My Favourite Things About Autumn.

So it’s that time of year again where I bore you to death about what my favourite things about this season are. This post I saw Emma from Emmasfavouritethings on instagram and gave me a massive kick up the butt after having months off blogging from writers block! (Lets hope I can beat this). You can also follow her on twitter too here.

So everyone that knows me should know that my favourite time of year is autumn & winter no doubt, If you haven’t seen my post on why I hated the summer then you can read it here. 
The reason why this post is titled ‘My Favourite things about autumn’ instead of ’10 favourite things’ is because my list is never ending so enjoy!

• Every year Asda release my favourite candle scent and it just smells like one big cupcake, Last year it was called ‘festive cookie’ but this year they have name it ‘nutcracker delight’ same smell different name but it only comes out autumn/winter time so I always have to make sure I stock up! If you like sickly smelling scents but good sickly then I highly recommend this candle, The notes: Hazelnut, maple & praline.
• I’m a huge jumper lover, the more jumpers the better you just cant go wrong with a nice knitted baggy jumper! Oh and also long sleeve tops, they become my best friend. Not sure what to wear? Just chuck on a long sleeve top then you’re good to go.
• My favourite hot drinks for when it gets colder is tea but you can’t beat a good white hot chocolate!
•  It gets darker earlier, more cosier for when watching your favourite film on the sofa. I’ve never been a fan of it staying lighter in the evenings
• Firework night! Thankfully where I live they let the fireworks go off at the end of the pier so they’re over looking the beach and it’s the most prettiest scene.

• Salted caramel in everything.
• Hearing the rain hit against your window is just so satisfying
• Knowing that Christmas is just round the corner, I get excited to spend it with my little my boy and just seeing his face light up and for him to experience everything I did as a child.
• I’m basically a make up addict so my favourite thing doing every autumn is natural make up look and to let your lips do all the talking my sticking a nice bold lipstick on. My go to lipsticks have been ‘ginger bomb’ which is brownish & ‘tasty ruby’ which is a bold red. If you would like to see more beauty related then check out My instagram I also like seeing other people’s Instagram feeds and seeing how creative people get with their photography.
• This one is a ritual for me and possibly the best time of the year is when ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’ comes on the tv, I have never missed a series and never will! Is anyone else like that?

11th August 2018. Moving day… AGAIN.

So if you know me well or know me by following me on twitter & instagram ‘Links below’.
My Twitter
My instagram
Then you will know that I have had to move yet again, now I say had to because I was practically bullied out of mine and jakes first home. For those that read the post of myself and Jake moving into our first home then you would have seen the flat inside and out this time i’m not showing pictures due to my privacy and keeping it from certain people.
If you want to know what happened with my neighbour then you can read my post Neighbour from hell!, that post goes into full detail to what I have been having to put up with, within this past year! To say the least that was just a part of it whilst having all these problems with trying to re house myself and Jake, my grandad had passed too which invovled travelling to and from essex visiting in hospital to his funeral which again if you want to know the ins and outs then you can read them posts here.

On the 11th of August 2018 I picked the keys up to a two bedroom house which again is mine and Jake’s forever home! This time not only is the house bigger but the place we live and the neighbours its a lot better! I’m not going to sit here and be like yeah moving in was a breeze, settling Jake in was no problem because it was far from all that! We might have picked the keys up on the 11th but we didnt stay there and move in properly till the 20th august as I wanted to do it all properly and by that I mean I wanted the tv and internet to be set up and also the house had no curtains, I had no drawers for my clothes and no locks on the bathroom doors.

So how did settling Jake into the house go I hear you ask? Well todays date is the 26th of august, It took Jake a week to stop playing up and alot of ‘In your room you go’ action as Jake might be in his ‘terrible two’s’ but I can tell that this wasnt the case. Even though Jake rarely stayed in his own room before he did adapt to that really well and now his bedtime routine is alot better than what it was before. Jake’s temper and the way he was acting at the new house it was ranging from throwing things, to beating my tv screen with his toys (it’s fine the tv is fine!), banging on the walls, running round the house riot. It got to a point where he had to spend a day or two with my mum and dad to get him out of the house not only for his sake but to save my sanity as I was stressed and struggling but I’m ok with opening up with that because it’s not always a barrel of laughs especially if you’re raising a child on your own.

So there was how my moving in went, Has anyone has to settle their toddler in and how did your expierence go?.

Cot to Big boy bed, Baby to Toddler.

When the time came around that Jake had to have his cot turned into a big boy bed I cried a little inside. The thought of my baby becoming a big boy! growing into the perfect little toddler! I still think about it even now Jake is two and every time I look at him I think how is he getting so big so quick! Yes that’s Jake catching flies…

transitioning Jake happened a month or two before his second birthday, I was thinking do I don’t I for months before I made the decision to take the bars from the cot down and turn it into a toddler bed, Yes I nearly did cry but seeing Jake so happy to see a toddler bed that made me feel happy and excited to help him transition into the big boy that he is and not a baby anymore. (He’ll always be my baby though!).
So the most question I asked myself, my mum and when it came to it what people asked me was ‘how did you know when the time was right?’ I knew because Jake would kick one leg over the bar and attempt to climb the bars of the cot sometimes give or take a few times he would fall out due to climbing over but did he learn no?, did he keep doing it? yes, Is he ok? Yes the boy is perfectly fine. But he kept doing this for a good month. At first when he knew how to climb out I thought it was all a big joke and that he was being silly and I couldn’t believe my eyes until I saw it myself and then it all became real when I did see it and thought okay now is the time.

How did I cope with him running around you ask. Well at the beginning he took to the bed really well he would go to bed no problems but then the novelty started to wear off as more and more he would get out of bed and I must have put him back one night more than 10 times and then this became a regular occurrence so what I do now is that Jake goes to bed with my old iPhone he puts on YouTube watches his little kiddie videos and falls asleep with his favourite blanket! (Don’t worry I DO supervise him). But always remember to take one day at a time it does get easier.
Exhibit A⬇️

People always say that having a routine is so important and that it ‘needs’ to be done for when it comes to them being in their own bed but I don’t buy it nor do I give Jake a routine and he goes to bed perfectly fine and sleeps the whole night till 7ish in the morning, I don’t know maybe I have the best child ever! Anyway as I was saying He goes to bed when he wants as I’m up till 12 in the evening anyway so it’s not a big deal, Although since Jake has been going to nursery every Tuesday and Wednesday he has started to form a routine which involves not having a nap at school anymore! he waits till he comes home which is 1:45pm, naps at 2ish then he will wake up just in time for dinner for about 6ish and then bedtime is about 9/10 sometimes 11 in the evening, But this routine works for myself and Jake and that’s all I care about.

This post is longer than my arm at this rate so I’m going to wrap it up here and just say that when it comes to transitioning your child don’t get too upset get excited for more milestones to come ahead! Look forward not backwards.

Mummy’s aren’t allowed to be sick.

Fever chills, terrible cough, I’m definitely taking a sick day…
Oh wait, Never mind I’m a mum.

Why is it that us mum’s are never allowed to be ill? Failing that even if we have a headache we’re not allowed too. Being an epileptic mother it can go downhill very quickly for me, But the most common question I get from people is what do you do about your child then? well here is what I do if I am unwell and a few tips for you if you don’t already do them that it is…⬇️

• Don’t get too carried away with the housework that so badly needs doing, do it bit by bit or do the day after. I’m sure one day off won’t hurt right?
• That routine you got going on? chuck that out of the window for one day as I let Jake eat when he wants and what he wants(not that I don’t let him already but there’s not routine involved) same goes for the tv & iPad. I find that when I’m not well if Jake is entertained and quiet then its a win win situation.
• Your sofa is your bed for the day, grab your duvet, your child & chill. Sometimes chucking on a movie or a favourite programme that you and your child can sit and watch and spend time together cant be a bad move but I will NOT watch baby tv any longer!
• Takeaways become your bestfriend.

An important reminder to yourself is and especially if you’re a single parent like myself, DO NOT feel guilty and you are NOT a bad mum just because your child didn’t get their set meals at the set times they usually have it or your child is constantly eating chocolate biscuits and watching endless amounts of tv. People need to remember that we cant all have super powers.

Summer lover or Winter lover? Here’s why I dislike summer.

We all know that the past few weeks the heat in the UK has been ridiculous with highs of 21 degrees. I myself know that when it comes to the heat it’s a big no from me I’m afraid, I would much rather cuddle up on the sofa with my boy and a hot chocolate watching soaps/movies or if Jake has it his way then it’s blaze and the monster machines! (Rolls eyes) with a duvet over us all snuggled! Who am I kidding that only happens in movies… I will be under the duvet Jake will be playing with his toys or throwing them around the room!. As they say it’s a lot quicker to warm up than it is to cool down and that is why winter is my favourite time of year.
Don’t get me wrong the sun does put me in a happy mood but not so much when the heat comes with it too, I can get very snappy with people very quickly if I am too hot. But when I suffer from the heat I tend to stay inside or I get outside take Jake to the park for half hour and think why the hell did I do it? I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks this too? Now as I’m typing this saying that when the sun is out I would rather stay indoors I must seem like a complete bore but I’m just being honest with what I would do with my day, I am not one for the beach although if it was for Jake for an hour or so I would do it for him.

Now as a mum especially I find the heat even worse because the hay fever is out of control and so is your child so whilst your sneezing your way through hell you’re trying to either discipline your child or try and find your child’s favourite toy in your bag.

My favourite one is where you’re wanting to get a nice brown tan but if you’re a pale girl like me then you just burn red, hurt & ache and end up looking like ross from friends. Example⬇️

(If you don’t know who that is the I suggest you look it up as it will give you a giggle!) whilst you’re running around after your toddler all day, when they cuddle you and pat you on your back etc.

Everything is sticky! even if you get in the shower and an hour later you’re sticky again! You look a mess no matter how much you try to salvage your makeup with a bit of powder, Nope think again in just 2 minutes you will look like someone has tipped a bowl of water over your face and don’t get me started on the hair! remember the shower that you took that hour ago and your hair dried well, that’s now greasy from all the sweat! Again why people love summer I do not know!.

Now I know not everyone will have experienced this but I’m sure 95% of people must have! Leather seats are your worse enemy! They’re mine that’s for sure and I don’t even own a car! I’m always in the car with my mum as I rely on her so if its not the burns from the sun then it’s the burns from the seats & seat belts!

You thought having a child and not sleeping? well what about having to try sleep in hot conditions! I HATE it! In the UK we’re not privileged enough to have air con and I’m too poor to buy a fan so having the window open all day & night is my only option which many of you would say well it’s not too bad at least it lets a bit of breeze in… What breeze? I don’t have any breeze coming through so I’m laying there in my pool of sweat trying to breath and trying to sleep whilst my son is fast asleep snoring his head off!

I ran a poll on my instagram… which stated how many of your were winter lovers or summer lovers and there are far too many summer lovers! Whilst 44% loves winter & hot chocolates, 56% prefers summer & cocktails!.
In case you aren’t following me then head over or feel free to look around! Click here to view my instagram.

Are you a summer person or winter?

This isn’t goodbye forever.

Hello there grandad its me your little girl, I couldn’t find you yesterday when I came to visit nan, She says to me that you’ve only left the room, you haven’t gone away but I really miss you grandad and all the games we use to play.

As many of you know on the 5th of may my grandad, My bestfriend passed away.
You can read that post A Letter to my Grandad. Here.
Well on the 30th of May 2018 it was his funeral and to say the least it was one of the hardest days I have ever had to go through, It was so difficult that I didn’t want to let go and still don’t now.

What made him such a special grandad to me? Well he was a good story teller, He always knew how to make me laugh when I was having a down day or Whenever it was time to leave his house and I didn’t want to leave he would always chase me around the front of the house tickle me and bung me in the back of the car! he always waved me goodbye and wouldnt go back in the house until the car went round the corner.
He also encouraged me to just get out there and if I want something then to just go and get it and that’s exactly what I’m doing with my writing. My grandad use to write and when he found out that at school I loved English well I became his favourite instantly! (Kidding).
He always said he knew I would be a writer and do something that involved writing and computers he always said that I was a computer whizz and he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw how quickly I could type and it would always make me laugh. Even at times he would tell the most lamest jokes but they would still make me laugh.

So grandad wherever you are I hope you’re causing havoc and getting plenty of sleep.

Like Mother like Son. Who says mother & son can’t match?

Why is it that if you type into google then you will only see pictures of mother & daughter or father & son matching outfits? what about us single mums with little boys? People have a lot to say about mother & daughter, Father & son matching but why can’t a mother match with her son?
This came to light as when I typed into google all I saw was pictures of mother & daughter, Father & son. Not one picture was mother and son. I am a mother to a boy and a single mum at that so I don’t get to see Jake and his father be in matching outfits so I decided to do it with Jake instead and I have to say I love it and do not care what people think. Who says just because I’m a mother who has a little boy why shouldn’t I get to join in? No I’m not saying me and my son match outfits every day but its the little things that count.

To some people it is can be classed as ‘tacky’ but I personally think that it is a great way to bond that little bit more with your child.

Here’s a few reasons to why I like to match with Jake.
1. Jake is only 2 so it’s classed as cute where as if he was 16 then it would be “Omg mum, I’m not going out with you dressed the same as me”.

2. Makes shopping easier because there’s no who’s child belongs to who questions when shopping with my mum as I am the one matching with him. (Queue nervous laughter).

3. It provides a little bit of safety as I’m able to spot Jake easily, Especially when I go to pick him up from nursery as all I have to say is that Jake is wearing the same shoes as me.

So do you single mums who have little boys wear matching stuff? Let me know who does & why they wouldn’t.

Jake’s 24 Month Update.

Yep that’s right Jake is now 2 years old! How is that possible?
On the 14th of May 2018 we celebrated Jake’s 2nd birthday! He’s absolutely obsessed with ‘Blaze & the monster machines’ as well as ‘jcb’s, Thomas the tank engine & cars’. So with all that to hand I got the perfect cake made for Jake and it was worth every penny to see the look on Jake’s face when he saw it, No of course he didn’t blow the candles out he was too busy trying to take the jcb’s off the cake. (Rolling eyes)

So what did we do for Jake’s second birthday? Well as Jake’s birthday fell on a Monday and everyone was working I decided that on the Sunday 13th of May I would take Jake to tapnell farm, Yes this is the same farm that we took him to for his first birthday too but he loves the farm and it was also a themed peppa pig day to which Jake did not get to meet her but he still had an amazing day at the farm.
Queue the pictures…

So what can Jake do or say now?
He knows and says his colours especially red.
He knows his ABC’s.
He can say his auntie Charlie’s name.
He can give kisses & loves cuddles.
He runs faster than what his legs can carry him.
He loves wearing sunglasses.
He sleeps in his big boy bed.
He also loves going to nursery and music time is his favourite time.
He has a special blanket that he cant sleep without.
He went on his first rollercoaster at peppa pig world and didn’t know what to make of it.
Jake can also count up to 10, still a slight hiccup with how he says the number 2 but he will get there.

Even though you have the odd wobbler you always hug me and show me how much you love me.

A Letter to my Grandad.

To my Grandad, My bestfriend. I want you to know that just because you’re not here doesn’t mean I don’t think of you, Nor do I not talk about you.
I think about you all day everyday no matter what I’m doing, You passing has been the hardest thing to do in my life. I thought having a child was difficult but this just appears to be that little bit harder. The last time I saw you, You was so full of life whether you was in the hospital or not, You was still laughing even though you was in pain, You was still running around making Jake laugh even though you was in pain. The pain didn’t determine what you did or how you felt because you wouldn’t let it and admire you so much more for that! The last conversation we had was you told me how proud you was of me for bringing Jake up single handed, You was proud of the little boy Jake had turned into because of me, I will never forget that smile you put on my face for saying that. When I told you that I love you for the last time I knew you loved me back because I heard you breathing, You didn’t have to say anything because I knew it already. Everything you did for me I will never be able to thank you enough but I can promise you I will continue to make you proud of me and everything I do from now on is for you!
Fly high!❤️

So the 28th of April I found out that my grandad, my best friend, the man who use to carry me around car boot sales (yes they were fun back in the day only because I was there for the bouncy Castles and ice cream!). The man who took me to feed the ducks. Well he had cancer, what type you ask? The one where you couldn’t come back from. He was 66 and had bowel, liver and lung cancer. Never in my life did I think that at 23 years old I would have to deal with my grandad dying. He was suppose to watch jake grow up, he was suppose to take jake round the car boot sales, to feed the ducks, to do the same things with Jake as what he did with me.

On Saturday 5th of may my grandad passed. He couldn’t talk on the phone so I did the talking for him, I told him I love him and I always will and that he could beat anything.
Half an hour after I told him… He died.

I know you are watching over Me & Jake and I will see you again… One day!😇