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I've joined YouTube! #scarystuff

It's taken me years to pluck the courage up to sit in front of a camera, press record and talk. Actually years. 

But today.. I did just that. And then.. I uploaded it to youTube! 

Now that it's out there I'm feeling like I've gone a bit mad. What am I thinking putting myself 'out there' like that and facing my confidence demons. Those big bad ugly demons. 

Well demons - today you have been challenged. Today I stood up to you. And even though my little video may not be perfect I am proud of myself. Epically. 

If you want to come and have a little watch then that would be amazing. You can find my first video HERE it's a Brit Mums Live special! Also if you like it please do subscribe and leave me a little comment. All feedback is greatly appreciated :) xx

                    

Have you got a Holiday booked this year?

Have you got a holiday booked this year?..

We actually don't. We haven't really ever been the holidaying type, well that was before last year when we had our first 'family' holiday with Ethan, which was just so much fun. 

I think when you're a parent, you kind of need to start having holidays if you didn't before. Life can be very chaotic and there's usually firm daily routines in place that can sometimes become all a bit much. So a holiday away as a family can just help everyone to refresh, restart and obviously reconnect. 

I'd love a holiday this year - I think my Hubby and I could really do with one right now, but we've thrown all of our money into doing up our new house this year. So I suspect it'll next year that we do get to take a proper break and get away somewhere nice. We will probably stick to days out here and there throughout the summer, which will still be really fun. :) I absolutely cannot wait until the Summer! 

Anyway the main reason for this post is that I wanted to share a short video with you from Monsoon. If you are going away this year then it's got lots of great inspiration for holiday packing. They always have such lovely things though don't they?! Click below to have a little watch. 

I'd love to know your favourite thing from the video and I'd also love to know where you're going away on Holiday (if you are) this year so please leave me a comment below. :) x

                        

*This post is in association with Monsoon. 

And in other news.. My Cat thinks he's a Dog

There probably is no other cat like my Charlie cat.. He's somewhat, particularly unique to say the very least.. 

The background to him is that we rescued him from an RSPCA shelter local to us at the time.. Wanting a fourth (yes, I did just say fourth) cat, we found ourselves wandering excitedly down the long aisle of the cattery - excited by the prospect of another furry friend to add to the somewhat already cat-dominated household. Though despite the excitement it was with a great sadness in our hearts to see so many beautiful and deserving cats and kittens that hadn't yet found their forever homes.

From across the way, a pair of huge fixated eyes had very suddenly caught my attention.. and there he was; our Charlie Beans. (Charlie because that was his original name and 'Beans' because he boldly decided to steal a baked bean off of my plate the very first night that he came home and also because he does have what quite looks like a bean on his nose).

A little description next to his 'pod' read that he'd been thrown on a fire. There were no further details, but thankfully there was nothing to suggest that the horrific experience had affected this little fella apart from the slight burn marks to his paw which thankfully faded very quickly. From the very first second I saw him - I knew he was going home with us and what's more is he knew that too.
Ever since we opened our home and our hearts to him he's been the best little cat (apart from the other three, of course) that you could ever have. 

Of course, the day he came home we'd done all of the usual 'new cat' preparation. Wanting to introduce him slowly to his new home and to the other cats and of course to us. Charlie however, felt that all the fuss was silly and completely unnecessary and jumped straight off of the bed, straight up to the other cats who of course hissed at him and then went off exploring, somehow ending up on his back in the empty bath.

He went on to explore the neighbours houses and make them fall in love with, just as we had. Become king cat of the area we lived in and to know the specific times that the school kids would be passing by, always ensuring he was out the front looking groomed and totally adorable ready for lots of cuddles.

When we moved, I (stupidly) worried that he'd miss his old home and the area that he grew to know and love through his many hours of exploration. But I needn't of worried - he made himself at home instantly and off he went exploring! 

Those of you who follow me via my Instagram account (@alexbumptobaby) may have seen the two 30 second videos I uploaded featuring little Master Beans himself as he followed Ethan and I all the way to the local park yesterday. He sat the whole time keeping watch whilst I pushed Ethan back and fourth on the swing despite the fact that he was sharing the park with a dog - a cats known enemy. 


When it was time to go and Ethan was strapped back into his trike - back home he toddled with us. And he'll do this same thing day after day, no matter where we decide to go for a walk. 
The looks and questions we get are just absolutely brilliant. 

'Is he yours?' they ask in disbelief, 'Yes.' we chuckle and smile back, 'He's ours!..And he thinks he's a dog!'

He's become a bit of a legend my Charlie .. a bit of a legend indeed.

Little Face of Venture Photography Competition

Before I became a blogger I didn't really experiment much with photography. I was that person who just happily snapped away not worrying about backgrounds or who else was in the photo; I didn't worry about capturing the little details. 

Now, I know that it's those little details in a photo that really help capture the moment and tell a story. I now know how important backgrounds are and of course the right lighting. Writing a blog has opened up so many wonderful opportunities for me, but it's constantly learning and experimenting with photography for my blog photos that is one of my favourite things!

Photography is a huge part of my everyday life, you never know when the perfect photo opportunity will arise and so it's important to always have a camera close by - and so many of us these days do! As parents we of course tend to take photo after photo of our children, often proudly sharing those snaps with the online world. If this sounds just like you, you may be interested in the following competition from photography professionals Venture Photography who are holding a great competition called Little Face of Venture.

First up lets talk about the exciting bit.. 

THE PRIZE
The winner of this year’s Little Face of Venture will win a fantastic one year professional modelling contract with top agency MOT Models, during which MOT will promote and market the winner for an array of modelling assignments. And that’s not all, the overall winner will also receive a year’s supply of shoes courtesy of Start-rite and an amazing prize from LEGO.
The regional winner from each studio will receive their winning image in a hand made Venture frame worth £350, a pair of Start-rite shoes and a set of LEGO.

HOW IT WORKS
All you have to do is purchase a full family photography voucher and enjoy your Venture Photography experience. Your Photographer will choose the best photo of your little one from those shown at your private cinematic viewing, and the studio will upload it to the Little Face of Venture website. Then it's up to you to get all your friends, family and anyone who knows you, to go to the website and vote! 


Entries close on 23rd May 2014 and voting closes at midnight on 6th June 2014.


For every child who takes part a £1 donation will be made to Wellchild.

To find out more about the Little Face of Venture competition, click here.

One of the Best Meals I've Ever Had! Chimichanga, Milton Keynes, Restaurant Review

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When I think about it.. I have actually eaten at a lot of places, but as most people often do I find myself continuously steering my choice of eatery towards one particular taste and in my case, it's Italian.

Desperate to break the habit and venture on to trying something a little different we found ourselves at the front door of Chimichanga in Milton Keynes. Inspired by classic Latin-American, Tex-Mex and Mexican flavours it claimed to be a little part of Mexico in the UK!

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First impressions of the restaurant visually were brilliant. In fact, the very first thought that crossed my mind was 'Why have I not been here before?'. The restaurant layout and the 'look' as a whole ticked a lot of boxes for me as soon as I walked through the door - it's clean and modern looking but it has real character. The restaurant is brought to life by the little touches; mexican sombreros dotted about the place and other Mexican-inspired ornamentals add nicely to the experience. So do the Mexican beers that are available to order. The assistant-manager (who I cannot praise highly enough for his friendly attitude and professionalism) informed that the restaurant is soon to be renovated but even without that, this is a lovely looking place to eat.

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Food wise; there's probably nothing that I can say that will truly tell you how good it was. So I'll say this - it was one of the best meals we've ever had. I'd never tried Mexican before and I wasn't expecting to love it. As stated above; Italian restaurants are much more my thing, but our meals were beyond good. To sum it up, the food was better than anything I could have imagined.

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The 'veggie sampler'
Chimichanga more than catered for us veggies - as a starter we had the 'Veggie Sampler' to share. This was priced at £10.25, which works out at about a fiver each which was absolutely brilliant for what we got. As you can see from the photos, this was quite the impressive starter! Especially for a vegetarian who is used to 'a bit of garlic bread' as the veggie option in most restaurants. I say with certainty that this was the most impressive vegetarian starter I've ever eaten or seen. 

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Inside the 'veggie sampler'!
For the main course I went for the vegetarian bean chilli, again this was just beautiful and for dessert I had something called 'Churros', which was recommended to me by the assistant manager (thank you so much for this recommendation!). These were warm Mexican doughnut rings dusted in cinnamon sugar with a sticky “Dulche de Leche” caramel sauce and vanilla ice-cream. I cannot tell you how nice these were - it was hands down the best dessert I have ever had! Can you see a pattern forming here?

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Main course - vegetarian bean chilli

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'Churros' - the nicest dessert I've ever tasted!
The family that I went with for this meal including two meat eaters, were all in complete agreement with me - there was no denying that this was one of the best meals that we'd all ever had! We will absolutely being going back and I absolutely cannot wait until we do!
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Would I recommend Chimichanga to others - without hesitation!

Oh and did I mention that they do the nicest cocktails ever? ;)

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Want to find your local Chimichanga restaurant branch? You can do just that by clicking here and entering your postcode. :)

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*Our meal at Chimichanga was kindly provided free of charge for the purpose of a review. However all opinions expressed are as always entirely my own. We do not endorse products/services  positively unless we absolutely love them!
  

Garden Fun for the Outdoor Baby!


I don't know about you but I find my 1 year old is SUCH an outdoor type of child!..
He gets so excited every time he sees me or his Dad putting on our shoes or our coat. And when we go to unlock the door he kicks his legs in excitement. When we go out, he can go from a screaming teething baby to the most angelic little darling in a matter of seconds. There really isn't anything he loves better than being outdoors. 
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TRIKE
When we were thinking up presents for his 1st birthday which has just passed (read more here) we knew we had to opt for something outdoorsy! And after a few um's and ah's, we finally ended up buying him.. a trike - which he absolutely adores! I am so happy with our decision to buy it. The trike we brought also grows with him so we'll really get our moneys worth. We brought the Little Tikes trike from Amazon.
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BALL PIT / SAND PIT / PADDLING POOL COMBO

My parents brought Ethan a pool with a lid on from Argos for his first birthday. Both sides can be used for either water as a paddling pool, a sandpit with lots of sand and sand tools or as a ball pit full of fun bright balls. At the moment, as the weathers not quite warm enough for sand or water we're using it as a ball pit inside and outside, which Ethan is loving! I can't wait until summer as I know he'll love the water and the sand. :)
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BABY SWING

We recently got a swing from ASDA for our back garden. We have a park 5 minutes up the road but as Ethan loves the swings so much, we really wanted one for our own garden. The fantastic thing about this swing is that it will grow with him! The frame can be extended and there's a second swing seat that we can put on once he grows out of the toddler stage of this swing. I had a swing as a child and I really wanted Ethan to have one, so when we came across this one which is on offer at the moment for just £40 (insanely good value!) the fact that it converted and grew with him made this the perfect choice. I can't believe that for such a great price we will get so many years out of it. He thinks it's absolutely great and it doesn't take up too much room in our garden which leaves more than enough room for me to get my hands on something I've wanted for a LONG time - a swing chair! ;) The swing is called Plum 2 in 1 metal swing set from Asda.

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Does your little one like to play outside? If so, what do they love to play with the most?

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Holiday Resorts: What's Important When You Are Travelling With Kids


Going on a summer holiday is something that many of us look forward to each year, but the planning process can often be a little more complicated than we might first expect. This is especially true when our kids come with us on our trips abroad as there are so many considerations to make in order to keep them safe, secure and happy.

In order to have a brilliant summer holiday where the needs of the entire family are met, it helps to consider a number of different factors when it comes to choosing a resort. Whilst we as parents obviously need to keep tabs on the costs, there is more to a good choice than simply picking the cheapest getaway of the bunch. Here are a few questions to mull over regarding resorts - you may find these helpful when planning your next trip (they work for me!)...

Source

How long will the flight be?

If you have ever done a long car journey with your kids, you will be familiar with the question “are we nearly there yet?”. This is nothing compared to a flight, where some kids have nerves associated with travelling on a plane, and others find that their ears hurt with the changes in air pressure. Therefore you may want to choose a location that will have a shorter flight time (check amadeus.net for specifics) - resorts in Spain and France are popular for this reason. When a flight is under the three hour mark, it can be easier to find activities to fill the time than it is for a nine hour trip!

What distance is the resort from the airport?

It is also helpful to think about the distance from the airport to the resort, as some are not as close as they seem on a zoomed out map. In terms of a suitable example, the resort of Marmaris in Turkey is 110km from Dalaman airport, which can take around two hours by road. If your kids get restless in the car, there is a good chance that they might not be too happy to get on a coach or in a taxi when they have just spent a good few hours on a plane. Majorca and Lanzarote are ideal if you are looking for short transfer times.

Is the beach ‘kid friendly’?

Looking at the resort itself, you could do a bit of research about the beaches on offer. The first thing to do is to check whether there is soft sand or shingle, as you will probably end up spending a lot more time at the hotel pool if it is the latter. Another important feature is the rating of the beach, and whether there are lifeguards that are on hand in the case of an emergency. A gentle sloping shoreline is ideal for kids as they are able to splash around more safely.

What facilities does the hotel have?

Finally, it helps to take a proper look at the hotel and the facilities that are on offer. Kids clubs are often welcome additions, as well as separate swimming pools and playing areas. You might want to read reviews from other travellers online to get their opinions on which resorts and hotels they have had good experiences at in the past.

Have you got a summer holiday planned for this year? If so, where are you heading to?

So, who's going to BritMums Live?

I brought my ticket a while back now, after kindly finding a lovely sponsor in the form of a company I really believe in and am more than happy to promote - Spatone

I feel so lucky to have found a sponsor and to hold a ticket for what is probably the best event for parent bloggers, but my god, there's a little demon inside my head that is making me beyond incredibly nervous and I can't shake it off. 

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After finding a sponsor, it took me so long to pluck up the courage to actually purchase the ticket, a good friend of mine and excellent blogger - Hayley from Sparkles and Stretchmarks helped me to find that courage and I thank her for that, as when I hit that 'purchase' button I did suddenly feel a huge sense of relief. But now I've gone all wobbly again - my legs have turned to jelly, in fact, forget the legs, the whole of my body has turned to jelly with nerves. And here I am typing this, rather than booking my train and hotel. 

I so wish to be as confident as probably most people are about such a silly thing. I want to be confident in myself and through away all the nerves and doubts and actually just get around to being excited. So many times I've thought about selling my ticket and paying my sponsor back through  sheer nerves but I'm not going to do it. I'm going to go.. I'm going to be brave and I'm going to hopefully enjoy myself and learn lots of new things about the big wide world of blogging!

So if you're going too and you want to help a nervous gal feel a little more comfortable please do come and say Hi. Here's just a little about me..

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Name: Alex 



Blog: Bump to Baby
Twitter ID: @bumptobaby_blog
Height: 5ft 8
Hair: Long highlighted blonde hair
Eyes: Blue 
Is this your first blogging conference?
Yes - how scary! 
Are you attending both days?
Yep
What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2014?
Learning new things about blogging and seeing some of the people whose blogs I read and love and hopefully (if I'm brave enough) saying Hi! 
What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2014?
I'm hoping to improve my blogging skills some more and I'd love to make some closer friendships with the people I know only from being online.
Are you going to BritMums Live? If so, leave me a little comment below and if you've done a similar post please do link it so I can read it:)

10 things only Cat Owners will understand

As of 2013, apparently 19% of UK households had a cat, so it’s fair to say that there’s a pretty strong community of feline friendly people out there. Any one of those households will tell you that there are some things that they just ‘get’ that people without cats never will. We’ve rounded up a list of some of the most common (and hilarious) ones. 



1. Wondering what the emergency is when they suddenly run to another room
It’s so intense that you almost wish you were part of the secret so that you had at least some idea what was going on. 

2. Not being able to use the laptop in peace as that’s their favourite place to sit
Regardless of how important that essay is that you have to submit within 20 minutes, there’s no place comfier for your cat than your keyboard. (No, we don’t understand either...)

3. Putting the kettle or having a nap whilst they decide if they want to go in or out
Standing by the door whilst they make their mind up even though you’re getting pneumonia, whilst they sit half in and half out. 

4. Not being able to go to the toilet or have a bath without being watched
They’re worse than having kids for this as at least kids have a basic grasp of English, so you have to make do with letting go of your privacy (and dignity) forever. 

5. The feeling of finding your cat nestled in the pile of laundry you just washed
At first you thought they might have sore joints so you thought you’d treat them with seraquin from Vet Medic. Now, however, you just think they’re being cheeky. 

6. Everything in your home being a cat toy or a threat
You can guarantee that they’ll have the strongest opinions on all of your belongings; they’ll either love it and count it as theirs, or they’ll hate it and constantly try to destroy it. 

7. Walking in on your cat stuck in bowls/boxes/vases at least 10 times a day
It was funny at first, but fishing them out of boxes for them to just jump back into 5 minutes later gets old very quickly. 

8. Not being able to get up/down the stairs as it’s their new favourite place to nap
You’re convinced that they’ll jump up if you dare walk past them on the stairs, so you make do with just one level of your house for the rest of the day. 

9. Talking to them and pretending they understand
Responding to their ‘meows’ with lots of ‘I know, I know’ and hoping that no one can hear you. 

10. Being unable to have both a cat and house plants
No matter how much effort you make with your home, you can guarantee they’ll try to destroy the nicest things. The main victim; the house plants. I'm not sure what it is about them that cats hate so much, but they will get demolished. 

What does your cat do that makes you laugh?

#LetsGrowWild

Summer wildflower meadow of Papaver - Poppies, Leucanthemum - Ox-Eye Daisies and Chrysanthemum segetum - Corn Marigolds and Centaurea cyanus - Cornflowers
Photo © Jan Smith – GAP Photos

Grow Wild is an exciting four-year campaign to bring people together to sow UK native wild flowers. There mission is to transform where we live – bringing colour and surprise to our streets. By growing wild, we can turn our gardens and windowsills into wildlife-friendly wild flower patches. Grow Wild is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – and everyone is invited!
In the UK we’re lucky to have some amazing wild flowers, but we’re in danger of losing them as their natural habitats are being lost. Imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have them – less colour in our lives and less food for birds, butterflies and bees. The good thing is that we can do something about it!
Take a look at the below video for more information and find out how you can get involved! #LetsGrowWild

Find out more about Grow Wild via their Facebook page: here



A Break From the Chaos! Our overnight stay at Careys Manor Hotel & Senspa

A house move, a teething baby, a first birthday party, the end of maternity leave. Life can be chaotic sometimes most of the time, so a chance to escape and spend the day reflecting rather than doing is always a welcome break. And last week we did just that.

After a two hour journey to the beautiful New Forest we arrived at the gorgeous Careys Manor Hotel & Senspa. Not only excited for a night away together, it was also our very first spa experience!

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Getting into the 'Spring' of things featuring Bonnie Baby


Just how beautiful and seasonal is this adorable spring outfit from luxury British Designed clothes online retailer, Bonnie Baby? They kindly sent it to us a few weeks back for our review consideration and I've been loving dressing Ethan in it!


They sell so many lovely pieces, including adorable bunny prints which are perfect for this time of year.  Take a closer look here.


One of the best things about this outfit, other than the visual side, is how comfortable it feels. Comfort is the most important factor to me when I choose my own clothes, so I follow this when dressing Ethan too. The polo shirt is 100% fine weight cotton and feels so luxurious to touch. It's super soft, as are the grey leggings which are also made from super soft light weight cotton. The items wash extremely well and have kept their softness - so we're very pleased! 


The polo top shirt can be found here and the leggings are found here


If you are currently looking to refresh your baby's wardrobe for Spring/Summer I'd definitely recommend Bonnie baby for comfort and style. They've kindly offered the readers of my blog a 15% discount code which is BUMP20 (the code can only be used on SS14 and full priced items).



Keep up to date with Bonnie Baby for news, offers and more via their twitter page @bonniebaby_UK.

What do you think to Ethans spring outfit? We're really impressed!