Parenting, Love and Lifestyle Guide from Mum to Mum

Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog! I’ll tell you a little bit about myself so you can get to know me better. I’m Jennifer Sharpe, and I was born in 1985, which makes me 32 at the time of writing this. I’m a crafter, blogger and writer. I love to make gifts and give them to my family. I think it’s original and personal at the same time. You can also have a look at these ideas for a gift too. In the last few years since the kids have come along I’ve spent a lot of time seeking out parenting blogs and reading about other women’s experiences of motherhood. The more of them I read, the more I thought that it was something I’d like to try too, so I decided to start this blog to share my ideas about parenting and to share my experiences of being a Mum.

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Pregnancy Clothes

I am so glad that I wasn’t pregnant back in the 1980s! I was looking at some photos of my mum when she was expecting me and I was just appalled by the hideous maternity wear she had to put up with. Honestly, I don’t know how women managed back then! On every photo, she was wearing one awful outfit after another. Dresses that looked like tablecloths, enormous dungarees and really unflattering skirts and tops. They must have been designed by a man!
Top tips to finding the perfect maternity outfit

Third Time Around

It made me feel really lucky that pregnant women today have so many great choices when it comes to maternity wear. Whether we shop online or whether we go out to local shops, we can easily find something to suit every occasion. From casual jeans and t-shirts to smart office wear, and even evening dresses for going somewhere special, I just need to browse the internet or wander down to the high street and I can find something that flatters and fits without looking like I’m wearing a tent!

Now that I’m having my third baby, I’ve found that I started showing much sooner than I did with my first. When I was pregnant with Spencer, I didn’t show at all until 7 months, and everyone was really surprised when I told them I was expecting. I could wear my own clothes right up until the last few weeks when I was having him, but things were a little different when I was having Jessica. I had to start wearing maternity wear at about 23 weeks and by the time she was delivered, I was the size of a small house!

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More from Fashion

Kids Fashion

I’m going to admit it straight away, I have a passion for fashion! There’s nothing that I love more than finding beautiful clothes that make me feel great. While I have plenty of affordable stuff from the high street, I really love splashing out on designer ranges, especially the ones that I can find in the local department stores. My first choices Debenhams and House of Fraser are my go-to stores when it comes to finding affordable on-the-high-street designer wear. Yes, they may be a little more expensive than the clothes that you’d find in Primark, but the quality is so much better. The cut is more flattering (and forgiving), and their durability is so much better. If I buy a dress from Primark, I can guarantee that it won’t be worth wearing in a year’s time, while if I buy a dress from the John Rocha range, I can be confident that it will wear just as well in two, three or four years’ time as it will on the day it’s purchased. Some people think that it’s snobby of me to buy clothes from designer ranges, but I’d rather invest in statement pieces from a quality well-designed range than buy lots of new clothes every season from a cheap store that has shady ethical values and which doesn’t make clothes that last. Some of the women I know spend a lot more than me on clothing because they’re always having to replace worn out tops and out of fashion skirts that they bought from cheap shops. Yes, I may spend a little more on each individual item, but I have pieces in my wardrobe that date back to before Spencer was born and I’ve worn them time and again. Dressing Little Ones Appropriately When it comes to dressing my children, I have the same principles. I like to buy quality clothes that look good and that are made well, and I want the same for my kids. I don’t believe in trying to make my children look the height of fashion. It always makes me feel a little queasy when I see pre-teens wandering around in mini skirts and crop tops, and toddlers stumbling around in kitten heels. Let children be children, that’s what I say. That doesn’t mean that I want Jessica to look like something from Little House On The Prairie, but I do want her to look age appropriate, and to have quality clothing that will stand the test of time and that can be worn over and over again until she grows out of it. Best Children’s Clothing Ranges I’ve had other Mums question why I choose designer ranges for my children’s clothing, and I do take on board what they’re saying. Yes, it may seem silly to buy a designer dress for a toddler who will grow out of it in a few months, however if you add up all the times that she can wear that dress in those few months without it falling apart or fading, I think I’m getting better value for money than the Mum who goes to a discount store and buys a dress for her daughter that falls apart, fades and frays after a few times of going through the wash. Even better, I can give the children’s old clothes to charity once they don’t fit any more, and know that they will help someone worse off than them. Online or in-store shopping My favourite children’s clothing ranges on the high street are J by Jasper Conran and John Rocha at Debenhams. Their clothes are beautifully made, are classic designs and last really well. I still have some of Spencer and Jessica’s old clothes that I can use for the new baby, and I can guarantee they’ll still look good several years after they were bought because they’re traditional and high quality. My favourite online ranges are Vertbaudet and Mini Boden. Both are really stylish and offer something just a little bit unique. Using quality materials and timeless styles, they’re also really comfortable to wear so children can easily play and do all the things that children do without needing to worry about their clothes restricting them, or damaging their outfit. Before I’m shot down in flames about the cost of these clothes, I would point out that the prices aren’t much higher than the average high street price, and the quality means that they’ll last longer. Also, it you wait until the sales, you can get amazing bargains for pretty much the same price as clothing from the local supermarket. If the prices are still high, check out eBay – you’ll be amazed at the second hand designer bargains you can find! Next time you go shopping for children’s clothes, just check out these ranges. I bet you’ll be surprised at the bargains! You May Also Like [...]

Fancy Pregnancy

I’ll admit (and I hope none of my husband’s colleagues are reading this), I’ve never really enjoyed going to his work does. Every year the Christmas party has been a bit of a challenge – it’s never easy being the wife of the boss, but when you’re pregnant it’s even harder to create the right impression. When Christmas came around, I wasn’t too keen on going to the party, to be honest. The last two pregnancies I was so small my bump didn’t show in December, but this time I had a definitely bulge that wasn’t going to fit in any of my beautiful evening dresses. It was time to do some serious shopping to find something flattering yet stylish so I could create the right impression with his work team. In the end, after several exhausting days of trawling the internet and hiking up and down the high street with two whining kids in tow, I finally found exactly what I’d been looking for – a little black dress that was sophisticated but forgiving, but which could easily be dressed up with some nice heels, some classy jewellery and a great hairdo! If you’re suffering from a similar problem and are wondering what you can possibly wear to an important event when you’re pregnant, here are my top tips to finding the perfect outfit. What Is Chic? The first step to choosing an outfit is to work out exactly what you’re looking for. Have a look through some fashion magazines or tv shows and see what pregnant celebrities are wearing. Does anything take your fancy? Which colors are in style? Then think about what suits you. You know your style best of all, so think about the best outfits you’ve worn when you weren’t pregnant – the same colors and styles will almost certainly still look good on you when you have a bump. Don’t Feel Restricted To Just Maternity Wear If you don’t find a perfect maternity dress to suit the occasion, don’t worry. Take a look in stores or online for something you love in a bigger size. This works especially well if you’re in that awkward 2nd trimester stage when you have a small bump but nothing that really requires seriously stretchy maternity wear. If the sleeves are too long, or the chest is too large, you can always arrange to have them taken in to fit, and you’ll have a dress that you may be able to wear again after your baby makes his appearance. Wear A Wrap If you’re pregnant and attending a winter event, it makes sense to use a warm, furry wrap rather than trying to squeeze into your pre-pregnancy formal coat. Usually, we only invest in one maternity coat (if we bother at all) and that is usually something practical for everyday wear that would completely ruin the formal look of your evening wear. Instead, choosing a beautiful pashmina, or fur wrap will give you extra elegance while complementing your sophisticated style. Focus On The Details Often, the best formal maternity dresses for evening wear are quite plain and stretchy, but you can easily dress them up for even the most important occasion. By wearing some sparkling diamond (or diamante) jewelry, getting a spectacular hairdo, carrying a beautiful bag, wearing plenty of makeup and wearing some pretty shoes, you can feel and look wonderful. Work that natural pregnancy glow! [...]

Food Allergies

“I said something which gave you to think I hated cats. But gad, sir, I am one of the most fanatical cat lovers in the business. If you hate them, I may learn to hate you. If your allergies hate them, I will tolerate the situation to the best of my ability.”
Raymond Chandler

It’s amazing how many children seem to have food allergies these days. When I was growing up, I didn’t know anyone who couldn’t eat particular foods, and yet now almost every family I know has a child who has to avoid one food or another. That makes it pretty difficult when you’re inviting your child’s friends over for tea or when you’re catering for a kids party.

Spencer’s milk allergy

I know first hand how difficult it is to have a child with a food allergy. My eldest, Spencer, has a milk allergy and has to avoid dairy products. That’s pretty challenging for our routine life, since milk and butter seem to be in everything! At home, we use soya milk and vegetable-based spreads and thanks to all the wonderful product ranges in supermarkets these days we have plenty of choice. Spencer doesn’t miss out on any treats because we can get non-dairy versions these days, including chocolate, yoghurts and ice cream, but when we go out or when he goes to a friend’s house, we have to be really careful about what he can have.

Jessica’s nut allergy

Just to complicate matters even more, Jessica has recently been diagnosed with having a nut allergy. She had a bad reaction to some peanut butter that we gave her a few weeks ago. So we ended up having to rush her to A&E. We don’t know quite yet whether it’s all nuts or just peanuts, but we’ve been told to avoid them all for now. Well, you wouldn’t believe how many foods have hidden nuts! All in all, our entire family diet has had to have a complete overhaul!

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Granola Bars Ideal as a snack on their own, crumbled into yogurt for a delicious dessert or even eaten as a cereal, these bars are quick and easy to make and are packed with nutrients. Ingredients: • 125g butter • 70g honey or sugar • 1 tablespoon maple syrup • 400g oats • 75g raisins • 40g chopped nuts Instructions: 1. Grease an 8” cake tin. 2. Put the butter, sugar or honey and the maple syrup into a pan and heat gently, stirring well until the mixture is combined. 3. Take the pan off the heat then stir the oats into the mix. Add the nuts and raisins and mix. 4. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and press down. 5. Bake in a 180 degree oven for half an hour. 6. Leave to cool for 30 mins then put in the fridge overnight. 7. Cut into bars. To make this recipe dairy free, use a plant-based margarine, to make it low sugar use a sugar-free maple syrup and for a nut-free version, simply leave the nuts out of the recipe. Learn more about food allergies Nut free nuts Our family used to love nuts as a snack, but with Jessica’s newly diagnosed allergy we’ve had to ban them from the house. Then I found this recipe which is the perfect substitute and as it contains no dairy it works for Spencer too. Ingredients: • 1 tin of chickpeas • 3 tablespoons of olive oil • 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary • 1 minced clove of garlic • Salt to taste Instructions: 1. Rinse the chickpeas and pat them dry. 2. Heat up the oil in a frying pan for 3 minutes. 3. Put the chickpeas in the pan and cook them for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4. Once the chickpeas have browned, remove them from the pan and put them on a paper towel to remove any excess oil. 5. Add the garlic to the frying pan while it is still warm and cook for 2 minutes. Don’t allow it to brown. 6. Add the rosemary to the pan and then add the chickpeas. 7. Add salt to taste. Alternatively, if you want your chickpeas crunchier and even more like nuts, instead of frying them in a pan, roast them for half an hour in a 180-degree oven. Hopefully, the new baby won’t have a completely different kind of food allergy to keep us on our toes! More allergy free food receipts [...]

Why Kids Shouldn’t Watch TV

I know that as soon as you start reading this, some of you are immediately going to think that I’m being ridiculous, but stick with it and hear me out, who knows, I might change your mind My Personal Experience I’ll tell you what made me think twice about letting my little ones watch TV. I was round at a friend’s house a few months ago to have coffee and a catch-up. She has a daughter aged 3 and a son aged 18 months. We were sitting in her living room, drinking our coffee and having a chat and I noticed that the TV was playing away the whole time, she had never even thought about turning it off so that we could talk more comfortably. All the time we were chatting, there was a constant droning of voices in the background and I noticed that both her kids were sitting really close up to the screen, just glued to the programme. Later, when we took the kids out to the park to play, I really noticed the difference between her children and mine. Whereas Jessica and Spencer are really sociable and chatty, her kids had very poor communication skills in comparison. It made me wonder whether watching so much TV was something to do with it so I started looking into some studies and I was quite surprised at the results. Current Studies Into The Effect Of TV On Children In my research I came across a study from the Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati which revealed that as many as 40% of toddlers are watching at least 3 hours of TV per day, despite the American Academy of Pediatrics‘ issuing guidelines that children under the age of 2 should watch no TV at all, and children aged between 2 and 5 should watch only a maximum of 2 hours per day. The study showed that TV at such a young age can have some shocking impacts on early development and skills. Just to make sure that the results weren’t unique to American children, I decided to check for any UK studies which proved the same thing and I turned up an article in the Guardian newspaper which quoted a study from researchers at Newcastle University and Queen Margaret University which revealed that toddlers who watched more than 3 hours of television showed difficulties in communicating their ideas years later at the age of 11, and even more worryingly, were more likely to suffer from high blood pressure. It didn’t take anymore to convince me that TV was a bad thing for little ones. How TV Impacts On Children The main impact of TV on small children appears to be in terms of their learning. For toddlers under the age of 2, this is the time in their lives which they need the most stimulation and interaction to learn and the problem is that TV can’t interact back. When toddlers are put in front of the TV as an electronic babysitter, they start to become passive and that doesn’t bode well for their development. TV can seriously impact on the ways in which children learn. Toddlers should be actively trying things for themselves and getting hands-on to improve their motor skills, their problem-solving abilities and their questioning skills. Another problem is those small children don’t know that what they see on TV isn’t real. That means that they can easily become afraid or display unwanted behaviors because of things that they have seen on the screen. Furthermore, another problem revolves around language and communication skills. If toddlers sit in front of the TV rather than interacting with other children or talking to a parent, how can they learn to communicate effectively? If the TV is always droning in the background, how can they hear conversations and join in? It’s no wonder that children who spend a lot of time watching television suffer from long-term problems with their speech and language, and not being able to communicate effectively can have a knock-on effect for their education, holding them back for many years after they have started school. What Alternatives Are There To TV? TV is a great babysitter. The bright colors and moving images entertain little ones and keep them occupied so parents can get on with the important things they need to do like work and household chores. However, if it’s used too much it clearly has detrimental effects. Instead, we need to interact with our kids and stimulate them by playing games and engaging in creative and physical activities. Reading books is one of the best alternatives to TV. Children love the colorful pictures and they can develop questioning skills and widen their vocabulary. Reading together is one of the best things we can do for our toddlers, and it’s a lot of fun too! [...]

Recreating Our Proposal

For my 20th birthday, Matthew had taken me to Paris for the weekend. We didn’t have a lot of money back then so we stayed in a really cheap B&B and ate the cheapest food we could find, but we still had an amazing time. The highlight of the trip was when we went to the Eiffel Tower. We couldn’t afford to pay to go up to see the view from the top, but that didn’t matter when Matthew got down on one knee and proposed right in front of it. It was evening and the lights were twinkling everywhere and it was the most beautiful experience of my life!

For our tenth wedding anniversary, Matthew suggested that we went back to Paris to recreate that special holiday. Well, we wouldn’t be recreating every single element of it. This time, we’d be staying in a nice hotel and eating out in nice restaurants! I was absolutely delighted! My sister agreed to look after the kids for the weekend and we jetted off for our much needed romantic break.

Architecture in Paris
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