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Our #HealthyRedMeat Challenge
This post is an entry for the BritMums #HealthyRedMeat, sponsored by the Meat Advisory Panel.

Our go to meat is usually chicken as it’s a firm family favourite however we do also enjoy red meat from time to time too. Working with Britmums and the Meat Advisory Panel I was provided with a £10 voucher to go and grab some read meat and get cooking. I felt quite inspired and wanted to make some really tasty meals for the family. I decided on our meat and purchased some lean diced casserole beef and a lovely big portion of lamb for a roast dinner. I very rarely make a roast dinner because I’m not really a fan but Evie absolutely loves them and Adam and I both enjoyed the change to our usual Sunday food.

Using the beef we made a big tasty beef stew with lots of vegetables, lentils and dumplings. I seared the beef first and then cooked up onions and garlic. I added the beef back into the onions and cooked for a few minutes before moving over to a big pan of beef stock that I had been simmering. I then roughly chopped our vegetables and added a portion of lentils. The dumplings were added fifteen minutes before I dished everything up.

Using the lamb we had a lovely big roast dinner with roast potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire puddings, carrots, brocolli, cauliflower and a mint gravy. It was really lovely and filling and the lamb was nice and tender. I do really quite like lamb when it’s roasted and it’s not a meat we have very often. Evie wasn’t convinced but I was proud she did actually try some. The beef stew was much more to her taste. We really did go all out with our roast because all the trimmings really make it a tasty, filling and fun meal.

I’ve always enjoyed eating meat and don’t really remember a time without it. I love making chilli, burgers and burritos with mince but it was nice to try making something new this week. I am really trying to educate myself about nutrition and what we put into our bodies to act as fuel, what gives us a boost in vitamins and essential nutrients that we need to function optimally. I really believe that there should be a healthy balance of flavours, textures and colours on every plate and red meat is a good source for this. Some interesting points to consider when thinking about food and what we eat:
Red meat provides a range of important nutrients that are often low in toddlers and children – including iron, zinc, and B vitamins, selenium and potassium.

Red meat has been in the spotlight recently, and experts fear that the nutritional benefits have been overshadowed by misleading negative views. To cut through the confusion, the Meat Advisory Panel, an independent group of health and nutrition experts, is partnering with BritMums to promote red meat in the diets of children.

Dr Emma Derbyshire, a public health nutritionist and mother, says: “Including a small portion of red meat in the diet a few times a week after weaning can help to bridge nutrient gaps and so help to maintain good health through childhood and beyond.”
Do you eat a lot of red meat in your meals?
September 20, 2017
This Is For Girls, And That Is For Boys

I can’t even begin to tell you how much rage “that’s for girls, that’s for boys” makes me feel. Pretty angry to be honest, especially when it’s said to my daughter. I remember learning about gender stereotypes when I was 14 and it shook me then with so much anger. I was determined that if I ever had children, and at 14 I was pretty adamant I never would, never tell them something was for girls and something was for boys because it is a massive lie. A teacher got us to look through the Argos catalogue and see who was playing with trains and mechanic sets and who was playing with dolls and kitchens. It’s still done to this day. It is reinforcing that girls are the homemakers, the babymakers, the cooks, cleaners, the mothers and that’s all they are good for. It’s showing that boys will grow up to do and be, and girls will be left behind. Girls and boys can play, do, be whatever they want to be. They have choices. That is just a simple fact that so many people want to battle against. So many people say oh no you can’t play with that. But what really annoys me most is that it’s not really my daughter that’s told she can’t do this, that or the other but other little boys who are told they can’t play with “girls” things.

I mean, I have an incredibly pink daughter. She loves dressing up, collecting Shopkins and colouring. She also runs incredibly fast, is super strong and active, is fearless and eats so much food. I am talking all the food here. She isn’t afraid to throw a ball around, she gets filthy and have I said she runs fast? She has so much energy. She can be quite reserved at times and yes I suppose I would describe her as feminine. When I was growing up my sister was not the same as me. I was quite feminine growing up and my sister was not. She was boisterous, she threw things, she liked football and can I just say she’s was really good at it. She was a bit scruffy, she doesn’t really do makeup and the first time I saw her in a dress (where she didn’t negotiate carrying a toy gun and a sheriffs badge) was her prom at sixteen. I have never heard anyone say to her that she shouldn’t play football and she should dress nicer because she’s a girl. I don’t really think the issue is with girls.

Now I believe that every parent makes the right decision for bringing up their children. I also believe that children will pick the toys they want to play with. I know a lot of boys that choose cars over dolls and a lot of girls that do the opposite. I know some that do both. Neither option is wrong and children should be free to choose. I know that there are girls that like “girly” things and there are boys that want to hulk smash and play cars all the time. That is completely fine. What I absolutely hate is when my daughter hears that something is for girls, and something is for boys. That boys shouldn’t play with dolls, with makeup, with dressing up things. It doesn’t matter if they’re not interested in it, please don’t say that some things are for girls in front of my daughter. Please don’t say that boys can’t do this, that or the other. It is a horrible thing to say.

What you are effectively saying to my daughter when you say boys can’t play with this, is that only girls should. It’s reinforcing gender stereotypes. It’s so much bigger than just girls and boys playing with toys. Saying it over and over and over is going to make my daughter believe that if she ever sees a boy playing with something he shouldn’t she will feel it’s wrong. You are pushing your stereotypes onto my child and that is not how I parent. I never, ever tell her things are just for boys and just for girls because it is not true. I want my daughter to grow up confident in her own mind that she can do what she wants. If she wants to be a homemaker and raise loads of kids then I will love and support her choice, if she wants to have a city career I will help push her to the top and if she wants to do both then I will be there as her cheerleader.

If I ever have a son and he wants to play with dolls, dress up as a Disney princess and push prams I will buy him what he wants. If he wants to play video games, play football and run all the time I will support him and if he wants to do both then that is absolutely fine with me. I will never, ever tell him that he can’t have what he want’s because it’s “just for girls.” Just because he wants to do things that others might consider girly or feminine will not “turn him gay”. Do you know what it will do? It will lead him into a happy fulfilled life where he fully knows himself and isn’t at risk of suppressing how he feels. It will ensure that he is respectful to women and other men, that he will accept people for their choices that they make in their lives because he has been allowed to do so on his own.

The point is that there are some amazing men out in the world that are makeup artists, chefs, cooks and of course amazing fathers. There are women that are fantastic politicians, bankers, city careers and mothers at the same time. They became who they are because they were allowed to discover what they loved, hopefully free from stereotypes.

You can let your child play with whatever you want. But please don’t tell my daughter that this is for girls, and that is for boys.

September 4, 2017
Top 7 Ways to Get a Better Night’s Sleep When You’re Pregnant
This is a guest post.

It’s hard enough to fall asleep at night on the regular, but now you’re pregnant, and there are other comfort issues at play.

Although there’s really nothing you can do about the kicking and moving (at least until baby comes) there are some things you can do to make yourself as comfortable as possible so that you can get the maximum amount of sleep each night. Because, after all, your baby is growing inside you and you both need as much rest as possible! Check out this infographic which talks about how your mattress affects sleep quality.

Here are my top 7 ways to get a better night’s sleep when you’re pregnant:
1. Find a position that works well for you.
In general, everyone has a sleep position that they prefer. Some people are side sleepers, some are back sleepers, some prefer a fetal position or to sleep on their stomach. When you’re pregnant there are obvious reasons why some positions won’t work for you.

It’s important to note that sleeping on your belly can be dangerous for the baby and for yourself, because it can restrict blood flow to both of you. Know that sleeping on your left side is ideal for your circulation and baby’s blood flow and growth, according to WebMD, but ultimately you should experiment with different positions until you find the one that works the best for you.
1. Invest in a pregnancy pillow.
Pregnancy pillows can be amazing for helping you get comfortable at night. Not only do they make you feel more comfortable but they also position you correctly, and help keep you from assuming positions that might be harmful to you or your baby (like rolling over).

If you’re not sure which pregnancy pillow is the right fit for you, you should check out this helpful list of comparisons from SleepAdvisor.
1. Sleep in just the right spot.
And I don’t mean in your bed. Sometimes your bed is going to be the best place, but when you’re pregnant, that couch, armchair, or futon looks pretty good, too! It all just depends on what makes you feel the most comfortable.

Sometimes it’s going to be the room that gets the coolest within your house, and sometimes it’s going to be in the chair that reclines the farthest. Experiment with different locations, surfaces, and levels to find the best fit for you.
1. Get a Maternity Band.
Maternity Bands aren’t for sleeping with, but wearing one during the day can definitely cut down on your pain at night and allow you to feel more relaxed, leading to better slumber. You can read this article from healthline.com on why Maternity Bands are super helpful during pregnancy.
1. Ease Up on Caffeine & Large Meals Before Bed
You’re pregnant, so you’re likely avoiding caffeine anyway. If you aren’t, you definitely need to, because not only is it bad for baby but it’s also not letting you sleep as much as you should be able to at this point.

Additionally, although you are eating for two (or three), you should limit the size of the meals you eat before bed. Large meals before bed can lead to even more heartburn, indigestion, and it can make your body stay up all night trying to digest the meal, when it should be helping your baby grow.
1. Find Things that Relax You.
This is kind of an obvious one, but a lot of times women get so wrapped up in taking care of their families that they forget to take care of themselves. Make sure you’re doing things for you. Wear comfortable pajamas, put on your favorite movie, take a hot soothing shower, or drink a cup of sleepy time soothing (non-caffeinated) tea.

You should make sure to do whatever it is that makes you feel relaxed right before bed for an amazing slumber. If you don’t necessarily have a relaxation routine, you may want to look into yoga and meditation, and there are specific classes geared towards pregnant women.
1. Limit Electronic Exposure
Finally, as soon as your favorite movie or TV show is over, you should turn it off. The worst thing you can do is try to go to sleep with the television on, or with your mobile phone in your hands. The electronic glare affects your brain and “wakes it up”, leaving it even harder for you to go to sleep.

Not to mention, the jury is still out on whether the emissions from these devices can be harmful for you in large doses. Make sure to be truly unplugged at night so you can go to sleep soundly. Of course, the one thing that you can allow yourself to have electronic wise, is a sleep tracker, which will let you know how much sleep you’re actually getting, and ways you can improve. Here’s an awesome sleep tracker, and some more tips from Candyfloss & Dreams.

Try these simple tips for a better night’s sleep and in no time at all, you’ll not only be sleeping with a baby, you’ll be sleeping like a baby.
August 18, 2017
A Beginners Guide To Cruise Holidays

We’ve had the pleasure of sailing to Bruges and Norway and that has totally converted me to cruising. I remember booking my first cruise and not having a clue what to expect. It was quite daunting actually as it was going to be my first holiday abroad as an adult. I had to take care of insurance and passports and do other adulting tasks like paying for it. We decided on a cruise because it seemed like a faff free way to holiday and after speaking to a travel agent and how passionate she was about cruising we were absolutely sold. I was also inspired to cruise because of my grandparents who had cruised along the Fjords and loved it. I wanted to visit Norway and this seemed like an ideal way to visit the country and get a real taste for the scenery. I’ve now been on a couple and they are my preferred way to travel. I don’t particularly like flying, I don’t get seasick and I like the fact that as soon as you’re on the boat you’re on holiday.

Choosing Your Cruise line

There are so many cruise companies out there it’s really hard to choose who to cruise with. I would advise considering one that depart from the UK for your first cruise. P&O Cruises and Royal Caribbean both cruise from Southampton which cut down our options a lot. We went with P&O as we liked the fact that everything on board was in £’s and that was what was recommended to us. P&O are a good company to start cruising with, I think, and have a great range of amazing holidays. Do your research before hand and find a company that has everything you need on offer for your party. Travel Loving Family have posted some amazing tips for cruising with kids that is worth reading when considering who to cruise with.

Choosing Your Cabin

A lot of companies allow you to choose a cabin when you book a cruise. Sometimes you have to pay a bit more for this. P&O have a ‘select’ price option which enables you to choose your exact cabin so you know your cabin number before you board. I find this very handy as you can easily locate it on the ship when you book. You can have a flexi option where you’ll be given your room number a few weeks before you sail. Cabins choices are inside, outside, with balcony or suite. We love a balcony as it gives you a little more space and it’s so nice to relax privately. However those on a budget, do not let an inside cabin put you off. You can easily get a breathe of fresh air 24 hours a day being on deck and there is a lot of seating and plenty of places to relax. Those with children, choose a ship with a kids club which will give you all a bit of extra breathing room. With P&O the kids club is free, but it’s important to register early on in the cruise.

You can also select if your cabin will be at the Aft (back) Forward (front) or Midship (the middle). Apparently those that worry about seasickness a midship cabin that’s lower to the ground is your best best.

What’s Included?

Most Cruise Ships come with Full Board which basically includes all the food. P&O include Tea, Coffee, Hot Chocolate at meals and with room service. Juices and Water is also easily accessible. All other drinks need paying for however most ships operate by using a cruise card. This is swiped when you make a purchase and you may at the end of your holiday. You can usually purchase drinks packages prior to sailing. Some of these include premium coffees, soft drinks and wines. Other cruise liners offer more complete drinks packages to include cocktails, beers and spirits too. Buying a drinks package can be a great saving.

Evening entertainment, cinema screenings, swimming and the gym are all usually included in the cost of your cruise. I quite like the evening shows to be honest. I especially like a comedian and on our cruise to Norway we saw two who were very funny. The dance and music productions are pretty good too, if a little cheesy, but a fun way to pass the time in the evening. Some of the kids clubs operate until a little later too with movie nights to give you a chance to enjoy some time as adults.

What isn’t included?

Excursions – these an be booked in advance or during sailing

Tips – you can pay in advance for this with some companies and each company usually has a different policy. If service is not satisfactory you can remove tips from your account or choose to tip individually. With Royal Caribbean you still need to pay tips with any drinks even if you pay tips in advance.

Premium Dining – this is usually bookable prior to sailing or on the ship and includes a cover charge per person. It’s usually very fine dining and a great chance to try lots of different food.

Spa Treatments – again, companies include packages you can prebook or you can pay with your cruise card on the ship

Dressing for Dinner

Dressing when cruising is always a topic of conversation, you want to know what to pack! Every cruise will usually have at least one formal occasion evening where you are given the chance to dress up. I really like this actually especially when sailing from Southampton where there is no baggage allowance. I believe Norwegian Cruise Lines do not have a dress policy as they feel this is more family friendly. Children are fine in smart casual dress. Men will be required to wear shoes and jackets. I think women have a lot more freedom on these formal occasions to be honest. On our 2 night cruise there was one formal night and one smart casual night. On our 7 night cruise there were 2 formal nights. One was a Captain’s Gala and the other was a black and white theme which was a lot of fun. Annoyingly you don’t know the theme until you’re on board.

Adam and I 2015

Cruising is a really lovely way to travel and has many perks. I hope this has helped you prepare a little for your first cruise and you have a wonderful time.

I’d love to hear any top cruising tips you have?

August 16, 2017
My Breastfeeding Story – I Could Not Cope

I wouldn’t say I’m an advocate for breastfeeding. In fact I have hardly talked about my early day parenting struggles on the blog because I didn’t really think anyone would care but I’ve read countless amount of stories about breastfeeding recently with it being National Breastfeeding Week. I’m not really sure why there needs to be a national breastfeeding week to be honest. I’m not entirely sure why I’m even bothering to write this. So many will disagree, some will agree, a lot of people really wont care but hey, why not share my thoughts and failures too. If it helps. Late to the party, as usual.

I’ve already written about how I feel like I’ve failed my daughter and all the parenting mistakes and mishaps I’ve had. Well, not all but still. I know that breastfeeding is natural and anyone who wants to and can should and should be free to do it wherever they want. I get that people want to defend the right to feed. I don’t agree that mothers should be ushered into a public bathroom to feed their baby. I think that’s appalling actually. I also don’t understand why it’s a common debate between other parents. How does the way another mother feed their baby affect you? Mothers that bottle feed feel judged, mothers that breastfeed feel judged. Surely, as mothers, we feel judged all the time about every single parenting decision we make, can we not just cool off on this one choice? I once spoke to a midwife who said I couldn’t care less how you feed your baby, as long as the baby is fed what does it matter? I wish more people had this attitude.

I breastfeed in total for 16 weeks, the majority of it was combination fed and it was awful. It wasn’t beautiful, it was exhausting. I didn’t enjoy it. I didn’t have support. I didn’t want to feed in public because I didn’t want to get my boobs out in all there massive glory. I also needed about eight cushion to support Evie around my flat tyre belly and I was so scared to move properly because I was terrified I’d rip a stitch from my c-section. I don’t think breastfeeding is beautiful in the same way I don’t think child birth is beautiful. It’s just something that happens…I don’t understand comments that say it’s oh so beautiful and glorious and wonderful. I don’t think I’ll ever see it like that.

My breastfeeding journey was rubbish. When Evie was three weeks old I was told by a nursery nurse I had never met before who came to my house that I was doing a rubbish job, that Evie wasn’t gaining enough weight, that I should give up, that I was a failure. She was absolutely vile to me and I reported her to my health visitor for her attitude. I was 21, I was vulnerable, I was in a horrible relationship, a new mother, recovering from major abominable surgery and I had to face that. So not only was I dealing with the horrible cluster feeds, bleeding nipples, overwhelming tiredness that made me cry, the inability to sleep in my own bed because it was too high for me but to be told I was failing was too much. I gave in, I went to formula and I got a decent night sleep. Evie also started putting on weight. She slept through the night at seven weeks and has done ever since. I don’t feel guilty about my decision to change.

Having another baby has been a very real topic in our household for the last few months although we haven’t decided when it’s brought back a lot of feelings and questions. Do I really want to breastfeed again? Yes, because I do believe that those first 16 weeks gave Evie some goodness which stopped her being so sickly. I’m going to be less fat which will make movement easier (post birth I mean, because I am losing weight!). I’m going to have a supportive partner who actually loves me. However, I do not want to exclusively breastfeed. I don’t want to attempt to do it in public and that is a totally personal choice. I don’t care if other people want to do it, I don’t want to. I don’t want to be the only one that gets up in the night. I want to be able to go out and see family without being dictated by the boob feeds. I want to express and if that doesn’t work I will formula feed.

But I worry. I worry if I start breastfeeding that my baby will not take a bottle and then I’ll be stuck doing something that I understand is good and healthy and natural but something I don’t enjoy. Something that makes me feel trapped and scared because I might not do it right. Something that means it will completely be down to me and I don’t want to be the only feeding parent. The thought of it makes me anxious and makes me want to not even try. I don’t care that this makes me selfish, my body is mine. I know people will probably be thinking oh you might feel different next time around, it gets easier, you might enjoy it. I won’t. I know I won’t because I know that I will get those thoughts of NO in my mind so strongly that out of sheer stubborness I won’t feel happy about it if I can’t express, combination feed or use a bottle. I need options in my life.

So my message is to those that feel like you’re failing for whatever reason you’re not. Don’t let anyone judge your right to choose how you parent, how you feed. Do what works absolutely best for you. Get yourself informed, seek support from and don’t judge yourself. There is a story behind every successful breast and bottle fed baby. Seek them out.

August 14, 2017