Retro - Yeah Baby !

Thank you so much to everyone who entered this wonderful giveaway. No 1 son has been dragged away from his computer for a few minutes and picked JENNY KEARNEY out of the box !  Congratulations !

Thank you so much to everyone who entered.  So many super entrants sorry you couldn't all win a dress. 

Keep watching another great giveaway coming soon.


 Thanks to the amazing generosity of the lovely Faith  I have another gorgeous dress to giveaway !  Handcrafted custom dresses made to order, Faith makes lovely Retro style dresses for little girls aged 1 - 8 yrs.

The Layla dress

The Lauren Dress

The 1965 Red Block dress

To be in with a chance to win all you have to do is follow this blog and comment below.  A winner will be selected at random on Friday 6th August.  That's all xx

Who would you put on the naughty step - Multiple Mayhem Carnival Update

The lovely fellow twin mummy Heather over at Young and younger  invited me to take part in the Multiples Mayhem Carnival .  I really enjoy my blog but sometimes find it hard to think of something to say that might actually interest other people.  After much though I decided to stick with a post I wrote last month and update how I feel today, a month or so later.  

Having twins is an amazing time for any parents, but if you are without emotional and practical support and are suffering from severe financial burdons it will really test you.  My story (the short version ) is below.  I can truly say now with my hand on my heart that I always loved my babies, I just didn't want them at first !  It may feel like life is never going to improve and you only see blackness ahead.  It does, truly get better.  Although our financial situation is still a nightmare and a daily struggle, my realtionship with my twin son's has improved and blossomed with every day.  We still have our moments and life is hard with multiples but I look at them now and pray to god to NEVER take them away from me now.

Thank you for taking the time to read xx







 I often read with interest the "tags" people receive via twitter and blogs, but to receive one myself yesterday from the lovely Susan sent me into a flat spin.  Write about "who you would put on the naughty step"  A few immediately popped into my head - Duncan Bannatyne was way up there (for reasons I won't go into ) as was the new bad boy on the block from Toy Story 3  Lots-O'_Hugging Bear - Already covered and for much the same reasons.  So forgive me if this one has been covered too, but I am new to this tagging business.

Who Would I put on the naughty step ?

Well I am afraid the answer has to be ME !

So while I sit here on my step with time to think, I will reflect on  how I got here.  Just like the twins do when they are sent to sit on the naughty step.  Strangly, although they can be a total pain in public and have shown me up on many ocassions, don't listen and generally cause mayhem where ever they go, when sent to the naughty step they seem to understand the point being to sit and reflect.  They never attempt to leave and will sit there until told to come off.  I can walk past and notice that they really seem to be "thinking" and often comment " I've had a think mummy, I'm sorry, I know why I was naughty, will try to be good" Sometimes my heart breaks.

I'm here because :

The twins birth - C - Section , special care, arguments with husband, with mother, poor aftercare, missing No1 son, regret, pain, panic, denial.

Six months later after my husband's business failed we had to sell our beautiful large home with a view and move back to Exeter, small house, 6 month old twins, 10 yr old, sadness, debt, court, disbelief, failure, weight of responsibility, tiredness, anger, I want my old life back, I don't want this life or these babies (guilt).

And so it has been for over 5 years. Humiliation, anger, frustration, loss of  friendship, regret, debt, guilt, struggle, blame, tiredness, sadness, tears, blackness, mountains (huge mountains), hiding.

More recently the light has been slowly coming back, so what if we haven't had a holiday for 7 years ! So what if we never have any money to spend on ourselves.  I have a beautiful family, we have our health, life could be much, much worse, and then yesterday - three things happened - I read a blog post entitled "My own victory day " by the wonderful  Lottieloves1 , I had a conversation with SusankMann and I received an email from a friend in Florida offering us a place to stay if we could get the air fare ! (some hopes for 5 of us, but you never know!)  It wasn't quiet an epithany but it was enough of a kick up the bum to make me take real stock.  I did a lot of thinking last night.

So today as I sit on my naughty step thinking about all the things I have felt and said over the last 5 years!  The pain I have inflicted, the sadness I have caused to others and it stops now.  I realise that I am the lynch pin of this family and my moods, actions etc influence all that my family is.  I am taking the doctors advice too and tying the laces of my trainers, I'm off out for my first run in many years, I 'm going to loose the weight I have been moaning about, I am going to cut down on my nighly glasses of wine and above all I am going to start being a proper mummy to my 3 gorgeous boys ! 

Can I come off the step now please boys ????

IF YOU WANT TO GET AHEAD, GET A HAT !

I've always been a sucker for a great hat ! Harks back to my army days of beret's and Forage caps.  I am hoping to expand my Autumn/Winter collection of hats at All About The Boys  and love to wander through Etsy for inspiration.  Here are a few gorgeous pieces I happened upon for style conscious kiddies:

Love this little chap, how cool are the tat's on his arm and the tipped back trilby ! Jeans available at Alltheglory

Can't beat a pretty beanie hat come rain or shine this beauty is another Etsy find available from SweetSavannahbaby

and one for Mummy, gorgeous Linen Trilby available in assorted colours from sanchia845's

Helen Rawlinson - Children's lighting

You may know we are currently decorating the twins bedroom,  so imagine how pleased I was when I popped over to new follower Helen's lovely website and discovered her wonderful children's collection of shades.

A collection of imagery inspired by vintage books, toys and bits and bobs about Helen's home! Alternated with lots of shapes for little ones to identify.

Screen printed by hand and machine stitched for dotted detail.

Comes in a selection of colours for boys and girls.

Great News - Some Ex display shades are currently on sale at great prices

HELEN RAWLINSON

Organic Baby Clothes Direct

I don't know about you but I have found a lot of Organic baby clothes to be, "a little limited" in the past, so it was a real pleasure to happen upon Organic Baby Clothes Direct  .  A refreshing, cool  collection of clothes, blankets, gift sets and toys for babies and children  from 0 - 5 yrs.


Organic Bamboo green and white stripe jumper available in sizes 12 m - 5 yrs

100% Bamboo stripe Knitted boys tank top available in sizes 12 m - 5 yrs.

An all year round best seller and classic design denim pinafore dress in 100% organic cotton bamboo. Available in sizes 6 m - 5 yrs