Sickness Be Gone

We have all been sick... which is just, frankly, hard work. So I am well but now everyone else is sick or on the verge of well. Best remedy to the sickness battle is rest which is impossible with kids no matter how much help you have as they just want to be with you.

The only thing this means is that I have no news and nothing interesting to post. Although I will have a killer workout tomorrow and hopefully be feeling way more positive come the end of the week.

Workout

Happy to be sweetly sore for a couple days... just please give me that bikini body....


So, I have this sister who has wonderfully perfect body... We are both in a wedding in May so I have decided to get fitter too. I joined a gym near work, and now have paid a women to beast me a couple times a week.

Please, please, please can we invent a workout that entails less work? Can't I sit in a sauna and lose a stone? Maybe I need a tape worm...

Anyway, if you too want to get in shape, my sister (who is very fit... six pack fit) does accelerated training / cross fit workouts. It is 30min of pure hell but results are fantastic. You don't even need a gym, but I do to maintain motivation, get out of the house/office and to ensure I can compare myself with lots of wafer thin women doing elliptical machines for hours on end. http://www.crossfit.com

FYI, unsure of your fitness level, see your GP first.

Baby Stuff

So, I have a perpetual list of baby stuff needed that I hand around as people ask me what they need. I am well aware that every baby and every parent is different so by no means is this the end all be all of baby stuff. With that said, there is definitely a marketing push around newly engaged and newly pregnant women...

Here it is, My Baby List:

Moses Basket with Stand for your bedroom –  4 Moses basket fitted sheets (good for the pushchair if it has a mattress too); Borrow this from someone is possible or buy used. It gets used for about 4-12 weeks.

Baby Cot - I have both a cot and cot bed; completely fine with both. They are all safe, I like the ones with the  adjustable heights as they are easier to lift out when not sitting or standing yet.

Tiny Love Mobiles for Cot - They are the ones the babies really love... or at least mine did!

Monitor with temperature – TOMY or BT seem to be best... and definitely digital. Depends on your house as well, the closer the quarters, the less necessary.

Baby Seat (bouncer) –  make sure it vibrates and has hanging toys... (fisher price makes good ones)

                (I had a cradle swing that I LOVED... which would work too).

Bath Seat – I used a bath seat, some people like the little tub. My favourite place to bath a baby is in a kitchen sink. It is the right height and usually has enough counter around it to lay a towel. 

Pushchairs -  I will post an entire entry just on these. Go to the store, try them out. Make sure they have the following: newborn lie flat, car seat adaptor, adjustable handles (or high enough for your family), space to carry things, easy to collapse, and lightweight. 

Car seats - I have a maxi cosi and it was great because it worked with our pushchair and isofix in car. Remember all are safe or stores wouldn't be able to sell them. Always back facing for first 9 to 12 months. They are much safer facing backwards unless they are too big for the chair. Don't buy second hand unless coming from a source you can verify that the seat was never in an accident (good friend / family). Also, I heard that the plastic can degrade a bit after about 5 years but I have no idea if that is actually true.

BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Active Fit – worth the extra money to have back support. I also have a moby wrap that I loved. But only one is necessary and my husband wasn't of the wrapping type (looked too hippy)

Clothes – I will have another post on this. Get 4 Newborn outfits and 4 sleeping outfits and a couple cardigans... 2 more of each if you don't have a dryer. You will get clothes as gifts after the birth and will want to buy things after you see your baby that fits them. And if you don't know what you are having, there are only so many things you can have in green, yellow, and white. Avoid things that are for > 3 months and button up the back. It is very annoying... 

Coats - If you have a winter baby, I found the blankets that go over the car seat really useful. And you can also get an all in one winter coat. I preferred legless with a hole to put the car seat or push chair straps through. 

Blankets  - 3 swaddling, 2 outdoor blankets. If summer - half the amount. If winter and really cold, you may want more... 

Towels – 2 with hoods... 

Hats – cotton 2-3 (unless winter, then get a warm one too)

Changing pad with washable cover (2 covers) 

Little Bathroom kit (includes nail clipper, thermometer, etc...)

Muslins – about 5 (they make really big ones that are fantastic)

Maybe updating it as I realize I forgot something... x

Starting Something

Decided to start a blog to continually share information about raising 2 kids in south west London. Not that I am an expert or anything.. my friends are quite keen on asking my opinions...  I have done research on loads of family stuff from gear to playgroups and hate to see so much work not go anywhere.

Just a bit of background, I am an American living in London... have done so for about 6 years now. I am married and have an amazing husband and 2 fantastic kids. I work full time and continually fight the balance between family life and career, but don't necessarily think it is harder than staying home full time. I wish I was fitter, faster, smarter, and the rest... just as many women do, but am not excessive about any of it (although my husband may argue). I like a clean house, a hot bath, and cuddles from my kiddos. Oh, and I really haven't said enough about how great my husband is... he does do all the cooking which counts for so much. And when I have a hard day, will also do the after dinner dishes!

So, with that said... Here I go into the blog space...