10 Things I Never Expected To Do As A Mum

Before your kids come along, you have all these grand ideas of what kind of parent you'll be and what you'll get up to. Sadly, things don't normally happen as you imagined them! Here's a look at 10 things I never expected to do as a Mum...

• Using the TV as a babysitter -  I never thought this would be me but sometimes it just has to be done. I'd never be able to have a shower or cook tea otherwise!

• National Trust Membership - I always thought NT was for retired people who liked visiting gardens but this is our second year with a NT membership and we love it! There's so many lovely locations scattered across the UK and we love taking a picnic and exploring. NT seem to have had a bit of a makeover in recent years and I love how kid-friendly they are now.
• Leaving the house with snot on your jumper - substitute snot for sick/milk/food/drool, it's amazing how messy one small person can be and there has been countless times where I've just wiped it down with a wet wipe and got on with my day!
• Post countless baby photos on Facebook - I used to roll my eyes at parents doing this on Facebook and I vowed  to not be "one of those mums". Now? I'm totally one of those mums!! I love posting pics of Elliot on social media and it's a great way of sharing his life with family who we don't see very often. If people think it's boring then they know where the unfollow button is ;)
• Talk about poo on Facebook - Following on from the above point, I didn't expect to be talking about poo so openly but sometimes, a toddler poo story is just too funny not to share!
• Wear leggings , a lot - Prior to having a baby, the last time I wore leggings was probably 1992 but the first year of Elliot's life saw me wear leggings on a daily basis. Comfortable, and that elasticated waist was also good for all the cake I consumed in the early days!!
• Gossip magazines - Never thought I'd stop buying Heat or Closer magazine but these days I'm more likely to pick up Bob the Builder weekly. It does mean my celebrity knowledge is a bit crap nowadays though - I can name every one of Peppa Pig's mates but ask me who's Number One in the charts and I'd struggle!
• Bribery - I never thought I'd have to resort to bribery but sometimes the lure of a kinder egg is the only thing that works! "Swim on your back and we can visit the sweet shop" - <--true story after a particularly stressful swimming lesson!
•  Go out in public with crazy hair and no make up - Pre-children my hair was always straightened, I always wore make up and I actually made an effort to look half decent. Nowadays, we have swimming on a Monday morning and I spend the rest of the day with a big frizzy curly mop and with no make up on. And I go out in public...and sometimes even meet friends - gasp! I'm sure my Mummy friends have seen worse than my bare face and actually, sometimes its quite nice to not have to spend ages straightening my hair!
• Secret eating - Toddlers have amazing selective hearing, ask them to tidy their toys and funnily enough they don't hear you. Rustle a bag of sweets and they come running! Which is why sometimes its absolutely neccessary to hide in the kitchen and stuff a biscuit in before you're caught!

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10 Things I Have Loved - May

The Cornish Mum, aka Stevie runs a great linky called Ten Things and I decided to join in by blogging about 10 things I have loved / enjoyed over the last month. May seems to have passed by in a blur and as always we have been mega busy - Elliot has a better social life than any adult I know!!

So in no particular order...

1) Finally getting an offer on our flat which we have accepted. We've yet to find anywhere to move into but I've started the packing and I've been checking rightmove religiously! We are in a 2 bed flat at the moment and we've just run out of room so I'm hoping our new home has a playroom for Elliot's toys. Of which he has many!! 

2) Butlins Just for Tots holiday. We had such a great time and it was fantastic to see Elliot enjoying himself so much. It was lovely to have some family time too as we don't see much of my husband in the week with him working so hard at the shops, Elliot just loves spending time with his Daddy!

3) Pitch Perfect 2 - I've been looking forward to this sequel for months now and it didn't disappoint! It was great to spend some time with my sisters and a real treat to go to the cinema - don't get the chance to go very often these days!

4) Family Catch Ups - My favourite cousin and her family came down to Dorset this weekend for a short break and it was lovely to see everyone. My sister was also visiting for the weekend so we had a brilliant lunch at my parents house with everyone and Elliot loved playing with his cousins. We spent ages playing hide and seek in the garden and I'm not sure who had more fun...the kids or my adult sisters!! 

5) Climbing the Tots 100 Chart - I still have a long way to go but my Tots 100 score for my blog is getting better and better and I have almost cracked the top 1000. Out of 8000 parent blogs! 

6) John Barrowman Live - I know JB isn't to everyone's tastes but he is very entertaining and I did enjoy his live show in Bournemouth! Even if we were the youngest there by about 50 years ;) 

7) Just Sing Choir - Joining this choir in 2013 was one of my best decisions ever and I really look forward to our Wednesday rehersals. At the moment we are rehersing for the Wimborne Folk Festival where we have 4 performances over a weekend in June and the songs sound incredible. Can't wait for our live shows! 

8) Introducing Elliot to classics from my childhood - One wet, dreary day I decided to watch the Labyrinth with Elliot. I wasn't sure if he'd like it but he was mesmerised and actually sat through the majority of the film..normally he gets a bit restless and buggers off to play with his toys. But he couldn't take his eyes off it and kept talking about the gob-o-lins! We've watched it countless times since and I love it, it's one of my faves from my childhood. I did also try him on the Goonies but think he's a bit young for that still. Never Ending Story next! 

9) Playdates - I hate that word but it is what it is! We've had lots of fun catch ups with our little group of friends and they are made so much nicer by having abit of sunshine. It means the kids can play outside and hopefully spend less time wrecking people's houses!! I've been having to carry more spare clothes for Elliot though, one sniff of a water table and he's there drenched to the bone. Oh well, as long as he's having fun!

10) The expansion of our business - My husband opened our first Laptop Fixers shop in 2009 and through a lot of hard work he has been able to open a 2nd larger store. Excitingly, last week he picked up the keys to our new 3rd shop! It's in a great little area called Broadstone and I hope we will be very busy there. 

What things have you enjoyed this month? Feel free to comment on my Facebook page

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