Moments Like These

It's moments like these that I love being a Mum. 

Calleigh hasn't napped all day, she has ran me around stupid and literally not stopped. That is until about 2 minutes ago when I sat down at my laptop to check my email. Calleigh came over and asked for a cuddle, so I put her on my knee and carried on. Seconds later I heard an unmistakable snore coming from her and had to use my webcam to check whether she was asleep. 

J'Adore VoxBox Review

I was very excited to receive an email from Influenster informing me I had been chosen for their J'Adore VoxBox! And even more excited when it arrived on Valentines Day with a big family sized bag of Hershey's Kisses inside!! This is the first Box I have qualified for and I was very impressed with the products inside.

Frizz Ease 3-Day Straight Flat Iron Spray

I was very happy to see this in the box. I use Frizz Ease Smooth Start Shampoo and Conditioner and really like it but have never tried the styling products before. When I first used it I found it really good and my hair was really soft after straightening with a gorgeous shine to it. My hair felt really well protected from the heat as their were no immediate sign of heat damage that you can sometimes get from using a flat iron. The next day I woke up and was pleased to see my hair was still straight- not perfectly straight- but enough that I didn't need to use my straighteners again!

Boots Botanics Shine Away Ionic Clay Mask

I loved this product! I must admit I love to use face masks but haven't actually used one in ages so it was really nice to see this in the box. After using I washed it off and at first my skin looked kind of scary red but once that faded it felt so clean and fresh. I will definitely be using it again and will try and keep using it once a week.

Red Rose Simply Indulgent Teas

As you probably know I am a massive tea fan. I love nothing more than a nice cup of tea. I probably drink far too much I swear if you look inside me there would most likely be an ocean of tea somewhere. When I first tried the Red Rose Creme Caramel tea the first thing I noticed was the aroma, it was so strong I could smell it brewing in another room. It was bad though, it was a really nice smell and made me much more excited to drink it and it didn't disappoint.

Vaseline Men Spray Lotion

I have used Vaseline products in the past and love them, they are great for dry skin. This spray lotion for Men will be great for the husband. With all this cold weather we have been having, dry skin is no doubt going to make an appearance. This is really good because it's a spray which means it's quick and easy to apply so perfect for those that don't have time to moisturise.

Kiss Looks So Natural Lashes

I haven't used false lashes in such a long time. I'm not a big fan of them to be honest, I always find them a bit too fiddly to put on and not worth the effort. I have pretty good eyelashes anyway and with the right mascara can really make them up. These lashes were really good quality and looked really nice.

Hershey's Kisses

My box arrived on Valentines Day so this was the perfect sweet treat!

A Taste of Spring and A Long Walk

We had a lovely weekend here and we just had to make the most of it. And what better way than taking a hike through nature. 

We are lucky enough to live in such a beautiful area with lots of interesting nature trails. 

We got ourselves up bright and early Saturday morning a picked the hike we wanted to do. It was called the Lime Kiln Trail and it was 3 1/4 miles through the trees and high up above the ground. It did get a bit treacherous at times but nothing my little mountaineer couldn't handle. She did really well and walked a lot of it herself. She absolutely loved climbing up the rocks and listening to the bird songs then trying to spot them with her binoculars. 

My favourite photo of the day. Calleigh taking a break on a fallen tree. 

Having a rest before heading back down

As fun as it was by the time we got to the home stretch (which luckily was a flat walk) we were extremely knackered. We had climbed 800ft over 2 miles and coming back down wasn't as easy as we thought it would be, especially as, by that time, Calleigh didn't want to walk anymore and we took turns carrying her. 

As soon as we got back to the car Calleigh literally fell asleep instantly. 

The log we crossed to get back on the trail

Nevertheless we plan to do this more often and do different trails each time. 

Can you help me out?

Hi everyone I have a big favour to ask you all. I am entered in to a competition to win a family photo shoot for us here in St Louis. At the moment we have hardly any votes and I would really like to get it up to 250 so I could at least have a chance. 

So I am asking for your help to get me there. It will only take one minute of your time and I will be forever grateful. I only have until Tuesday to get over 200 votes so please can you help me out. 

Calleigh is number 30- Eaton. Just click vote and it's done. 

Just click on the link below and help me out. 

http://www.emilylucarzphotography.com/st-louis-photographer-photo-shoot-giveaway-2014/

If I make it to 250 votes I will post a surprise giveaway to thank you all for helping, regardless of whether I win or not. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Accidents Happen

We have encountered a little problem at the moment. Calleigh adores having a bath, she loves to splash about and play with all her bath toys, in fact our biggest problem at bath time is usually trying to get her out of it! Well that was our biggest problem up until just recently. 

The other night whilst enjoying a bath Calleigh had a little "accident" and it really really affected her. It's been almost a week now and we are still struggling to get her back to enjoying the bath. She doesn't want to go in and when we put her in she just cries and cries and wants back out again. It really is breaking my heart to see as bath time is was one of her favourite things!

I really don't now what could be causing her to react so badly like this. She is quite a clean child and I know she doesn't like dirty things but she knows we have cleaned the bath and that it' not going to happen again.

I think I'm going to try and get her some new bath toys at the weekend to see if that ill bribe her back in, it worked last time and that was when she was afraid to go in. I'm really missing seeing my little sea monster splash about and have fun!

If anyone has any ideas on what I could try, maybe this has happened to you before, or just anything that might help please let me know!!

I need to see her like this again!

A New Discovery!

Calleigh has discovered how to make a slurping noise with a straw and she finds it hilarious! 

Disney Junior Live: Pirate and Princess Summer

Last weekend we took Calleigh to see Disney Junior Live on the Pirate and Princess Summer tour. We had a really, really good time! It was the first time we have been out together to do something fun this year, with all the cold weather it has been difficult to actually go out and do anything.
Calleigh had so much fun and it brought back some lovely memories of our trip to DisneyWorld last summer. Of course I teared up again the minute the Doc Mcstuffins theme song started but luckily managed to stay together during the rest of the show.
I feel so lucky to be able to do such amazing things with Calleigh!

Afterwards we took Calleigh out for dinner at TGI's and spent the rest of the night chilling at home together!

And here is my little pirate herself enjoying some goodies she was sent from England.. Thanks Steve!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day to everyone. 

I hope you all had a wonderful day. Calleigh enjoyed her little Valentines Day goodie bag this morning and Dadda and I enjoyed opening our presents from each other. 

It's a bit of a grim day here in St Louis today so we don't have any plans to do anything but we are going to make the most of tonight. I am cooking a lovely 3 course meal for Daddy and I and then we plan to watch a film together. Of course that depends on what time monkey bum goes to bed tonight.. here's hoping for an early one!

Mummy Tag

I came across the "Mummy Tag" on a few of my favourite mummy blogs and thought it would be fun to take part. If you like it and want to do it too just copy it from here and answer the questions. If you want leave a link to the post in the comments so I can have a read :-)

1. Are you a Stay at Home Mum, or a Working Mum?

I am a Stay at Home Mum. At the moment my Visa doesn't allow me to work in the US. Once we get Residency I may decide to find a job but I really enjoy spending my days looking after Calleigh. It's far more rewarding for me!

2. Would you have it any other way?

No. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be a working mum but I like things the way they are now. Calleigh keeps me very busy and I have my blog as well. 

3. Do you co-sleep?

No. We did when Calleigh was young but when she fell out of bed it terrified us and she has slept in her cot since then (about 6 months old) up until just recently, she now sleeps in her toddler bed. Occasionally (especially when she is poorly) she will come in to bed with us during the night but it is a rare occurrence. 

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?

I honestly think  the best thing we had when Calleigh was a baby was a little butterfly nightlight. It projected stars and simulated a heart beat sound. She always slept really well and I think it's down to that very thing! She has just got it back out again and likes to have the stars on now when she goes to bed. 

5. How many kids do you plan on having?

This is it for me I think. We don't plan on anymore, I want to enjoy watching Calleigh grow up. Plus having moved 4,000 miles away from family it would be really hard to have another baby, I can't really explain why, It just wouldn't feel right. 

6. Date night? How many nights per month?

None! Well at least none until Mee-Maw comes out to visit again. We are still not ready to trust someone else (other than family) to look after Calleigh, It's just too scary for us to think about! 

7. Your child's favourite show?

Little Einsteins! She loves those guys and I love that she loves it. It has taught her so much about music and instruments! Just recently she has got really into Sheriff Callie's Wild West and she loves it! I think she thinks that she is also Sheriff Callie, she likes to wear her cowboy hat and boots and ride her horse (which she named Sparky).

8. Name one thing you bought before you had your baby and never ended up using?

Lot's of clothes. We brought way too many clothes before Calleigh was born and didn't realise how fast she would grow out of them. There were quite a few items of clothing that Calleigh never even wore. 

9. Your child’s favourite food?

It's got to be peas. That girl adores her peas! She has also recently developed a love for fish fingers. 

10. How many cars does your family have?

We have two. One that Daddy uses for work and another one for me to use to take Calleigh around in. It's a lot safer and nicer so we use that one the most, like I say the other is to just get Daddy to work and back (although just recently it's been struggling to do even that).

11. Weight gain before pregnancy, during and after and now?

I didn't gain very much weight at all during pregnancy. In fact it was only the last couple of months that I really started to show. I think now I'm pretty much the same as I was pre-pregnancy.

12. Dream holiday with your kids?

 We have already taken Calleigh to DisneyLand and it was a dream come true. I must admit though I would love to take her again when she is a bit older so she can enjoy more. 

13. Dream holiday without your kids?

 I really want to say Las Vegas but I think it would have to be Alaska. I would love to go on one of those nature and camping trips just me and Paul. 

14. How has your life changed since your baby has been born?

Since Calleigh was born our life has changed so much. She has given us a whole new look on life and it has definitely changed for the better. I couldn't imagine my life without her now and wouldn't have it any other way. 

15. Finish the sentence: 'It makes my heart melt to see … '

Calleigh talking to family on Skype and giving them kisses. With the distance between us it means a lot that Calleigh still loves to see them. I also love it when she comes up to me and says "Momma Best" and gives me a little kiss!

16. Where do you shop for your kids?

I shop at Next a lot. I did in England and I still get a lot of her clothes from nextdirect as they ship internationally. Over here my favourite place to shop for Calleigh is Gymboree but I also get a lot from Target. 

17. Favourite makeup and skincare products?

Clinique products. I use the 3-step system skincare and swear by it. Makeup products I like are Benefit, especially the Boi-Ing conceler- it does wonders for those dark circles!

18. Huggies or Pampers?

Pampers- Calleigh has been in them since the first size and has never had any problems with them. Although we have just started introducing Pull Ups and they are Huggies. 

19. Have you always wanted kids?

No, there was once a time when I said I would never have kids. I'm very happy that I changed my mind!

20. Best part about being a mum?

I love everything about being a mum! My little girl is everything to me and even when at times things seem really hard to deal with, it's just part of being a mum. From playing the same silly game for hours on end to looking after her when she is poorly, it's all so rewarding! 

Outfit of the Month: Valentines

February's outfit of the month is of course a Valentines Day inspired one! 

The thing I like the most about them is that they don't just have to be for Valentines. Unlike Christmas, where a Christmas sweater pretty much can only be worn through the Christmas season, these are pretty enough to be worn whenever and aren't tied to a holiday. 

Heart Top- Walmart

Hearts Skirt- Gymboree

Those were all the photo's I could get.. The rest of them are all of her running around like a mad woman. But I like them so here they are!