via NaPoWriMo Wrap Up – Alison Aldridge
Carol J Forrester posted that she was looking for NaNoWriMo participants to feature on her blog. I let her know I was interested and answered her questions about which poem I was most proud of during the challenge. I emailed it over and she liked it enough to publish it. Please do check it out and give Carol a follow.
Today, I am going to share with you a very proud mummy moment that I am sure many parents have treasured before me. It is the day, your little one sits on their first pedal bike and realises that they can do it.
Although, Noah got it in his first attempt we have been preparing him for his pedal bike for two years and I am going to share with you how we did that.
My son was 2 years old when we got him a balance bike. I got him the Yedoo Fifty (this model is now discontinued to make way for their new balance bikes). I can’t remember the name of the store I bought from as I bough online and the company was based in London and donated old bikes to Africa.
I knew Noah would love it and. It was lightweight and easy for him to maneuver and he was whizzing around in no time.
Recommendation: I recommend choosing a lightweight balance bike that’s easy for a young child to manage and for you to carry when their legs get tired (you may be carrying them & the bike). In addition, balance bikes teach them the skill of balancing which they need when they take to a real bike. When choosing a balance bike you want their feet to be flat on the floor.
An alternative to a balance bike is a scooter. Many of my friends chose a scooter for their kids due to cost, size or appeal.
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I wanted to buy my son a pedal bike back in 2016 for Christmas, when he was three but his grandparents wanted to buy it. I wanted to get him a Frog 43 and offered to pay for it but they’d found a cute one with stickers and stabilisers from a high street store.
Sadly, the bike wasn’t as appealing as it looked. The stabilisers kept coming loose and causing the bike to tip. The pedals were stiff and difficult to move. My son hated using it and kept returning to his balance bike. It was redundant before Easter, collecting dust. I was going to order him the Frog when I was made redundant so all unnecessary purchases went on hold – Noah return to his trusty balance bike.
Recommendation: I don’t recommend stabilisers as they cause the child to rely on them to balance and changes the way they turn as tilting will cause them to tip over. In addition, cheap bikes tend to be made out of heavier materials and are difficult for young children. The one we had took Noah from wanting a pedal bike to hating them. Honestly, avoid them!
We bought the Frog 48 from a specialist bike store (Elmy Cycles). The store told us about a scheme where we can trade Noah’s bike in for a discount against the next size when he needs it.
The staff measured Noah to recommend the best size for him. When choosing a pedal bike you want their feet to only just touch the floor, this encourages them to pedal instead of scoot along like on a balance bike.
I could have bough stabilisers to attach to the bike but chose not to – the staff also didn’t recommend them (for similar reasons given above).
Noah was excited to use pedals until he sat on the bike and realised it’s trickier than it looks. He wanted to place both feet on the pedals before setting off – which, doesn’t work. We held his seat to get him started and he quickly got the idea of pedaling. We had to remind him to look where he’s going not at his feet or over his shoulder at us. We were encouraging him to start on his own with one foot on the floor and he managed it a few times – it’s something for us to work on.
Recommendation: I do believe it is worth investing in a quality pedal bike. This bike isn’t too heavy if you end up carrying it and its light enough for a child to manage. It was also very useful visiting a store with bike experts. The guys at Elmy Cycles really do know their stuff and their advice was incredibly useful in making our decision.
It is worth doing some research into the bike before purchasing as they aren’t cheap but you want to make sure that the one you buy will be easy for your child to use and love and be worth the money. If it is the most expensive present you are buying them then you need to be confident that it will be the best and most used present.
I used the internet to read reviews on bikes. One of the best websites I found was by Two Wheeling Tots. The site is aimed for people in America but they test a number of makes and model and have universal advice for parents choosing a bike for a child. It is a fabulous result that can save you a lot of disappointment and wasted money.
This is just a short post. I planned to photograph my old foundations and write a review on them all as an ultimate guide for pale skinned girls. Sadly, that wasn’t meant to be.
Instead, I’ve been suffering with dry eyes. It feels like I’ve got something in my eye and they are on fire.
At first, I thought it was sun lotion so bought a sun lotion specifically for face use. I was in a rush so I bought Malibu from Savers. It was only £2.99 and came with a lip balm. I’m not sure it meets with my ethical standards as I was in a rush but it works and it is budget friendly.
Then, I thought perhaps I had suddenly become sensitive to my mascara so I ordered a trusted old favourite (Pacifica’s water resistant one). Lucy Rose Biz had an offer on where I got a free BB Cream if I spent £30 so I bought two mascaras (one black, one blue).
Next, I thought I had hay fever as my eyes kept watering. The pharmacist said I couldn’t take anything whilst pregnant. She suggested rubbing vaseline on my nose. I don’t use vaseline. Instead, I use Akamuti’s petroleum free jelly.
Whilst seeing the Optician, I asked if they had any tips. The Optician looked at my eyes and told me she didn’t believe I have hay fever but dry eyes. She explained that after a long winter and sudden heat wave, my eyes couldn’t keep moisturised. This made sense as it was really bad on the super hot days. She gave me eye drops called artificial tears which has provided some relief.
As a redhead, I’m used to shunning the sun like a vampire but my eyes have never been affected before.
The sun is making my eyes so sore. I treated myself to two massive sun hats from Primark (I don’t usually wear hats) and have my eye on another one from the British Heart Foundation charity shop.
My husband bought me some lovely big Lipsy sunglasses which have also helped as they are so sensitive in the day light. I feel like a vampire.
I searched ‘Dry eyes and pregnancy’ and found it is caused by the hormones not creating tears like they usually do. It often happens during the 2nd or 3rd trimester and affects a second or greater pregnancy. Usually the symptoms go after pregnancy – let’s hope so!
Seriously thinking of getting a face mist and have me eye on the Caudalie one.
As a result, I haven’t written the post I wanted because I’ve been resting my eyes. Screens irritate them as much as the sun. I now drive with a tissue to dab my tears.
Here’s a pic of me out for dinner this weekend and not writing!
This review is based on board books I bought for my son. I have borrowed similar books from the library but these are my own.
Board books have thick cardboard pages throughout making them very hardy. Don’t give them to a teething baby because they can turn the cardboard to pulp! These books are great to enable your little one to build confidence in books and turning the pages.
Author: Sam McBratney
Illustrator: Anita Jeram
This story is a classic and an excellent bedtime read. Little hare is coming up with ways to express how much he/she loves big hare. Big hare keeps coming up with something bigger. It’s where the saying ”I love you to the moon… And back” comes from.
Author: Debi Gliori
If you’ve had a tough day with your little one, this is a great story about how ’no matter what’ you always love them. It’s also ideal for parents that can’t always be with their child as the last page has a beautiful message about wherever you are, you still love them.
Author: Jill Murphy
This story follows Mr Bear trying to get to sleep but everywhere is noisy. My son loved the different sounds in the story and joined in with the repetitive ”Oh no, I can’t stand THIS!”
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler
This set contains two Julia Donaldson books and would make a great gift for a child. Her stories have a great rhyme which children enjoy hearing and a good story.
This book follows a snail that tours the world with a whale. There are some beautiful images illustrating how vast the world is and the different climates of different countries. When the whale gets beached, the snail saves the day – teaching that no matter how small you are, you can make a difference.
This story follows a witch that keeps dropping her things from her broom. As she hunts for her belongings she makes new friends who join her on the broom. These friends save her when she gets into trouble with a dragon who’d like to eat her with chips. She then makes a truly magnificent broom to accommodate them all.
*****
Have you read any of these? Is there a board book that you think I need to add to my collection – I’d love to hear your recommendations.
This is a very personal post that I hope will help other people that may be struggling with wanting to start a family but for whatever reason can’t.
I wanted a baby long before my other half was on-board with the idea. I wouldn’t dream of tricking anyone into such a serious commitment and life changing decision, so, I waited patiently until he was ready…
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We bought a house, we got engaged, we got married – still, he was enjoying it being just the two of us.
I told him everything accept how badly I wanted a baby. I didn’t want to put pressure on him to change his mind and knew it was important for him to make that choice himself.
The waiting almost killed me. I was hid it from my husband out of fear it might guilt him into agreeing. I went for my pill check up and broke down with my doctor. My doctor gave me my combination pill (as I requested it) but encouraged me to talk to my husband and start a family.
Instead, I spent my evenings locked away in my bathroom, alone with my thoughts. A world without my baby wasn’t a world that felt right. I wondered if I had missed my chance, was getting too old, perhaps I was never meant to have babies. I cried that maybe my husband would never change his mind but I couldn’t leave him – he was the one. But, I wasn’t sure how long I could wait for him; I was losing faith. I felt helpless.
I began thinking of taking my life. I didn’t want anyone in my life to know how deep my struggle ran because I didn’t want them to blame themselves when I was gone and think they could have saved me. Even today, a lot of the closest people are likely to not be aware how bad things got for me. My husband noticed in the evenings, I was hiding myself away and grew concerned. He encouraged me to see the doctor. I was diagnosed me with chronic stress and offered antidepressants but turned them down because I feared if my husband might changed his mind that my body would be full of drugs, instead, I took the option of counselling. Whilst, I waited for the referral I started talking. I confided in one of my best friend and husband. By the time the NHS was able to help me with counselling, I no longer needed it.
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My husband was ready to start trying but now needed my mind to be in a better mental state. Once, we were both ready, I came off the pill but I was so desperate for a baby, I wanted it here 5 years ago and did everything in my power to increase my changes of falling quickly (so, I thought).
Putting pressure on myself to fall quickly, made getting pregnant more difficult. I didn’t noticed what I was doing as I was obssessed and the need to be pregnant was all consuming. I took folic acid, multi-vitamins, cods liver oil, hemp oil, casava-root pills, any other supplements suggested to boost fertility. I kept a spreadsheet to keep track of what I had taken and at what point in my cycle. I took cough medicine to thin my cervical mucus. I even imported Clomid from India. I was using pre-seed, certain sex positions, resting after sex with my legs in the air and strictly sex every other day – it made sex a chore! I was doing ovulation and pregnancy tests and dealing with the heartache of each negative result. After, 9 months I began to count down to seeing my doctor to discuss fertility options and tried to gain wait as my BMI was just below what is accepted for IVF.
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Then, I sold my house and moving stole my focus. Whilst I wasn’t focused on getting pregnant, I got pregnant.
Finally, I had my son. I will never forget how having him has made me feel complete. He really did save my life. I don’t think I could have gone on much longer without him being part of my world.
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This time, I wasn’t in a rush. I was now already a mother. If Noah was all the children I’d ever have, I would be thankful for that. My husband made me promise that I wouldn’t go crazy again.
All I did was switch my contraceptive pill for a prenatal multi vitamin and we had sex when we felt like it – we kept it fun. I was shocked when in the first cycle I fell pregnant.
If you are on your TTC journey, I wish you the best of luck. Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor if you need help at any stage.
If you have been successful – congratulations. What was it that worked for you?
It is a beauty subscription box with a selection of cruelty free products. The box contains a selection of five products – skincare, body care, makeup and occasionally a sweet treat too.A donation from the cost of the box goes to an animal friendly charity (This month is Animal Free Research). In addition, you earn loyalty points for each purchase which can then be used for money off future boxes.
Cost: £13.50 (+£3.95 P&P) subscription, UK
The box came with an information card to tell me all about the products inside and their value.
The Konjac Sponge Co: Body Sponge (website RRP £29.00, Sheet lists price as £11.99)
This wasn’t an easy product to photograph. It’s also a product you would not expect to have won so many awards but this sponge has!
It 100% natural, biodegradable and despite being gentle it is able to deliver a deep cleanse and boost circulation.
This sounds amazing and I’m putting it in my shower right away.
Weleda: Evening Primrose Body Oil (website RRP £24.95 full size, Sheet lists price as £3.99 sample size)
I really like this brand as they’ve been creating natural products for a long time now.
It’s described as being ideal for dry/mature skin. I’m hoping that it’s going to prove beneficial for a growing pregnant tummy. I don’t suffer with stretch marks but I am living oils at the moment as a precaution.
FRUU: Colour Balm in Strawberry (website & sheet lists price as £4.99)
Wow, I wasn’t expecting the balm to be so pigmented. It’s like a lipstick but really soothing, nourishing and smells delicious.
I love the colour but saw there are more shades to try on their site! This is a brand I’ve not heard of before and pleased to discover.
Balade En Provence: Apple Hand Cream (website & sheet lists price as £9.99)
This is another new brand to me. That produce vegan skincare with natural ingredients. I think they are relatively new as there is currently only two products.
I love the cute ’apple’ shaped jar the hand cream comes in. The other product they do is a pear hand cream in a pear jar. I’m excited to try this product to see if it is as good as not looks and I want to leave it out somewhere so I can show it off to guests.
Peony Cosmetics: Pink Glow Luminizing Stick (website RRP $22.00, sheet lists price as £16.99)
It uses natural ingredients (92%), gluten free, paraben free and cruelty free.
The product had fallen out the tube when I first got it out the box. I pushed it back in the shaft and it fixed it. *phew*
The only highlighter I currently have is my RMS one and it’s almost run out. This will be a useful addition to my makeup. I’ll let you know how I get on.
This is how I got on using the products from my March box:
Dr Botanicals: Tropical Invigorating Cream (website RRP £29.00, Sheet lists price as £44.00)
This really light moisturizer has been a joy to use on those really hot days. I do find I have to be ever so careful squeezing the tube as the gentlest touch will release a generous amount – either that or I am very heavy handed. I still can’t get over how beautiful it is. I love seeing this tube in bathroom cabinet.
Saturated Colour: Make Me Matt (website and sheet RRP £8.00) and Moisturising Lipstick – Naked Pink (website and sheet RRP £7.00)
I’ve found the ‘Make Me Matt’ quite dry so I haven’t really used it much. It is a useful product to hang onto for any occasion when I need to make a lipstick have a matt lip. However, I have been wearing the lipstick on its own, most days. I really like the colour. It is a strong pink and very pretty.
Okko Skincare: ‘Try me’ Natural foot balm stick (£21.00 RRP for 50g on the website, £3 on the sheet for 4.5g ‘try me’ size)
I don’t really suffer with cracked heels so I haven’t felt the need to use this product much but it was a lovely treat. I still think I have another use left in the ‘try me’ size, I will use it again.
Raw-Ganic: Refreshing Aloe and Green Tea Facial Wipes (£2.99 on the sheet and website)
I was planning to save these for my maternity bag but I really like it. Especially, when I am tired at the long day and can’t be bothered to spend ages in the bathroom – I just want to go to bed. These are so quick and easy and have a nice gentle smell. I will be buying this product again.
I am a regular subscriber to The Pip Box and never been disappointed by the contents. I really like the new reward scheme, supporting a charity and discovering more cruelty free brands.
The hand cream looks really cute. I’ve tried the highlighter and lip balm and they are beautiful universal colours that would suit most people. I can see myself using all these products. I am really happy with what I got.
These images are snippets from the 30 days of poems:
The challenge is over and I did it. It’s time to reflect on how it went.
Most liked poem: Day 15 – Grim Reaper (20 likes)
Most commented on poem: Day 11 – Flipped (5 comments)
Most viewed poem: Day 12 – Haibun (32 views)
Increase of followers
It was so unexpected and I wish I’d paid attention to how many followers I had before I started. Each day, I have gained a few new followers. Now, I have 100 plus!
I have been adding the poems to a book on Wattpad to create a collection. If you’d like to read them all in one place in full, please click here.
I think I will give it another go in future but don’t think I will do it every year. Poetry isn’t really my forte although I think it is a useful learning tool for any writer as it encourages you to think about your use of words and the English language.
I am relieved the challenge is over and the pressure of a daily post is off. However, I am delighted at how much I produced and proved to myself that if I make time each day I can make progress on a project. I want to apply that logic to complete another novel. Novel writing has taken a back seat since starting my CIPD course at work so once that is finished in June, I am going to get back into novel writing.
I was pleasantly surprised by all the support from other poets and NaPoWriMo participants. I didn’t feel like I was doing the challenge alone. The increase of followers and engagement was unexpected but I am so happy to have connected with you all. Thank you – it helped keep me going.
Claude Monet, Claude Monet
Why must you paint?
You could get a real job
Selling fruit and veg
There’s an opening at the grocer
Go put your application into Ed
If you have an eye for beauty
Why don’t you stock flowers
It would attract the lovely ladies
Perhaps you’ll find a wife
There is no money in art
You’ll be begging on the street
This is not the life I wish for you
Be a grocer on your feet
Put down your brush
Get cleaned up
Go find yourself a job
Claude Monet, Claude Monet
Why must you paint?
*****
For Day 30 the prompt is to write a poem ”that engages with a strange and fascinating fact. It could be an odd piece of history, an unusual bit of art trivia, or something just plain weird. While I cannot vouch for the actual accuracy of any of the facts presented at the links above (or any other facts you might use as inspiration!), I can tell you that there are definitely some poetic ideas here, just waiting for someone to use them.”
I followed the links with different unusual facts and I connected with this one on Claude Monet. Many creatives get told to get a ’real’ job, one that can pay the bills. When I saw Claude Monet’s dad wanted him to be a Grocer, I could hear him arguing with his son in my head.
Today, is the last day of April and NaPoWriMo 2018. I am so proud of myself for keeping up with the challenge to the end. I’m so thankful to all the people that have supported me with likes and comments, it was unexpected but really helpful. Thank you.
It is a Women’s only fundraising event to raise money for Cancer Research UK. They fund research into over 200 types of cancer. You can check their website for more details of the events taking place across the UK by clicking here.
Nearly everyone has lost someone they love to cancer or knows someone that has. My sister and her ‘mummy’ friends have decided to run this year. Sadly, this month, one of the mums lost her battle with cancer, making this years race even more personal for these women.You can help by:
This blog post is not about running, it is about something more important. Roland and I have done one race a year since we started running together. […]
via We are doing the 10km Race for Life — This Pug Can
Do not go off track
You will reach your course in time
Stay on the iron rails
*****
For Day 29 the prompt is to write a poem ”based on the Plath Poetry Project’s calendar. Simply pick a poem from the calendar, and then write a poem that responds or engages with your chosen Plath poem in some way?”
Strangely, I enjoyed Slyvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar. However, it’s the weekend and her writing is really dark and depressing and although that matches the weather today (rain, rain and more rain), I don’t want to go there.
I’m breaking against the prompt and I am going to do my own thing. For inspiration, I am going with the first ‘Free Image’ I found on Canva. It is a picture of trains. I also want to have a go at writing a Haiku as I’ve never done one before.
