Author: Deborah

Last night I went along to a beeswax wraps making workshop at a lovely local business. I’ve been looking at beeswax wraps on Etsy recently and although I loved the idea behind them they are really expensive.

Making beeswax wraps at Love + Joy Home

A beeswax wrap is a great eco alternative to using cling film in the kitchen. They are made from beeswax, jojoba oil, tree resin, and organic cotton and they are reusable, so they are perfect if you are trying to reduce your waste.

The workshop was held at a shop called Love + Joy Home which is based at the Fairground Craft Centre in Andover, Hampshire. I joined a group of lovely inspiring women to make the wraps.

Sarah, the owner of the shop, told us all about the wraps and their benefits. She already had a pot of tree resin and jojoba oil melting on a little hob. There were so many lovely fabrics to choose from so I opted for some elephants for my daughter Eleanor and a flamingo print for me.

Melting resin and jojoba oil Making beeswax wraps adding resin and jojoba oil

We got to work spreading the resin and oil mixture over the fabric with a brush. This wasn’t easy as it was so sticky but it would all melt later. We then sprinkled on the grated beeswax. There are two methods to melting it all: oven or ironing. Sarah had two small irons at the ready so we could create our wraps.

We sandwiched the fabric between two pieces of grease-proof paper and then ironed over the fabric so that the beeswax melted all over. We then whipped off the paper and let the wrap dry.

Beeswax wrap drying in Love + Joy Home

They were so so easy to make. For £3.50 each they were such good value and we had a really good evening chatting while we made them.

I can’t wait to start using the wraps. The warmth of your hands heats them up so they can be moulded to fit. I mostly made them to use on the top of bowls when Eleanor doesn’t finish a meal, but they have so many uses.

  • Wrap up bread
  • Cover a bowl for storing in the fridge
  • Use as a pouch for snacks
  • Wrap up cut fruit and vegetables
  • Wrap up sandwiches
  • Cover food when outside

Making beeswax wraps at Love + Joy Home

If you’re in the area I definitely recommend checking out Sarah’s shop. She sells lots of low impact products including refillable shampoo and condition which I really want to try.

Do you use beeswax wraps? If so, what other uses do they have?

Author: Deborah

My mummy morning routine starts before my daughter wakes. Well, now it’s lighter in the mornings the birds are waking her up at 6am but she stays in her cot chatting or singing to herself until 7am.

Meditation with Headspace every morning

Morning routine

6:00 – Wake up and head downstairs to do some yoga. I used to do it in the evenings but I find it gives me so much energy if I do it first thing in the morning. I always do yoga in my pajamas, anyone else do this? There are so many yoga pants I’d like to buy but I just don’t need them!

6:30 – Headspace. After yoga I do a 10-15 minute mindfulness meditation through the Headspace app. I find this really sets me up for the day.

7:00 – Breakfast for all the family. My husband usually gets Eleanor up out of bed and brings her downstairs for breakfast. Most meals we all eat the same but breakfast we all have something different – mostly because we all drink different milk and I’m not making 3 different types of porridge! I have almond milk with my porridge and banana and Eleanor has whole milk with her Weetabix and some fruit.

breakfast of porridge and banana

7:30 – Shower and get myself and Eleanor dressed for the day. I usually lay her clothes out the day before, or lay two sets of outfits out so she can choose which one she wants to wear.

8:00 – We’re usually out the door now on a nursery/work day. If not and the weather is nice we’ll head outside to the garden or out for a walk. Eleanor loves being outside and often goes to put her wellies on and reach for her coat before 8am.

I am so very grateful that my daughter stays in bed until 7am, it gives me a bit of me time in the morning which I find really helps set me up for the day. I know this will change as she gets older and I’ll have to make changes to our routine, but at the moment this works for us.

What’s your morning routine?

Author: Deborah

My baby was a really good eater. We did baby led weaning with her and she ate loads. My now toddler isn’t a good eater. Since she turned 18 months old her eating has changed so much.

onions

We all eat together as a family and she is served whatever we’re eating. But where she used to try everything on her plate (except broccoli) she now only eats beige food. Bread. Cheese. Pasta. Weetabix. She does it a lot of fruit and always is trying to steal bananas from the fruit bowl. But where has my good eater gone?

It’s really disheartening to see her just eat the beige bits on her plate. And things she used to eat like chicken aren’t being touched anymore. I try really hard not to show my emotions at the table. I was such a fussy child/teen/adult and I desperately don’t want that for her.

At meal times I’ve found just letting her get on with it the best for us. She eats with a fork or spoon and sometimes her hands. I don’t talk about food at all and just keep conversations about other things. I don’t want to make a thing out of her not eating. I’m going to give a couple of things a try.

Grazing tray for toddlers

Grazing Trays

I’ve started laying out a plate of bits she can graze on while in the living room playing. She can go to it whenever she wants and pick whatever she feels like eating. This is instead of snacks and I won’t worry if she doesn’t want much lunch afterwards. I won’t do this every day, it’s more for days where I know we’ll be at home for awhile.

Each tray will have a mix of things she likes and doesn’t like/hasn’t tried. Some of the foods we’re using are: cucumber, carrot sticks, hummus, blueberries, sliced apples, rice cakes, raisins, chopped kiwi, cheese cubes, strawberries and shreddies.

Messy Play

I’m going to try more messy play that includes food items, especially veggies. I wonder if playing with the foods will make her get used to the texture of them. For me texture is one of the big reasons why I don’t like something.

Courgette plants

Growing Vegetables

We’re growing some of our own veggies at the moment. Eleanor helped sow the seeds and she’s been watering them. Once they’re growing I hope she can help me pick them. We talk about how they’re growing and I show her them every day. We have courgettes, tomatoes, spinach, rocket and salad leaves so far.

Cooking Together

Where I can I want to let Eleanor help me cook. It’s hard as we cook a lot on the hob, but I thought she can help me with measuring ingredients and move chopped veggies into the pan. We often bake together so this is just an extension of that.

Do you have any fussy eating tips?

Author: Deborah

Last month I came to the sudden realisation that I’m addicted to my phone. It sounds silly, but I was picking it up all the time and endlessly scrolling for no reason. I wasn’t picking it up because I had a notification, it was an impulse. An impulse I had to stop.

So one day I just went cold turkey. I still used my phone for texts, calls and whatsapp but I removed Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from my phone. I kept YouTube because I do Yoga with Adriene videos every day, but I ignored my subscriptions and recommended videos.

social media addiction

For the first day or two I could feel the impulse to pick up my phone. I was even picking up my phone and just looking at the apps I had installed. Goodness knows how many times I open the weather app those first few days just because.

During those early days I was always thinking with social media in mind. Oh this would make a good Instagram Story or I need to get a photo of this to post. It felt like back in the day when I used to think in 140 character tweets! Social media was always on my mind. It took a good few days to break that habit and not think about it.

After a week I tried going on Instagram. I was really scared that I would slip straight back into old habits. And that first day I did. I’d pick up my phone to see if there were any new stories all the time. So the very next day I went back to cold turkey. I obviously wasn’t ready to let social media back in. That fear stuck with me for awhile but slowly went away when I realised how good it was making me feel.

The last week or so I’ve been going on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube a little bit. But maybe only once or twice a day. I checked my battery usage before I quit social media and I was on them for an average of 4.5 hours a day – that’s over 30 hours a week, more hours than my part time job! Now I use 30 minutes a day.

I have a few rules for when I shouldn’t use my phone.

  • No phone in front of my daughter
  • No phone while with family and friends
  • No phone at meal times
  • No phone in bed

There are a couple of exceptions. I use the app Headspace before breakfast so I turn that on. And sometimes I use Calm app or Headspace in bed if I want to. I quite like the idea of using an alarm clock and leaving my phone downstairs.

social media addiction yoga meditation

How I feel now

There are a few things that I’ve noticed since going cold turkey and the big one is I have so much more time now! I always used to be rushing around and now I have whole hours in the evening where I can do things I enjoy, or you know, housework. I am taking the time to do more things for me like yoga, reading and drawing.

I feel calmer. I’m not constantly comparing myself to other people, or comparing my daughters progress to other children her age. It’s been really freeing. I’ve gone back on to social media and I’ve unfollowed a lot of people. I’ve muted Instagram Stories that don’t interest me. And I’ve unsubscribed from a lot of YouTube channels that don’t resonate with me anymore.

Cutting back on social media and taking some time off cold turkey has been the best thing I’ve done in ages. I definitely recommend taking a break if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything.

My husband sent me an article the other day about mobile phone addiction. They used some of the webMD drug addiction signs and switched the word drug for phone. I felt so ashamed that I resonated with most of those signs. It was like the article was about me. I feel so much freer now I’m not glued to my phone anymore. But it’s something I’ll definitely have to keep checking in with.

What’s your relationship with your phone like? Have you tried switching off for awhile?

Author: Deborah

I am obsessed with reading at the moment. As a child you’d always find me with my (big) nose in a book. When I had my daughter reading was the last thing I did. This year I wanted to make a conscious effort to read every night before bed. My goal is to read at least 2 books a month or 24 in the year.

Books I'm currently reading

I usually only read two genres: classics (e.g. Jane Austen) or chick lit. I joined a book club Facebook group and it has opened my eyes up to books I would never have thought to pick up before. The first book in the book club was The Power by… which I would never have read. But although I found it a slightly disturbing read, I really enjoyed reading something outside of my bubble.

So lets get on with what I’m currently reading.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In January I read the first Harry Potter book and in February I read the second one. So this month I obviously had to read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I’ve read all the books before when they first came out but haven’t read them since. It was about time I reread them.

How to Stop Time

I’ve just finished How to Stop Time by Matt Haig but wanted to include it as it was really fascinating. It almost felt real. It’s about a man who doesn’t age the same way we do. Tom Hazard, the main character isn’t just a normal 41 year old. He’s actually centuries old. The book goes from the present day and throughout his life. To keep safe he has to change his identity and his current cover is a history teacher in a London school.

It wasn’t my usual read but I’m so glad I picked it up from the library. It’s a really interesting book and I couldn’t put it down.

The Keeper of Lost Things

I’m halfway through The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan and it’s beautiful. It’s about a man called Anthony who has spent half of his life collecting items that others have lost. He feels his time is about to end so he leaves the task of reuniting the objects with his assistant Laura.

I love how the book takes you back to some of the objects last moments. This is a really easy and joyful read so far and I’d definitely recommend it.

Get Your Sh*t Together

I have been reading Get Your Sh*t Together by Sarah Knight for awhile as I keep picking it up, reading a bit, then leaving it for weeks. If you don’t have your sh*t together and you need some practical tips to organise your life then give this a try. I find some tips are really useful and some not so much, which is probably why it’s still on my bedside table half read.

What are you currently reading? I’m after lots of recommendations to read for the rest of the year.

I filmed a video too and it features what’s on my to be read list if you want to check it out.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you purchase something through the link provided. I won’t post a link to a product that I haven’t used myself and love. Thank you for the support!

Author: Deborah

I’m bringing Meal Plan Monday back! I don’t always enjoy meal planning but it means I try and cook more of a variety of meals. I have stacks of recipe books and recipes cut out of magazines that I really want to test out. Don’t get me started on my Pinterest recipes to try board!

We were supposed to be having roast beef on Sunday and then use leftover beef, but the food shop got too expensive so we switched to a whole chicken.

Anyway, here’s this weeks meal plan and you can see all the ingredients I bought in the video below.

Saturday

Lunch: Stuffed sweet peppers

Dinner: Saint Lucian jerk haddock with sweet potato wedges – from a CBeebies recipe using sea bass

Sunday

Lunch: Roast chicken with veggies and yorkshire puddings

Dinner: Tortilla pizzas

Monday

Lunch: Jacket potato and beans

Dinner: Leftover chicken fajitas

Tuesday

Lunch: Pitta pizzas

Dinner: Leftover chicken curry with rice and naan

Wednesday

Lunch: Pitta and hummus (work/childcare day)

Dinner: Gnocchi & tomato bake

Thursday

Lunch: Pitta and hummus (work/childcare day)

Dinner: Bacon and pea risotto

Friday

Lunch: Sandwiches (work/childcare day)

Dinner: Pasta and tomato sauce (it’s a tomato sauce filled with veggies that I batch cook and freeze)

 

Do you write a meal plan? What are your favourite meals for the whole family?

Author: Deborah

This year we really want to get away. We haven’t been on holiday with our daughter Eleanor yet as I’ve been quite scared to do so. But at nearly 18 months old it’s time for us to explore.

We’re hoping to head to Spain this year and I’ve been doing lots of research. One of my favourite pastimes is researching holidays – although back in the day it was backpacking in hostels in far flung places. If it wasn’t for having to hit targets, I think I’d be really good at finding people their dream holiday.

I started researching where would be the best place to take a toddler that has sun out of season but isn’t too far away. I haven’t done much hotel research yet. We’re either looking into a small villa in Spain or an all inclusive resort. I don’t know if all inclusive is the way to go, or somewhere self-catering where I can cook meals for us and know exactly what Eleanor is eating. Either way, I want a pool! Eleanor is such a water baby.

Things to do with a toddler in Costa del Sol - stay on the beach

I settled on the Costa del Sol purely because my Mum took me there as a child and my husband hasn’t been there. I have memories of her taking me to Gibraltar and toasted cheese sandwiches by the pool for lunch. We were staying half board so every lunch that we were at the resort we ordered the same meal from the cafe. A toasted cheese with some crisps on the side. Thinking about it now makes me want to get out the toastie maker!

I want somewhere we can play by the pool and also go out in a car and find adventures. I want Eleanor to have a really good time.

Here are a few of the activities I’ve found to do with toddlers.

Water Parks

As Eleanor loves swimming a water park was always going to be top of my list of things to find. Aquamijas, Aquavelis and Aqualand have lots of slides and pools to play in.

Animals

I love a zoo so I’d love the chance to visit Bioparc Zoo and the Crocodile Park, home to over 200 crocodiles! The zoo specialises in natural environments for endangered animals. There’s also an aquarium and marine park.

River pools

I love finding river pools, it reminds me of when I was little and my grandma took us swimming in the rain in a lake. Or in Fiji where there was an amazing lake and a rope swing to jump in. The river pools at La Resinera are perfect for a day out with a picnic.

Underground Caves

The Nerja caves are a natural wonder and only a quarter of the cave’s surface area is open for viewing. It has the world’s largest stalagmite at 32 metre high! This terrifies me but I think Eleanor would find it interesting.

Benalmadena Cable Car

The views at the top of the Benalmadena Cable Car are supposed to be magnificent. My little one hasn’t been on one before so this is definitely one to try. At the top there’s also a birds of prey exhibition which she’ll adore.

Gibraltar

I went as a kid so I have to take Eleanor. If you drive up to the top of the rock you can see the only free-living monkeys in Europe.

Things to do with a toddler in Costa del Sol - visit Gibraltar

Swimming in the pool

There’s something so relaxing about spending a day by the pool in the resort. I don’t know how chilled that will be with a toddler in tow. But I’m sure she’ll want to be in and out of the pool all the time. She’s been swimming every week since she was 10 weeks old.

Boat trips

From Benalmadena port you can get a boat for a trip out to sea or to go dolphin watching. I remember doing this as a kid too but I don’t think we saw any dolphins.

Butterfly Park of Benalmadena

Housed in a Thai temple, this butterfly park looks so peaceful. My toddler is always pointing out the butterflies in books so I think she’d really enjoy it.

Eating

I hope we can eat out at some restaurants too to so Eleanor can try lots of different flavours that she may not have tasted before.

Something for me

This isn’t just a holiday for Eleanor though so I’ve had a look around to see what I can do for me too. I’ve been doing a daily yoga practice since the start of 2018 so I want to continue that while I’m out there. If I could do yoga on the beach or by the pool every day (maybe when it’s dark so no one can see) that would be absolutely amazing.

I noticed that some beaches offer paddleboarding. After seeing Life Outside London doing yoga on a paddleboard I have been desperate to try it! I don’t think I have the balance to do yoga on a board yet but I’d really like to give paddleboarding a try. Surely all this yoga will have helped with my balance, otherwise I’ll be spending a lot of time in the water!

This has given me so many ideas of the things we could do out there. Now I just need to research places to stay and car hire. Costa del Sol seems to have pretty good weather before and after the summer holidays so it would make a lovely birthday treat for us all.

Have you been to Costa del Sol with a toddler? Or do you have any toddler travel tips to share? I’m a bit terrified! The idea of getting on a plane with a toddler fills me with dread.

While it’s snowing here in the UK at the moment, I’m dreaming of sun, sea and sand.

This is a collaborative post.

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Hi there, I’m Deborah. I live in Hampshire with my husband and spend my time baking, making and getting out in the fresh air. Find out more or get in touch.

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