Littlemummy.com

In 2008 my family will begin to experiment in recycling, growing our own produce, reducing our energy consumption, perhaps becoming a little greener, more organic, and hopefully more self-sufficient.
Most of us know of the awful reality of caged egg-laying hens. Back in November after a bit of research I decided that the time had come to move to barn eggs, this month after further reading we have moved to free-range eggs. I wanted to offer a quick run down of the information I have gleaned whilst making the …

I don’t really make strict resolutions as such, more thoughts and hopes for the new year and reflections on the year gone by.

2007
2007 was a good year for us, we settled into parenting and have enjoyed seeing Erin turn into a happy and lively toddler. After a fairly drastic change in career direction Alex has taken to bus driving like a duck to water, it’s nice to see him enjoying his work so much especially as he is the only real earner at the moment. I completed the …

Aaah Boxing Day, a chance to breath (note to self: moving house at Christmas time isn’t the greatest idea)
Nevertheless we had an amazing Christmas. Erin held a Christmas Eve party, which is becoming a little tradition now, I’ll be glad when she can assist in the preparations a bit more though!
Christmas Day was far more relaxed, she seemed very pleased with Santa’s delivery, each unwrapped present was greeted with a “wow” and then a frantic dash to daddy to open/assemble/fit batteries etc.. in hindsight there were a …

It’s around this time that Christmas fatigue begins to set in. Around a week (ok, so that’s 4 days now..eek) before the big day I seem to get a lull, so near but yet so far. I’ve already done a years worth of food and gift shopping yet there are always several ‘one last thing’s’ to buy. This year is no different and yesterday I braved the crazed madness of the supermarket. Shoppers were stocking up like the end of food itself was imminent, scavenging for …

On Sunday we had arguably our best day out of 2007. Considering this year we’ve been to Edinburgh Zoo, Centre Parcs, Deep Sea World, Edinburgh’s Winter Wonderland (a close second?), The Botanic Gardens, The Ceramic Centre, Gorgie Farm, The Modern Art and Dean Galleries, not to mention our fair share of soft plays this is high praise indeed.
I loved the rough and readiness, it’s basically a petting farm with attractions such as a small passenger train, karting, playgrounds, soft play etc… It sits at the edge of Dunbar …

Being a younger mum (24), I still have many personal ambitions, especially on the academic and career side. Over the past few months, I’ve found myself in the sometimes difficult position of trying to balance family and parental needs with my own personal needs. I love being a stay at home mum, but there is a part of me that still requires a higher level of mental stimulation and ambition outside of being a good wife and mother. My own interests lie in pursuing further academic qualifications …

The recycling pro’s amongst you may be thinking I’ve got muddled up with the ‘three R’s’ message, however, this is the learning curve I’m on at the moment.
We’ve gone from recycling nothing. Nothing. We literally chucked everything into (non-recycled) bin liners and heaved several loads down the four flights of stairs several times a week. Aaaah how things have changed!
We arrived at our new home to find bins strewn all over the garden in brown, green and grey. Inside, on the kitchen counter was the recycling timetable, …