of other mums who are also expecting – a bonus I really never predicted when I started this little linky seven weeks ago.

This is where I want to say thank you to Chelle at Unique and Chic for her little messages of support over the past few weeks. Whether it’s a quick “How are you feeling today?” or a “Don’t forget to put your feet up at some point!” Chelle has regularly been on hand via the medium of Facebook and Twitter with a kind thought. She’s also put together an inspired idea for a bump secret santa type present swap, which shows she is kind AND incredibly organised.

Finally, if you’re feeling huge and pregnant and in need of a laugh, I urge you to read this post by Amy Ransom. It captures perfectly the last stage of pregnancy: denial. So pleased to see it’s not just me!

LINK UP!

If you’d like to join the #BlogBumpClub it couldn’t be easier. Simply link up your latest pregnancy post below and grab the badge to display on your own blog. You’ll find a lovely welcoming community of expectant bloggers ready to read your post and nod along with cankle empathy. Plus, we’re all in the same boat and promise not to call you a baby bore.

You can also join the chat on Twitter by tweeting with the hashtag #BlogBumpClub (I’m @mollyjforbes over there).

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The post Blogger Bump Club Week 7 #BlogBumpClub appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

One of my favourite things about being pregnant is indulging in a brand new wardrobe. I know it’s frivolous and maternity clothes aren’t forever, but if I can find something to wear that helps me feel like less of a hippo and more of a graceful earth mother, then I’m OK with that.

My main problem with dressing a bump is my own warped perception of my body. In my head, I am Gwen Stefani or Gisele – lithe, thin and with no evidence I am pregnant other than a perfectly round, football-shaped bump perched beautifully on my middle. The reality, however, is somewhat different.

I never looked like Gwen Stefani or Gisele before I was pregnant so goodness knows why I suddenly think I’ll look like them at six months gone. Instead, I am a great deal shorter shorter at 5ft four and three quarters (don’t forget the three quarters) and two dress sizes bigger, at 10-12 rather than 6-8.

This means that some of the maternity clothes I love the look of online would actually make me look like a cross between a whale and a barrel. Not flattering.

Which leads me to my main gripe about maternity wear – why is it all online?! There are only a couple of stores in my nearest city that stock maternity clothes (H&M is my favourite) and all the others that I like (New Look, Next, Topshop) only have ranges available to order online. This is all well and good if you instinctively know how to dress your changing shape, but what if you need to try something on?

Anyway, I’ve got pretty good at knowing what suits me this time around – as well as what to avoid. I like over-the-bump skinny jeans, for example, fitted vests and maxi dresses that hug the bump but not my expanding backside. I don’t like smock dresses (as much as I wish they suited me) as they make me look like a walking birthing ball.

As I’m pregnant in a different season with this baby to the one I carried Frog in, I’ve been pretty short on summer maternity wear. Shorts are not my friend at the moment, so I’m relying on a few staple dresses, a hugely comfy pair of loose boyfriend jeans from Next (rolled up) purchased on eBay and a couple of ASOS maternity vests.

This is the bit where I apologise. I’ve been thinking desperately about how I can write a post about my summer bump wear without including a load of selfies and I’ve come up short.

I could post a few pics of my clothes on hangers, but then you wouldn’t get the real lumps and bumps or cankles that come with my very real pregnant body (as opposed to the non-pregnant models some stores use – a whole other gripe I have with maternity wear).

So, sorry for the selfies. Especially the swimwear one. If you’re of a nervous disposition you might want to look away now.

My two favourite summer maternity dresses are both midi length, which is no coincidence. I like the covering they give, but the fact they are still cool enough for a hot day (WHY IS IT SO HOT?!!!). I’m not particularly in love with my legs at the moment  - or ever, come to think of it – so skimpy skirts, dresses and shorts are out for me this summer.

The one above is a grey jersey maternity dress I bought reduced from ASOS. I love the slight gathered detail under the bust, in a nod to the empire line without going to the extreme. My delightful husband calls this my Roman Toga Dress, he really knows how to make a woman feel good in her hour of dramatic body-loathing.

In case you were in any doubt, I am most certainly not a fashion blogger, so please forgive the dodgy lighting and slightly crazed look in my eye here. Still, it’s the dress I wanted to show you. A bargain from H&M, it’s another midi favourite with some gathering under the bust. It’s also (which is rare I find) not see-through and in a bright pink shade that detracts from the cankle action below.

Best. Trousers. Ever. I discovered these maternity trousers in Topshop on a recent trip to see my best mate in Bristol. They’re loose, with an elasticated waist that I have no doubt will remain loved far longer than the end of this pregnancy. I’m even considering wearing them to a wedding in August with a posh top and some pretty sandals. And they cover the cankles. Win.

My Birkenstocks are proving invaluable as the heat makes my feet go puffy. These ones are the two bar white sliders (Arizona design) that are comfier than actual slippers. Fact.

This dress isn’t actually a maternity dress – in fact none of my maxi dresses are. It’s just stretchy, has a flattering cut and helps me con myself into pretending I still have some sort of style. It was a pre-grocery purchase at Sainsbury’s last summer. Classy.

And, finally, the beachwear. I warned you there was a swimwear shot. (Sorry.)

This is a polka dot tankini by Mamalicious at New Look. I was sent it to review and, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d like it. In the past, tankinis I’ve had have annoyingly ridden up and floated around my chest area when I’ve gone swimming, so I thought this one may do the same. But it hasn’t – at least, not as much as past tankinis I’ve had anyway.

I like that I can roll it up to get some sunshine on the bump if I want to. Although, be warned, if you try to take a photo of yourself doing this you will actually look naked – evidence here:

I promise I wasn’t sunbathing starkers here. Honest. The pants are dead comfy and sit snugly under the bump, but not so low I have to invest in a terrifying Brazilian or any such nonsense. And the best thing – the thing I like most of all – this tankini is not striped! What is it with maternity wear and horizontal stripes? I think some shops are hell bent on dressing us in THE most un-flattering print of all time, just when we need all the help we can get.

Anyway. Sorry for all the selfies. But, you know, if you’re short, suffer from puffy feet and occasional cankles like me, then this post may prove useful.

Normal non-selfie service shall resume shortly.

The post Dressing the bump for summer appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Before I begin, this is not a post about Ed Miliband, or indeed any member of his party.

I wish. For that explanation would be far, far, easier.

“Mummy, how is your baby going to come out of your tummy”, asked my almost-four year old the other day.

Like all questions of this nature, she threw it in casually when we were doing something totally unrelated. A bit like, “Can I have some chocolate buttons? Oh – and where do you go when you die?”

It was one of those parenting moments that remains etched in my brain. As I stammered and stuttered, trying to buy myself some time, she went on to offer her own suggestions.

“Maybe the baby will come out of your mouth, like a big sick?” and, “Will your head fall off when it comes out? Will you die?”

Deciding that the truth, in all its gory detail, was probably better than her own version of events, I took the plunge.

“No, my head won’t fall off and the baby won’t come out of my mouth. The body is a very amazing thing. Mummy’s body will do something amazing that it was designed to do. It will stretch and I will push the baby out. And we will all be OK. No one will die.”

Feeling rather smug and awarding myself an invisible gold star, I thought that would be the end of the matter. But she persisted, with a new light of interest gleaming in her eye.

“So you will poo it out of your bottom and it will land in the toilet?”

And here is where I fear I made a mistake. I don’t know what the rules are regarding telling four year olds about birth. I assume you’re not to mention stitches, dilation and intense pain, but I don’t want my child walking round thinking I’m going to pass her brother or sister like a large stool.

So I told her. I told her the truth. I told her that the baby will be born out of my “tuppy” (her word for vagina – long story, don’t ask) and that it will be rather incredible.

And that was that. She didn’t ask again. She hasn’t become fixated on the idea. And she hasn’t seemed to make the link between her own “tuppy” and the possibility she may too give birth out of it one day far in the future. Phew.

I didn’t think much of it, until recently when I overheard her telling a friend how her mummy has a “super stretchy tuppy”. This friend, I later found out, thinks babies come out of belly buttons.

We discussed how “mummy’s tuppy” isn’t a subject for conversations with her friends (or any conversations come to think of it), and how maybe she should keep the whole baby being born thing to herself. But I was mindful of not wanting her to think it was a secret, or a bad thing or end up leaving her associating anything negative with the birth at all. I don’t want her to be scared for me and hate the baby before it’s even born, after all.

And that’s the thing. It’s a very different situation having a baby when your eldest is four, not two. You can fob toddlers off with all sorts of half-truths, but a couple of years on kids get wise to the white lies and start asking more probing questions. Or, that’s my experience any way.

And if I’d have told her some nonsense about a stork delivering the baby then what would I say in a few years time, when she comes home from school aged fourteen, devastated at the news storks aren’t physically capable of carrying babies in their beaks – let alone making one of those fancy tied up hammock things they’re meant to carry them in?

So I told her the truth. But now I’m concerned that I shouldn’t have. I don’t know. What are the rules of telling four year olds about labour and birth anyway? Anyone?

The post Labour and kids: to sugar-coat or tell the truth? appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

Our plug sockets were uncovered, our coffee table remained a hazard, in all its modern, sharp-cornered glory and don’t even mention the lack of a fire guard on the huge log-burner.

Looking back, it was a mixture of luck, constant vigilance and much “No, no, no! Hot, hot, hot!” that kept our bouncing baby safe in her first few years of life.

With a new baby due in the autumn, we are already making some changes to our rather lackadaisical attitude to safety in the home. We’re looking into decent baby monitors, have a stair gate already fitted (our almost-four year old is an occasional midnight wanderer) and have plans to cover the plug sockets that are baby height.

With two children at home and only so many adult eyes, it’s a case of striking a balance between teaching our children what is safe and what is dangerous, as well as putting measures in place to stop preventable accidents should either child wander out of our sight.

So how much is enough when it comes to child safety at home and how safe is your own home?

This year, Child Safety Week runs from 23^rd to 29^th June. The focus is on “morning mayhem”, as many accidents in the home take place during the morning rush – a baby reaching for a pair of hair straighteners that are still cooling, a toddler knocking over a hot cup of tea, a young child making a bid for freedom through an open stair gate.

To find out how safe your home is, interiors brand Betta Living has a clever interactive tool and a survey on offer, which will show exactly how child-proof your home actually is.

It’s quite apt to be writing about child safety week now, just as my daughter gets used to the next few weeks with her leg in a cast, broken after an accident on a trampoline last weekend. It’s made me realise safety in the home extends to the garden too.

I’m now in two minds about child-proofing and my attitude to safety at home. I know that last weekend’s accident could leave me a paranoid mum, terrified to let her daughter take risks and eager to wrap her in cotton wool. But I’m also aware that some accidents are preventable and, if I can stop them from happening, then I will.

So, this Child Safety Week I’m going to be slightly altering my former ambivalence towards child-proofing and attempting to get the balance right between paranoid mum and sensible, accident prevention mum.

Now tell me, how safe is your home – and where do you stand on child-proofing? How do you get the balance right?

**

Written in collaboration with Betta Living. 

The post Do you Child-Proof? appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

This week has been one of those weeks where I’ve been torn between doing the best thing for my bump and doing the best thing for my child. It’s reminded me how different pregnancy is when you already have a child or children to look after (something I wrote about in more detail over at Babycentre this week).

Anyway, after an accident on a trampoline, we now have an almost-four year old with a broken leg who’ll be in cast for at least four weeks. It means there’s much carrying around and lifting, things I’m sure aren’t always the best for the bump, but I don’t have much of an alternative option at the moment (Stannah stair lifts are out of our price range!).

Besides the cast drama it’s been a good week bump-wise. No more bleeds and, despite the lugging around of my surprisingly heavy child, I’m feeling in pretty good shape. There are a few products that have helped me feel better recently – if you’re in need of a lift you might find this post useful.

I’ve also been attempting to take a few more photos of the bump this time around, mainly involving hastily-snapped bump selfies in less-than-glamorous places. Excuse the awful hair, black bra with white top and loo roll in the background of this pic taken last night. I was just about to get in my PJs, so I’m not exactly looking my best…

At only 25 weeks my bump seems enormous to me and I’m wondering if this means I’m going to need a crane to get around come August. The one plus side of having such a big bump so early on, though, is that I get to take funny photos that make it look like I’m sunbathing in the nude. This was intentional, honest….

If you’re looking for bump pictures that aren’t of the comedy variety, then check out these beautiful shots at Nicola… Life Through My Eyes that she linked up to last week’s #BlogBumpClub. They’re a great example of simple photos that document a beautiful bump.

And if you’re based in the South East and have a budget then I’d be stupid not to recommend my lovely friend, professional photographer Caroline at CP Photography. I still treasure the images she took of my huge bump four years ago – despite not even wanting any pictures taken of me at the time! (The photo in the image at the top is one Caroline took of me).

 LINK UP!

Anyway, what have you and your bump been up to this week? Link up your most recent pregnancy post here and join our online blogger antenatal club. It’s always nice to share the cankle chat with other people who are in the same boat!

Don’t forget to grab the badge below so other pregnant bloggers find out about us too – and if you like you can tweet me using the hashtag #BlogBumpClub on Twitter (I’m @mollyjforbes over there).

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The post Blogger Bump Club Week 6 #BlogBumpClub appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

I’m not being a drama queen when I say the last few days have been intense. Incredibly, stressfully, sometimes tear-jerkingly intense.

In fact, if it wasn’t for my parents whisking Frog and I off to their house for the week, I’m not sure how I would have coped. I imagine the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine would have returned from work and found me rocking in a corner somewhere, my broken child crying even louder than her mother.

I expect no one would describe having a child in a cast as “fun”. Add being 25 weeks pregnant to the mix and you have a whole new level of physical challenge, carrying an almost-four year old around in a heavy leg cast while feeling particularly bulky yourself. And add the demands of work on top of that and you get a picture of where I’ve been at stress-wise the past few days.

I didn’t start this post to moan though. Well, kind of. But I mean, I know there are plenty more people far worse off than us and, ultimately, a broken leg will mend, so we are lucky. 

One of the trickiest things I’ve found about looking after a child in cast is putting aside my sympathy for my poorly child and maintaining some sense of normal. On the way home from the hospital, we stopped at a supermarket and the NLM came out with two carrier bags laden down with Frog’s favourite treats.

We wrote Sunday off as a day to endure and allowed chocolate buttons, teddy bear crisps and plenty of ice-cream. Ironically, even these delicacies weren’t enough to tempt our broken girl into eating and she survived on mainly Calpol, water and the odd bit of toast for the 48 hours after the accident.

But now we are four days in and I’m noticing shades of my former child starting to reappear. She is loud, feisty as ever and – as always – demanding. What she lacks in speed she now makes up for in volume, attempting to bend us all to her will. On the one hand I’m torn between feeling sorry for her and knowing she’s frustrated, often in pain and tired. But on the other, it’s never acceptable to hit out at people or to call your grandparents “stinky and rubbish”.

They tug on your heartstrings though, kids. Especially when they’re your own. I can’t help but feel constantly guilty for the fact I didn’t take Frog to A&E until five hours after she hurt her leg, refusing to believe she was really in that much pain (this is the girl who screams bloody murder if a fly so much as looks at her). I cried when the X-Rays came back showing two breaks in her leg, disgusted at myself and ashamed that I hadn’t taken her into hospital straight away.

And guilt isn’t a particularly helpful emotion when parenting, in my experience.

Of course things won’t stay like this for much longer. Hopefully Frog will begin to be more mobile with the cast (she’s already begun to tentatively scoot around on her backside) and soon her temporary plaster will be removed and replaced with a new, more comfortable one. And, even if she doesn’t get used to it, it’ll only be on for a few more weeks (we hope).

In the meantime though, any advice you have on managing the whole behaviour of a child in cast thing is much appreciated. I’d love to hear how you got through the few weeks without ending up a quivering wreck in the corner.

The post The cast diaries appeared first on Mother's Always Right.

June is an important month in our house. It’s the month of our daughter’s birthday, which also means it’s the month our lives changed forever.

Over the past week it’s felt like summer has officially arrived. We’ve had more blue skies than grey and, at times, the sun has been positively HOT. It all makes me yearn for a cold Pimms and a sunny pub garden, if I’m honest.

It’s funny, because at this time of year I always get flashbacks to the couple of weeks before Frog was born. I can still vividly remember bumbling around our cottage, cleaning things, hanging up baby-grows, well and truly ready for our baby to make an appearance. 

I went for long walks with my friend and her son next door, hoping that today may be the day and, rather than puffy ankles, I’d get a baby at the end of it.

It was hot this time four years ago. Really, really hot. I had swollen feet and fingers, mainly lived in baggy maternity combats and spent a lot of time bouncing up and down on a birthing ball.

We ate barbecued meat and fresh salad almost every night and I moaned. A lot.

Without wanting to sound like a total corn-dog, the time before a baby is born is pretty special. Despite feeling huge, coping with sleep deprivation and trying not to think too much about how much the whole labour thing will hurt, there’s such a huge sense of anticipation, it gives everything this electric-charged atmosphere. It’s exciting and scary and feels like it stretches out forever. Or, at least, that was the case with us four years ago.

By this time I’d gone on maternity leave, so the whole of June was dedicated to baby things – preparing the nursery, washing the clothes, doing antenatal yoga, seeing my midwife. I was in a baby bubble of comfortable nesting that wasn’t to pop until Frog was a couple of weeks old and real life (our new normal) set in.

So yes, June has a special significance for us. And we’re not the only ones.

June is also a pretty big month for the royals. What with The Royal Ascot, the Queen’s birthday and all the preparations for Prince George’s birthday, they have reason to enjoy June almost as much as us.

This month 888 Ladies is celebrating the sunshine with A Very Royal Summer. If you like online bingo then you’ll love this.

To shout about a variety of royal events happening throughout June, the site is hosting an online bingo game of 888ladies, ending with a big jackpot game on Prince George’s 1st birthday on the 22nd July (taking place at 9.30pm). You can win – you’ve guessed it – £8,888 which is the special jackpot amount for the game.

It’s fair to say that amount could make June special in any household….

What does June mean to you?

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The post The month of June appeared first on Mother's Always Right.