Wednesday 31 October 2018

Halloween fun today with spook stations at intu Merry Hill

I love any theme so with it being Halloween, it's another excuse to decorate the house, get dressed up and have some fun as a family. Ste is off with Ethan for half term and if you're looking for something to do today, then you could go and take part in a special trick-or-treat trail at intu Merry Hill this Halloween.

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Thursday 25 October 2018

Win a pair of tickets to the Festive Gift Fair - 10 sets to giveaway!

I can't wait to deck the halls this year, not least because we have an extra special present due for delivery early in December. My Christmas present buying will be done in good time because of baby and we always get out decorations up in our house for 1st December, so if things don't happen earlier for us than expected, we would love to go to the Festive Gift Fair.

It marks the start of Christmas for lots of festive fans and shoppers like us.  As one of the first Christmas Fairs staged in the UK, it's now in its 23rd year, and promised to be one of the best places to go this November to get your festive preparations off to a cracking start. 

It's a popular event at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) Birmingham and is the biggest indoor event of its kind, so well worth visiting to get into the spirit of the season, and get a lot of your Christmas shopping done too.  




On this year from 15th to 18th November 2018, it looks like a lot of fun and I really hope that we will be able to go ourselves.


I have 10 PAIRS OF TICKETS to giveaway to the show! If you want to go to the Festive Gift Fair, enter via Rafflecopter below by midnight on Thursday 8th November, and you could be one of 10 lucky winners who will have a bit of Christmas come early thanks to Festive Gift Fair and To Become Mum.




Good luck...




Here's the information on how to buy tickets, and the offers the show has on:



THIS YEAR TICKETS CAN ONLY BE BOUGHT IN ADVANCE THROUGH

THE TICKET FACTORY

THE 'BUY 3 GET 1 FREE' SPECIAL OFFER WILL STILL APPLY

(subject to availability so book now! and save money when purchasing tickets in advance!)

Adults Thurs/Fri £9 in advance (£11 on the door)

Adults Sat/Sun £11 in advance (£13 on the door)

5-16yrs £4 anyday (under 5's go free)

Don't forget the Special Promotion Price for Buy 3 Get 1 Free offer on adult tickets - select on checkout online



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Stay warm this winter with a cosy fire

If you have never used firewood to heat your home before, then this is definitely a recommended solution. This is a brilliant way of heating your home whilst being cost efficient at the same time. Plus, no one can deny that you get an excellent dose of heat by using this method. This can really make your home feel cosy and comforting.


* Partnered post
Source

However, a lot of first-time fireplace users are shocked by the fact that they have a few decisions to make when it comes to buying firewood. Many expect it to be as simple as going online and selecting firewood and boom – as easy as A, B, C. Unfortunately, this is not the case, as there is a lot of different types of firewood for you to select from. But don’t let this worry you.

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Wednesday 24 October 2018

A spooktacular day out at DMP - More Treat Than Trick event on this half term

Half term may have started for you, but for us it's next week and we are thinking ahead to days out and fun things to do as a family to make the most of Ethan's time off - especially as baby will be here by the time he next breaks up from school.

On Sunday, we headed to Drayton Manor Park for the first weekend of their More Treat Than Trick special event - on now until 1st November 2018. We are big fans of the park, as Ethan loves Thomas the Tank Engine (like so many kids do from an early age) and Thomas Land has so much to offer.


But we also love everything else DMP has to offer, which makes it a packed day out and gives real value for money; the 4D cinema, the zoo, the dinosaur park, the play area, and everything else in between.

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Friday 19 October 2018

Spooktacular event at National Sea Life Centre Birmingham

We're blogger ambassadors for the National Sea Life Birmingham and wanted to share some of our plans for this October half term, as there's some spooky goings on under the sea, and it sounds like a great day out so one to put on the list for sure...



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Wednesday 17 October 2018

32 weeks pregnancy update, baby number two

I've made it to 32 weeks in good health, both physical and mental, and am at the stage where we are starting to countdown, rather than counting up as the weeks of this pregnancy go by. As everyone keeps saying, baby could decide to arrive early, so really we are five weeks away from that being a likely possiblility...

Oh. My. Gosh.

We're really are having a baby, aren't we?!

Here's an update on how my pregnancy has been going now that I am well and truly in my third trimester (you can catch up with my pregnancy announcement, 12 week pregnancy update, 18 week pregnancy update AND second trimester post too, to catch up on anything you may have missed)...

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Tuesday 16 October 2018

Brilliant boots for autumn walks #HotterWalkies

In case the colours of my blog and most recent posts on here and on Instagram didn't give you a hint, I LOVE autumn! A big part of this is of course the changing of the seasons outside, seeing the leaves change colour and fall from the trees, and wrapping up to go out and enjoy it all.

Warm colours, comfy boots and snugly scarves are some of my favourite things about the season.

Being 32 weeks pregnant, I am trying to remain active but also conscious of not overdoing it too, and of being a bit steadier on my feet. This is all good news to our dog, Watson, as he isn't that fond of walking too far, or of wet weather, so a quick trot around the block and home again for cuddles does the trick.


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Monday 15 October 2018

The second trimester - pregnancy update, baby number two

When I first blogged for Natural Birthing Company, I was sharing the story of my journey tobecome mum first time around, and how we found out we were expecting our secondbaby, due in early December. My first trimester was full of anticipation, nerves and some anxiety, I have to be honest, as having experienced a miscarriage last year, we were far more cautious this time around. We had extra, private scans early on to be sure everything was going ok and it was nice to finally reveal to everyone our happy news when all the signs looked positive.

So, how has the second trimester been? You can see this post over on the NBC website too, as I am a blogger ambassador for them, but there's lots to cover, so I have shared it here too to keep you up to date...


Well, I do have to say I feel like I have been pregnant a LONG time, but that isn’t in a bad way - I really do enjoy having a bump and, touch wood, everything is going well and I am feeling good. In fact, during the course of my second trimester, my overall health and well-being seems to have improved a lot; my skin has been really clear, my hair seems to be growing and thickening and I do feel good in myself. I had one or two days around 24 weeks where I suddenly felt quite sad, for no apparent reason, but it didn’t develop into anything and I talked to my husband about how I was feeling, so I’m putting it down to pregnancy hormones.

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Sunday 14 October 2018

My two little pumpkins #MySundayPhoto

I have gone a little pumpkin crazy, you could say. We went pumpkin picking at Essington Farm last weekend (glad we did, as it's tipping down today...) and brought home six pumpkins in varying sizes and colours. I'm getting a healthy dose of pumpkin spice lattes. And even my wardrobe is being taken over by the colours of the season.

I just bloomin' love autumn!

I am also loving time with my family, especially as we are the countdown to when bump turns into baby. Ethan is very excited and has been very caring and protective over me during my pregnancy, and this photo I know I will cherish as both my little pumpkins are with me, just before our life changes all over again and I become a mum of two.

Can't wait to revisit next year with a 10 month old in tow...


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Wednesday 10 October 2018

What to Pack For A Stag Do Abroad?

The big night of bidding goodbye to your bachelorhood is one of the most important nights in an engaged man’s life. The celebration of his singlehood, before he becomes a husband and leads a happily married life, has been a long standing tradition enjoyed and followed for years now.

* Sponsored post

A stag do abroad means lots of travelling, exploring and facing unexpected challenges and overcoming them happily, because it’s your friends’ stag do. Travelling abroad and having more than one night of stag celebration has become one of the top ideas for a stag do.

Whether you’re travelling for your stag do to UK or somewhere else in Europe, or anywhere in the world, there are certain essentials that your suitcase must have. So here’s a list of things to help you pack your bags and have a great stag do with the lads.
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Sunday 7 October 2018

Pumpkin picking at Essington Farm, Wolverhampton #MySundayPhoto

Autumn is my favourite time of year. What's not to love? Beautiful colours as the season changes, the arrival of pumpkin spice lattes, warm cardigans, boots and blankets to cosy up in and of course, pumpkins!

Having something of a pumpkin myself being carried around with me (I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant), I couldn't wait to go out this year to a local pumpkin patch to pick some of our own, in different colours, shapes and sizes, and to take the chance of getting some autumnal family photos.

And to think, this time next year, we can go out to the farm again with baby along for the ride too...


We visited Essington Farm, near Wolverhampton. It's well signposted from the M54, free to enter and you pay for what you pick. This was the first weekend they opened their pumpkin fields to the public, and they are open every day until Halloween itself, with tractor rides to the furthest field running at weekends (check their website for details).

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Saturday 6 October 2018

Jurassic Park Live in Concert at Symphony Hall Birmingham

Both hubs and I were huge dinosaur fans when we were growing up, so it's probably no surprise that Ethan loves these prehistoric creatures too (well, we did create a dinosaur themed playroom - now his bedroom - when he was just a few months old)...

Jurassic Park is one of those films that has stood the test of time and one that we still enjoy very much to this day. Ste has fond memories of seeing it at the cinema with his mum when it was first released and I used to happily spend a Sunday afternoon re-watching it on VHS tape.

When we heard that Jurassic Park would be live in concert at Symphony Hall Birmingham, we naturally jumped at the chance to have an afternoon of dino-sized fun.



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