Happy Easter everyone! Here’s are some gratuitous shots of Oscar doing his first ever Easter-egg ‘hunt’ (OK, so we just put a chocolate bunny on the table and directed him to it…). Wishing you all an equally chocolate-y day.
First and foremost, I hope you’re having a fantastic long weekend – the first of many to come this year, woop! We’re spending the bank holiday at my parents’ house, and so far we’ve put them on babysitting duty twice – once for a long overdue date night at our favourite Nottingham restaurant, and once for drinks in town with my school friends.
The big news this week is that we are putting ourselves forward for the ‘Fresh Voice’ category of the BiBs 2015. The BiBs (that’s Brilliance in Blogging) were set up by BritMums.com, and the Fresh Voice award celebrates the best new additions to the blogging world in the past 18 months. If we’re shortlisted, we’re going to need you to make some noise about us via Twitter and Facebook between 28 April and 15 May in order to bag one of the awards (don’t worry, we’ll nag you about that nearer the time…). In the meantime, we’d really appreciate it if you could support our nomination for this category by telling the judges why you like our blog and which of our posts is your all-time favourite so far. It will take all of two minutes – thank you in advance for your support!
Here’s what I’ve been up to this week:
1. I watched Atonement for the first time and had my heart broken. I think it affected me so much because (a) I’m a sucker for ‘what might have been’ scenarios, and (b) having already read the book, I knew what was going to be revealed. It’s definitely one I’d add to Rose’s list of films to cry to. Sigh.
2. I dug out an old pair of Gap ‘modern flare’ black trousers that I bought back in 2007. Although I stopped wearing them soon after in favour of skinnies, I hung onto them because they were a great cut, a perfect fit, looked more expensive than they were, and people would always comment on them. It turns out that they still fit me – and I keep reading that flared/wide-leg trousers are back in fashion favour. The trouble is, I can’t work out whether wearing them in public will make me look fashion-forward or fashion-backward… Any tips for giving these trews a 2015 update? I can’t see myself rocking any of these looks…
3. My usual taxi company ruined my day – but National Rail saved me from a complete meltdown. Whenever I’m travelling alone with Oscar and a load of luggage, I take a taxi. I’ve had ups and downs with the local company I use, but no major mishaps until last Thursday, when the driver managed to make me miss my train back here. In fact, he was so inept that an hour after picking me up we were still south of the river, at which point I got out and struggled on northwards via Tube and bus (a journey made all the more stressful by a sudden attack of chronic food poisoning). Suffice to say, by the time I arrived at King’s Cross with Oscar strapped to my front, bags on each shoulder, a suitcase trundling behind me, and a dodgy tummy, I was feeling completely beaten, and fully expected to have to buy a new train ticket and stand in the train carriage with hundreds of other Easter weekenders while on the verge of tears. However, every member of staff I met at the station and on the train was so kind and understanding that in no time at all, I was sitting in the first-class carriage of a fast train home with a restorative cup of tea, all for no extra charge. Thank you to everyone at King’s Cross for saving me from having a breakdown!
4. I got over-excited about the arrival of Spring and bought a whole bulb of spring garlic – which then sat, stinking, on our kitchen counter for a week. Finally, feeling guilty and suddenly inspired, I made Ottolenghi’s caramelised garlic tart for dinner – it’s the perfect recipe for this time of year because it tastes fresh and pairs well with both warm, grainy salads and fresh, summery ones. It’s also delicious as leftovers in your lunchbox (if there are any leftovers…)
5. I missed the only pre-election debate featuring all three main parties. And it was broadcast on ITV, which means no iPlayer. Oops. It’s just one of the many ways I’m losing all grip on the realities happening beyond the threshold of my front door. But I am definitely going to catch it somehow.
6. I enjoyed this blog post from Unmumsy Mum about barely holding it all together – it feels quite prescient now that Oscar is starting to shake his head ‘no’ and let us know loudly if he doesn’t like something…
7. I started hot-cloth cleansing – and I love it! Rose was right: it really helps your cleanser do its job, and it feels really relaxing. My tip? Use a baby muslin folded over a couple of times to create a face-sized square. Then breathe… For me, it’s two minutes of escapism at the end of the day.
8. I wore my leather trousers to a (brilliant) party full of thirty-something mums. I was relieved to find the leather-trouser count was high – so there is still room in my life for these pleather beauties. Do you know what else was in generous supply? Homemade pulled pork – 20 kilos of it were ferried from the oven to guests’ mouths during the course of the evening. Now that’s my kind of party.
9. Oh, and one more thing: check out these shoes. Perfect for people with smaller partners (ahem), but also for all womankind – especially when it comes to the end of a long night or event, and all you want to do is kick off your heels… It’s on a par with the wheel, this invention.
This week on the blog, I recommended seven baby must-buys, Rose inspired us with pretty denim staples for Spring, and Rachel whipped up a healthy chickpea, chorizo and kale stew.
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