Sunday 17 August 2014

Mummy Melton is moving

Mummy Melton is moving

I have taken the step to self host!!

My new website is The Melton House

Please come and join me there and continue on our journey of adventure with us

Friday 15 August 2014

Fire Brigade safety check

During one of our sessions at the local Sure Start Centre a safety check from the local fire brigade was offered.  I took up the offer as whilst neither of us smoke I still wanted to know that we are as safe as we can be

A local Community Fire Officer came to the house and carried out the safety check.  Our only fire alarm was at the top of the stairs and this was outdated (which is suspected it might be).  I was also informed we should have a fire alarm in the lower part of the house.

The fire officer fitted 2 new fire alarms for us, free of charge.  These fire alarms don't need their battery changed and are valid for 10 years.  She gave me the contact information of the company as there is an agreement that should there be any issues they will send a replacement, again free of charge.



We then discussed our exit plan.

I wasn't aware you didn't have to jump out of the window.  We don't have any safety windows upstairs.  However the fire officer informed me that the new smoke alarms are sensitive so 1) it would probably be highly unlikely that we would not be warned in advance so we could get out and 2) as long as you get into a room, shut the door and open a window the fire brigade will usually be with you before the fire develops to a degree where you would have to jump.

A risk assessment was completed and we were found to be low risk as we don't smoke and we don't use things such as chip pans.  Our most likeliest cause of a fire would be electrical so we talked about turning electrical items off, not leaving straightners on, etc.



We were given a leaflet with further information in


Baby M took an interest in this leaflet


I would highly recommend everyone have one of these checks carried out.  You might be surprised at what you discover.  It's good to know your risks and exit options.  Also the fact that they will check and fit fire alarms.  


Contact your local fire brigade or Sure Start Centre to arrange a visit

Have you had a fire safety check carried out? 

Thursday 14 August 2014

Nursery play date

Last week it was National Play Day.  We were invited by Baby M's soon to be nursery to pop along to one of their play sessions that day.

We thought it would be a nice way for us to go with Baby M before his settling in sessions and give him an introduction to the nursery in a fun way.

We decided to go to the session 10-11 as Mr M was starting work later that day and it would allow him to come with us.

Everyone was so welcoming at the nursery and they spoke to Baby M more than they spoke to us at first.  He seemed a little unsure and kept looking at us but he didn't cry.

They started with some messy play getting paints out.  We haven't done any messy play at home but Baby M started putting his hands in the paint and using some of the objects to bash onto the paper.  He made his first painting


We then moved into the play area and Baby M started playing with some of the many toys that were lying around.  This gave us the chance to ask a few more questions and discuss our worries.  More babies joined us and Baby M seemed to enjoy being in the circle with other children his age.

Baby M seemed to have a great time playing.

It also helped put our minds at ease a little bit.  We shall see how his settling in sessions go.

What did you do for National Play Day?

Wednesday 13 August 2014

8 months

Baby M was 8 months old on Sunday.  I say this every month but time is just flying by.

The last month seems to have gone so quick as he has achieved so much

He is able to stand for much longer holding onto furniture and tries to pull himself up to stand on us.  We have lowered his cot so that if he stands he doesn't topple out.  It's a good job as we found him sitting up in his cot one morning


His biggest achievement is that he is now crawling.  We are so proud as he has been trying so hard and getting so frustrated with himself.  We now have to have eyes in the back of our head and have done some baby proofing.

Crawling is bad news for the cat though, she seems to be target numero uno.  She's handling him so well though, she just bats him but never puts her claws out.

Baby M still likes to mainly be fed but he is sticking his hands in his food more and he put his water cup in his mouth all by himself.  We are continuing to give him his own spoon during meal times.  He loves his food! We are continuing to introduce finger foods as well as still feeding him jars.



We don't have any teeth yet but can see more white under his gums so hopefully they aren't far off.

He still loves to babble and now uses more sounds, his favourite at the moment is "V" sounds, he said Volvo to me the other day!

He's developing his personality too.  He's such a cheeky and smiley little boy.  He seems so content. He loves cuddles and kisses.  Tickling him gets a wonderful reaction, I love his laugh.  Baths are still a firm favourite with his splashing lots.  He is progressing really well with his swimming too, although we are now on a break for the holidays. 



This post has been added to Mummy Bloggers Weekly Wednesday linky.
Also added to Olivers Madhouse Magic Moments and Twin Mum & Dad's #binkylinky




Tuesday 12 August 2014

Organix Finger Foods Snack - Review

We were sent some of the new Organix Red Pepper Hearts and Cherry Rice cakes to try and review

Baby M is at the stage where he is exploring new foods and textures, we thought these snacks would be ideal.

First we tried the Red Pepper Hearts first.  These cost 75p per bag

The hearts are made from organic corn with red pepper and carrot flavouring added to each heart.

They were a huge hit with Baby M, he loved them.  They are a great size and shape for him to hold.  They are easy for him to eat too.  He sucks on them and they dissolve really well and bits break off so he can chew them. 

The Cherry Rice Cakes (£1.19) are small round rice cakes which are great for little fingers to hold.  They contain the juice of cherries and apples in each rice cake.  They are firmer than the hearts and I think this might have put Baby M off a little as they didn't dissolve in his mouth as easily.  They are aimed at children who are ready to start feeding themselves and I'm not sure Baby M is quite at the right stage yet.  Baby M did enjoy sucking all the cherry off these however when he was having a bad teething day he didn't seem to want to eat them.





 I will definitely be buying the Red Pepper Hearts again as these were a favourite of Baby M's.

The only thing that would make these snacks even better is if they were resealable.  Baby M only had 1 or 2 rice cakes or hearts at a time.  There is a good quantity in both packets and as a parent you want them to last and stay fresh for as long as possible.

I would recommend these as snacks for your child, especially when they are exploring finger foods and different textures and shapes.


Check out the Organix website and sign up to their No Junk Challenge.  There are some great recipes on the website to try.


This post has been linked up to Family Fever and We're Going on an Adventure's #TriedTested.  Go check out what other mums have been reviewing lately


Disclaimer: I was sent these products free of charge to review however all views are my own




Monday 11 August 2014

A trip to Dunstaburgh Castle & Craster

We decided to take a family day out to Dunstaburgh Castle during our trip to Northumberland.

The castle is north of the village of Craster.  We parked in a car park in the village (£2 to park all day) and took a lovely walk to the castle.  It was a glorious day so put lots of sun cream on Baby M, put him in his pushchair and got walking.  We went with my mum, dad and their dog Maddie too.  A true family day out.

The walk to the castle is lovely, through fields along the coast line.  The fields had sheep and cows in, they didn't seem bothered by people walking by.  Dogs must be kept on their leads






Dunstaburgh Castle was the focus of fighting during the War of the Roses.  It was build in 1313 by Earl Thomas of Lancaster.

You don't have to go into the castle grounds to admire its wonder however as English Hertiage members we got in for free.  Adult tickets cost £4.30, Child £2.60 and under 5's are free.




There were nesting sea birds (which were creating one hell of a racket) but it was great watching them flying to their nests.

It takes about 35 minutes to walk around the ruins of the castle and the views into the sea are amazing

You can also walk up into the 2 turrets of the keep.  The steps are spiral and get tighter as you go up so I only went about half way as heights aren't my thing






We then decided to walk to the beach.

If you do go to the castle and then the beach don't do what we did and forget the baby carrier.  It was really difficult along parts of the path with the pushchair and my dad and Mr M ended up lifting it over rocky parts.  We then got to the point where Mr M just carried Baby M and we folded up the pushchair.

It was worth it though as the beach was lovely.  Plus saying it was the school holidays and a glorious day it wasn't that busy either.  We had a lovely picnic.

This was the first time Baby M had been on a proper sandy beach.  It was also the first time he stood in the sea.  My parent's dog loved it too





We walked back to Craster and had a lovely cup of tea and cake in the Shoreline cafe, whilst we were in the cafe the local Sea King flew by and the crew gave us all a wave.

I would definitely recommend this as a day out for the family.  There is so much to see and do.  We walked 10 miles, according to my Fitbit.

We had a great time


This post has been added to Coombe Mill's #CountryKids link and Red Rose Mummy's #WHWH.  Go check what other families have been up to for great ideas for days out.







Friday 8 August 2014

The month I return to work

I am very worried I may burst into tears as I write this post.

This month I go back to work.  On the 26th August I shall be returning to my full time paid job.

I am really dreading it.

I love my job though! It is very challenging at times but I get to meet such a variety of people and travel along a difficult journey with them at times. 

I am going to miss my baby so much.

It also makes me sad that someone else is probably going to see all his firsts before us now. 

Baby M will be going to nursery 4 days a week.  We don't have family nearby so that option is out.  We looked and visited childminders but we got a really good feeling from the nursery he is going to.  I think that nursery will give him the opportunity to socialise with other children and I think he will learn so much.

I still don't want to leave him there though.

I have been thinking a lot lately about whether I could be a stay at home mum.  We couldn't afford to lose my wage as I am the bigger wage earner so I would have to be a work at home mum.  With my skills though what job would that be??  I would love to be a work at home mum but I don't know what I would do.

I have to return to work for 3 months due to my maternity pay.  Maybe after those 3 months I will feel different, maybe things are worse in my head than they will be.  My work have been great and agreed to my family friendly hours request which is such a relief.


How did other mums find going back to work?  Are you a work at home mum?  Are you a stay at home mum?

Thursday 7 August 2014

Birthday celebrations

I love birthdays!!

Whether it be mine, family members or friends.  They are a great time to celebrate that person.  I think they are much more important than Christmas as it's the day that person arrived in the world (I know some people who won't agree as they are Christmas mad!).

This year I turned 32.  After my 30th I haven't been as bothered by age, plus Mr M will always be just under 6 months older than me.

It was my first birthday as a mummy and I was really looking forward to spending the day with my 2 boys.  The perfect present!!!

I got lots of lovely cards but I adored the ones from Mr M and Baby M

I also got some lovely presents, I was a very lucky lady

We were at my folks caravan for the week so we decided to spend the day relaxing around the caravan.  This way I wouldn't have to drive (Mr M can't drive) and we could just chill out and spend time together.





My mum and dad arrived on the Friday and Mr M and I went out for a meal on the Saturday whilst they babysat, lovely.

When we got back the following weekend I arranged a night out with some friends.  I was a little worried that no-one would turn up.  However my good friends came and my sister-in-law came up from London.  It was great that she made the journey up, I feel we have definitely become closer in recent moths due to her visits to see Baby M.

We had a great night, lots of cocktails and Prosecco were consumed.  I had a shocking hangover the next day!!






Do love birthdays!

Wednesday 6 August 2014

Baby M's Developmental Check

We had Baby M's 7-9 month developmental check.  I wasn't really sure what to expect.

We haven't seen our health visitor since Baby M was 8 weeks old due to the fact she was off work.  Baby M kept looking at her with unsure eyes, can't really blame him.

Firstly she gave him some small blocks and watched him play with them. 

She then asked me a series of questions about how he moves, plays and eats. 

There is then a sheet she adds up the total 'scores' and she let us know how 'well' Baby M had done.

Seeing as the sheet was an 8 month questionnaire and he isn't 8 months old yet he did really well, I was very proud.  The only things he lost "marks" on was the fact that he won't feed himself a biscuit and he doesn't echo us back.

To be honest I'm not too worried about either, I think he enjoys being fed and whilst I have been continually trying him with finger foods I think it's something he will do in his own time and we just had to keep encouraging him.  As for the echoing, he babbles for Britain and we have constant nonsense conversations.  He also turns at his name and looks at me with puppy eyes when I say 'No' so I know there's nothing wrong with his hearing.

Baby M was also weighed and he's now 9kg - big growing boy!!

I know people say these tests aren't worth much and that you shouldn't worry about them but as a first time mum I found it really reassuring that Baby M is developing as he should.  Yes I know every child develops at their own pace but I worry that I'm not stimulating him enough or encouraging him do the right things.  It's good to know everything is well.

His next check will be at 2.5 years which seems ages away!!

Tuesday 5 August 2014

July Nonabox - Review

I have always been interested in monthly boxes, I used to get GlossyBox when it first started.  A box with baby goodies has always made me curious.

Nonabox had a 50% sale, I got a 3 monthly subscription for £37.50 (normally £75) - meaning each box cost £12.50 (normally £25).

My first box arrived at the end of July.



Forever Living Aloe Vera Gelly (£8.80)
The Aloe Vera Gelly is reportedly great for irritated and scarred skin.  I have recently got an epilator (a competition win from the lovely Victoria's Vintage).  After epilating I applied the gelly, it definitely helped settle my skin down.  It did leave a film on my legs though which I ended up rubbing off after while.  Not sure I would buy this product again as there are others like it on the market which are cheaper

Organix Fruit Stars (1 bag Raspberry, 1 bag Blackcurrant) (59p each)
These sound amazing and we love Organix, however they are for children aged 12 months and upwards.  Baby M is only 7.5 months old.  I gave them to a friend who's daughter loved them.

Palmers - Skin Therapy Oil (£3.95)
The oil feels lightweight on your skin, which is great.  It's supposed to help the appearance of scars, stretch marks, damaged skin and uneven skin tone.  I have been using the oil on my section scar, we shall see if there's any change as it is really noticeable.  I love Palmer's so I'm hoping to notice some change, it's a reasonable price too

Linn Bodysuit (£18)
The bodysuit is so delicate and made from high quality cotton.  It's a sleeveless bodysuit so great for this weather.  I had no idea what the size was, all it says on the packaging is 12.  It fits though so it must be a 6-9 months.  The bodysuit is beige so goes under any outfit.  As I said it is really delicate, I don't really want to wash it as I'm worried it would ruin (daft I know).  Would I buy another?  At £18 probably not, unless it was a really special occasion.

Moltex Disposable bibs (price unknown)
I've searched for these on google and can't find them.  You get 10 bibs in a pack.  These are great for us and when we go to visit family or to my folks caravan we always take disposable bibs as it saves on washing.  These bibs even have a part you can fold up for catching spillage.  I can't wait to use these when we go to Ireland in a few weeks

Moltex Nappies (price unknown)
As the nappies are in a wrapper which has no English on it I'm not sure if these are swimming or normal nappies.  They look like swimming nappies and have sea creatures on them.  We are going swimming next weekend so will take the nappies with us.  We are weekly swimmers so will be able to compare them to our usual swim nappy.

Moltex Fresh Hand Wipes (price unknown)
These wipes were in a little pack of 15, I used them in my changing bag.  They were great, very moist and great for wiping hands and face after food.  As with every baby, Baby M gets food everywhere.  These were handy to clean him up and saved my normal wipes for bottom use only.

Chicco Baby Moments Body Lotion (£7.99)
Baby Moments is a new line of products from Chicco.  The body lotion is suitable for the most delicate and sensitive skin.  You only need a tiny amount and it absorbs really easily.  It smells lovely too.  I've used it on myself and Baby M and we both love it


As my box only cost £12.50 I did get value for money but there were products I probably wouldn't buy myself and the Organix Goodies weren't suitable.  I probably wouldn't have been happy if I had paid full price.  This was my first box so I am keen to see what's in the next box. 



This post has been added to Family Fever and Going on an Adventure's #TriedTested.  Go have a look what other bloggers have been reviewing.

 



Monday 4 August 2014

A trip to Alnwick Garden

We had a lovely visit to Alnwick Garden

My folks caravan is in Rothbury and every time we visit we drive through and also stop in Alnwick but we've never been to the Garden. 

You can park in Alnwick, spaces can be sparse due to the fact it's free or there is parking specifically for the venue which costs £3 for the day

We weren't really sure what to expect.  We decided just to go to the Garden however you can also get a joint ticket to visit Alnwick Castle too.  As a MASSIVE Harry Potter fan I was really tempted as the castle was used in the films for many scenes set at Hogwarts but the tickets were a little pricey (£26.25 per adult) so we decided to go to the Gardens this visit and do the castle another time.

A ticket for the garden costs £13.75 per adult (£13.06 if you buy online before you go).  We used English Heritage membership cards which gave us a 20% discount so our tickets cost £11.  Baby M was free although he got his own ticket which I loved.

You get a map of the garden (which we gave to Baby M and it ended up lost) but we decided to walk in an clockwise direction around the garden.

The first thing you notice when you walk into the garden is the impressive water feature.  It's beautiful.  we were also surprised at how big the garden was.

We started our walk around the garden and first we came to the Poison Garden.  This section is behind a gate and you can only enter with a guide.  This is included in your ticket price. 

We went on a really hot day so were informed that it gets hot in the garden so to take shade when we could during the tour.  We were surprised how many plants that they had in the garden that we have in our own garden!! It made us even more aware that you need to watch kids in the garden to make sure they aren't eating things they shouldn't.  They also had a cannabis plant which they have a special license for and is in a cage.  Most surprisingly the guide told us that they had a group of children in the garden recently who didn't know what stinging nettles were, or that if you are stung you should use a dock leaf.  I found this slightly depressing.



We then continued our walk round and went through the cherry tree grove.


Next we came to the Oriental Garden, which was stunningly beautiful



We then stopped for lunch.  There is a cafe in the garden and ice cream and fish and chips eateries just at the entrance but we took a picnic.  We found a shaded area in one of the ornamental gardens. 

We had great views down the water feature


We then went down the other side of the garden visiting the Bamboo Maze and Serpent Garden.  No snakes in sight but lots of little water features.  There is a big one that shoots up water and due to the hot day there were lots of children running around in this feature enjoying a chance to cool off.

The garden was so much bigger than we expected and we had a wonderful day. 




This post has been added to Coombe Mill's #CountryKids and Red Rose Mummy's #WHWH, check out both blogs for other great days out and see what others have been up to