I love a challenge.... Whether I complete it is a different matter! So I saw on Twitter #blogtober16 and thought that's right up my street - a daily blog entry for each day of October which means I will get an hours break from my children whilst they are in Daddy Daycare! Where can I sign up!
Day 31: Happy Halloween
It's OVER! I survived Blogtober 2016! I'm very surprised at this and relieved it's over. At first it was great fun unfortunately we were then hit with baby Ralph being admitted to hospital for the week and no end of sickness bugs! Goodbye Blogtober I can promise I will want to repeat this experience next year when I will have three little minions to run round after but you never know! Halloween for the Dearsleys was lots of fun and this mama is very happy with the stash of sweets that we collected last night! Over and out!
Day 30: A letter to someone
Dear Sid, Ralph & bump,
This is your young pregnant mum writing to you on a Sunday morning whilst she is full of cold and feeling horrendous. You're currently running around me with cars and dinosaurs giggling hysterically! The house is messy and we have just had a week of three lots of visitors but you don't seem to notice or mind your mums messy house habits or haphazard way of bumbling through the day!
I hope that you both carry on being full of life and endless in your energy supplies. As soon as you both wake up you are on the go which yes can be draining but also gives me the much needed kick in the bum that I need in the morning. You have forced me to be a very active mum which I love you for. We never have a dull moment or a chilled day at home (unfortunately) but I hope that at the end of our journey that will mean we have created some wonderful memories as a soon to be family of 5 and have lots of LOL moments to look back on.
Sid The Kid, from day one you have just got it. Daddy says you have an old soul and I think that sums you up perfectly. You get jokes that you shouldn't and are the biggest windup merchent going. You are super caring, sensitive, boisterous and sociable all in one little man. I loose count of the amount of people you invite back to our house on a daily basis, usually blonde attractive ladies at playgroups or the man from down the road walking his dog (who I'm sure thinks I am using you to try and pick him up!) You have been the most amazing big brother to our little rottweiller Ralph and I can't wait for you to protect another little Dearsley. You are dying for it to be a girl and be called Donnetello - good luck with that one!
Ralph you are the funniest little wind up toy toddling around. Usually a few inches behind Sid who you are either fiercely protecting when you think he is being attacked (he is actually play fighting with friends) or you are the one attacking him because you have an obsession with his hot wheels cars and will not let up until you have one in each chubby fist. You are fearless in every aspect of life and quite happy to try and fling yourself off the highest climbing frame or spin around until your so dizzy that you cant stand for 5 minutes. Your introduction into the world of superheros and playfighting has been far too premature but hopefully that's not a bad thing. If it is sorry about that!
If you ever read this post then here are some pearls of wisdom from your now totally uncool and wrinkly mother:
1. Do what makes YOU happy.
2. Don't regret things you've done in life you will only ever regret the things you didn't do.
3. Treat women like the goddesses we are! You would not believe the sacrificies my body and sanity have made birthing and raising you!
4. Anything you want to achieve is possible if you work hard enough
5. There is no problem too big that can't be resolved! Just ask for help....off me not your dad he will have a major panic and meltdown I am the calming sensible one that will always find a solution.
Actually let me add another pearl....
6. Life isn't fair! The sooner you get your head round this concept the better off you will be. Whatever hand life deals you find a solution or option and adapt. Don't waste time feeling pity for yourself at what happened because that can't be changed. Move on and make the best of the situation.
Love as Always
Mama
xxxxxxx
Day 29: Three confessions of your choice
1. I'm not a morning person and make no apologies for it
2. I am a very messy person - clean but messy.
3. I have an awful habit of starting a project and never finsihing it. This blog is very much a test of this issue!
Day 28: Favourite instagram photo
This was such a wonderful moment. I very much took control over my second birth and it really paid off. I set ground rules with my husband and family and it was the best thing I ever did! I retreated like an injured cat for the majority of it and was by myself with my tens machine. Then in the last 90 minutes involved hubby. He is a total stress head and panicker so I learnt from my first birth I needed to stay well away from him as I am the complete opposite. After arriving at the birthing centre I had 57 minutes in the birthing pool before Ralph made his appearance. It was as though he had read my birthing plan everything just went so smoothly and was so relaxed it was one of the best experiences of my life. Sid was with us throughout and was incredible, he would rub my back or hold my hand and say "it's ok mummy". For Ralph's appearance he was front row munching a banana but that picture is on my husband's instagram feed so can't qualify for this title!
Day 27: Place I would most like to visit
Thailand! Eternally on my list of holiday goals! Hopefully one day soon it will happen! So wish I had gone prior to having children!
Day 26: Top 10 all time favourite songs
What a hard one I love music so to pick just ten is so hard! Warning my taste is very random! As they say on xfactor in no particular order:
1. John Legend - Ordinary People
2. Sister Sledge - I'm thinking of you
3. Finlay Quay - Your love gets sweeter everyday
4. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell -Your all I need to get by
5. Plan B - Ill manors
6. Leathal Bizzle - Pow
7. Artic Monkeys - When the sun goes down
8. Amy Winehouse - My tears dry on their own
9. Laura Mvula - Green garden
10 Kayne West - Fade
Day 25: What superpower would you most like to have
The power of speed. I'd love to be able to speed up the laundry process and getting us all ready and out of the house!
Day 24: Disney character I most identify with at the moment
Cinderella except there's no ball or fancy clothes just constant house chores!
Day 23: Favourite time of the year and why
Has to be Christmas! Since having children I absolutely love it. I have many tradition which drive my husband insane but I think I have now successfully brainwashed him into loving it too. Christmas for me starts after we have had our family day in London. This always sounds idlylic in my head and as you can imagine as the day progresses and crowds get bigger it can become quite hardwork. We do a trip to harrods to see Father Christmas, take the kids around the toy department to let them compile their christmas list. Now this experience is amazing however the downside is you have to book in August. This is my husbands least favourite time of the year as I get so anxious that I'm not going to get a slot as it sells out in minutes! Its like glastonbury for sad parents! This is year 4 of being able to go so the alarm setting and panicking is so far paying off!
From Harrods we go on to Fortnum and mason and pick a tree decoration, it's my dream that eventually I'll have a christmas tree full of F&M decorations! A girl can dream right! Stop off for a refuel in their Parlour for milkshakes all round! Then pop to Winterwonderland to unleash the little ones for a run around. It is exhausting but great fun and I will be devastated when the kids no longer let me dictate this holiday tradition!
After this I get to crafting at home it's a tradion for Sid to now make our xmas cards and potato stamp our wrapping paper. Last year our Elf on a shelf Burt joined us got up to no good for the month of December! This year I have two stockings to make Ralph's (ooops! couldn't fit it in last year!) and the bumps! And their xmas sacks! So xmas crafting will be starting in November this year in a bid to fit it all in before baby number 3 arrives!
And not forgetting the kids festive garms and our xmas jumpers just to finish things off! I am Christmas barmy!
Day 22: My biggest accomplishment
I feel like I've accomplished quite a lot but the main one has to be getting our little London terrace. We are three years into renovating it now and just have the kitchen extension left to do. Its been a hard slog but I cannot wait until it's finished I will be so proud of me and hubby when it's all done. We somehow managed to buy a house in our dream area when prices were going crazy. Yes it was pretty much derelict and needed completely gutting but we are now 85% of the way through and we did it all ourselves and I couldn't be prouder. Add to that that we got the keys to the property 2 weeks before I gave birth to our first born and am now on our third pregnancy I think this has to be the biggest accomplishment - that and staying married throughout!
Day 21: What am I afraid of
Not much to be honest I'm happy to catch a spider in a cup and don't mind being in the house at night by myself. My main fear is probably being stuck in the house all day with no adult company! That scares me and something I rarely let happen, I get cabin fever being in the house with the kids. My boys are like dogs and need several trips out for a run around and to harass other kids!
Day 20: 5 super cool things about the place where you live
1. South Woodford is on the tube line which is now 24 hours! My pre baby self would have been over the moon about this. Hopefully post baby 3 I will be able to make use of this money saver!
2. Can quickly escape the smog and be in the Essex countryside in 5 mins for some fresh air
3. One hour away from the Essex and Kent Coast
4. I live on THE friendliest street ever. Anyone who says Londoners don't know their neighbours needs to come to my street. I have been saved many times by babysitting favours, an emergency moan and cup of tea and lots of playdates to keep the boys entertained.
5. I have a corner shop which gets used A LOT for emergency milk and sweet runs!
Day 19: 10 favourite foods
1. liqourice
2. sweet chilli sensations
3. tzatziki
5. sourdough bread
6. thick cut marmalade
7. Rose turksih delights
8. Dates
9. Watermelon
10. Pineapple
Day 18: Zodiak sign and does it fit you
I am cancerian which apparently means the following:
Cancerians can seem easygoing, sympathetic, and patient one minute, then cranky and irritable the next. Because of this ability to make a sudden change, Cancer is the least predictable of all signs. They are ruled by the moon and have water as their element, so their mood swings can be compared to the turbulence of the shifting tides. If they feel they need to, they will retreat to their own emotional shell to keep others out. However, Cancerians can be very sympathetic to others and readily show their affection. Cancerians are also very emotional and sensitive, which may be why they are so empathetic towards others. Cancerians need a lot of attention due to their unpredictable character, but if you give them the support they need, they will offer you their undying loyalty and love. Cancerians are very intuitive, almost to the point of being psychic. They are able to spot even the smallest change in another's behaviour, so it is hard to deceive them. They are very insightful and most have a good memory. The combination of these two skills plus their excellent observation skills makes them very aware of the ulterior motives of others.
Taken from exploreastrology.co.uk
This has made me laugh out loud!!!! My husband will definately agree with the mood swings. he often jokes that when he puts his key in the door he doesn't know who will be at home Jekyll or Hyde! I don't see myself as unpredictable but definately agree with the intuitive part. I've always said I am a very good judge of character so maybe this explains why!
Day 17: Favourite concert you have ever attended
This is a hard one as I used to love going to music gigs in my previous life! I'm going to pick Laura Mvula at Islington Town hall. It was before the release of her album or any TV appearances so was really small and intimate and she was phenomenal! I think she's won mainly because this was my first night out after having my first babe Sid and after 8 weeks of not drinking or eating a hot meal uninterrupted it was great to be free! We were gone for a whole 5 hours and it felt so odd not having my little minion attached to me!
Day 16: Piercings and tatoos
I got my bellybutton pierced on a holiday to Newquay when I was 14 without my parents permission! That will come back to bite me on my parenting journey won't it! Looking back it was best decision ever what a way to celebrate having a slim toned stomach! My first wedding anniversary present was a voucher for a local tattoo shop so that me and the hubby could get matching tattoos! Cheesy I know but better than most other paper alternatives! Anyway due to either being pregnant or breastfeeding since May 2013 I haven't been able to get the tattoo! I am determined after baby number 3 is out and I am no longer being milked like a cow that I will get that tattoo! Because it's now been so long I want about 5 and also want my nose pierced! This could just be my hormones talking though but watch this space!
Day 15: Timeline of my day
Saturday 15th October
7:01am wake up by my 3 year old Sid. Husband sent down to start the breakfast carnage! As its a Saturday I make sure I get at least an hour extra in bed and a break from my usual weekday routine
8:30 am venture downstairs to daddy day care where its been a free for all for breakfast and the children are watching a movie eating biscuits
11:00am We are finally all showered and dressed and en route to Victoria Park in Mile end. This is one of my favourite parks in London. The kids can run wild whilst me and hubby get a nice coffee and lunch in nearby pub People's Park Tavern. This pub has live music and is full of kids so there's no need for us to worry about the level of the boys shouting or tearing around!
3:00pm Pirate and Princess party of Sid's bestie Aimee. I think it's my hormones but kid's parties in someones house at the moment are giving me high levels of anxiety. This is mainly because Sid gets off his face on E numbers and then has one speed of travel - running!
6:00pm home from the party no need for dinner and Sid is buffetted out and Daddy daycare fed Ralph our 18 month old. Everyone is exhausted so there will be no complaints from the kids at bedtime.
6:30pm bath, this is pretty much non negotiable the kids have to be bathed everyday as they get so filthy throughout the day. I have no idea how they achieve this. They are like truffle pigs and can sniff out a pile of mud, deep puddle and bugs no matter where we are!
7:00pm bedtime....pretty much my favourite part of the day. When I was working I didn't mind the kids going to bed later as it was nice to spend time with them when I got home from work. However now I'm at home permanently come 7pm there us no negotiation except for very very special circumstances. Both kids must be in their beds so that this mama can start rebuilding her sanity again!
8:00pm after slumping for an hour debating what I can make for dinner the chinese take away is out. Current boxset to chow down to is Westworld. I'm totally confused and have no idea what's going on most of the time but hoping it all makes sense in.just.one.more.episode!
11:00pm bedtime ready for bowling tomorrow morning! I'm sure my weekends used to be more relaxed!
Day 14: meaning behind my blog name
Mama Makes was created to support a craft group I have set up to for Mamas and kids. It's just at the beginning of it's journey and I've already learnt that blogging and keeping up to date in the whole social media world as well as having two young kids and being pregnant is hardwork! The most recent event was a Pom Pom making class at The Duke Wanstead where I taught a wonderful group of kids on half term the beauty of making a woollen Pom Pom. We ended up with an array of Pom Poms that decorated all sorts of hair accessories and knitted hats. The kids, a group of boys and girls loved it and we had lots of fun. Next up we are planning the xmas workshops and have a lot of great ideas brewing that both mum and kids will LOVE!
Day 13: What's in my fridge
The positive side of having kids means that my fridge is now mostly healthy! My house will look like its been ransacked but I like cooking fresh and hate ready made food so my fridge looks like it belongs to a health guru.......unless my husband has been responsible for the food shop then it will look like iceland!
Day 12: What's in my handbag
I can start with whats not in my handbag. My house keys and car keys are always AWOL and usually account for me being late 95% of the time to events! I take 50% responsibility for this the other 50% lays with my son Sid who likes to call my keys treasure and makes it a daily mission to hide them!
Easiest summery to show what's in my bag is one of these fashionista flat lays! Of course theres always a rogue packet of raisins and have eaten bag of rice cakes that usually empties itself out. I'm currently on a backpack as being hugely rotund at seven months preganant means I need balancing out!
Day 11: Your favourite type of animal
My husband...joking! I love lions and penguins. Is that answer allowed? Are they types of animals? We are now regular attendees to farms and zoo's thanks to our increasing brood. These two animals always make me smile the penguins are just so frigging cute the way they waddle about (similar to me at the moment) and dive into the water. The lions up close are absolutely incredible animals.
I always find the zoo bitter sweet though as it seems so awful the animals being caged in such small environments. I'm sure they are well looked after but part of me wishes they were just set free (not around London obviously) in their natural habitat.
Day 10: One thing you can't live without
Easy - WhatsApp. my husband calls me a WhatsApp addict! I love it and will happily sit on it in the evening chatting nonsense to all my besties! I am very confused but people who don't use it ALL the time! How do you people communicate with other humans?! My excuse is that my closest friends live way up north and a lot of them have kids or busy careers so our days of hour long conversations are over. This is the best way for us to stay in contact and discuss all the important things like what we ate for lunch, how annoying our husbands are being and what disaster our child has created in the house. It's one of the few things that keeps me sane on a day to day basis!
Day 9: Favourite movies you never get sick of watching
Ok today's post is going to be super short as I've been a pom pom production line and its past this mama's bedtime!
1) Save the last dance
2) The business
3) Goodfellas
4) Elf
5) Stepbrothers
Done!
Day 8: Favourite TV Shows
I am a boxset series addict, once the kids are in bed and jobs done you will usually find me on a four hour marathon of a TV series. If I listed all my favourite ones it will be a crazy long post so I will keep it to my top 10! In no particular order as they say on the X Factor!
1) The Get Down - Next purchase will be a pair of red pumas and a red leather jacket! Fact
2) Better Call Saul - Nearly named my second child after Saul as I was so obsessed! Pregnancy hormones!
3) Orange is the New Black - Chocolate and vanilla swirls!
4) Sons of Anarchy - Jax Teller need I saw anymore!
5) The affair - Could not stop watching I had a major back to back binge of these series.
6) Game of Thrones - So sad it is coming to and end
7) Homeland - Love love love Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison
8) The Wire - currently rewatching
9) Luther - Anyone who doesn't love Idris Elba isn't worth knowing in my book
10) Narcos - current boxset keeping me up til 1am
Day 7: What made you start blogging.....
I am currently still cringing a bit when people say "how is the blog going?". Just to confirm I do not think of myself as a budding journalist, an amazing writer or a blogger! Three weeks in and I am realising how hard it is to assign time to just typing a few lines. I have a new found respect for people who have carved out careers through their online blogs and social media personas. I've dived head first into twitter, instagram, facebook and stumble not having much of a clue about how to use most of it. It currently feels like i'm sinking in quicksand trying to figure it all out.
The reason I started the "Mama Makes" blog was to support a new business idea to give me a bit of pocket money whilst on my career break. I've always loved crafting since I was little and it was blown into a full time obsession when I got married. We had an exact thirteen thousand pound budget which my parents kindly gave us. As we were saving to buy our first house at the time we couldn't go a penny over that. Now to me that was a shed load of cash however once we started looking at venues we soon realised that would only cover a few glasses of champs and some soggy canapes. I soon discovered weddings carried the same price tag as a London home - Ridonculous!!!! So in the 10 months we had to plan the wedding, 90% of it ended up being homemade. I know I'm biased but it looked incredible (can I say that?!?) We even got thank you cards from guests after the day thanking us for inviting them to such a unique wedding. Here is just a taster of the things we did; We made bunting; learnt how to pyrograph; made jam and chutney wedding favours; brewed homemade brandy and gin; made a broach bouquet; designed the wedding stationary; pimped up 67 glass vases I collected from charity shops; got up at 6am to collect flowers from Spalding flower market the day before the wedding. I even became a budding florist for the day making the button holes, bouquets and my flower crown. This isn't even an exhaustive list but I will be here all day if I type out the crazy things we did in order to save the odd £100. Since then I've always wanted to do something on the side of my career homemade-esque but couldn't decide what. God love my husband for putting up with my ever expanding craft corner everytime I would come up with a new idea!
So at the beginning of 2016 I decided I wanted to set up a mama and kids craft club which led to "Mama Makes" being born. So 9 months later after lots of talking about it I finally started firstly with the blog and now my first event on 26th October at The Duke Wanstead. I will be teaching lots of excitable 6+ kids the beauty of making a yarn pom pom and I can't wait!I read an article the other day about blogging which said most fail before the six month mark because people don't realise how time consuming they are. So here's to hoping I can keep it up as in 12 weeks we will become a family of five and even finding time to wee will become a mission!
Day 6: Favourite birthday or christmas present.....
I am a very sentimental person and a big time hoarder.....an issue I am working on! My favourite birthday present has to be my eiffel tower links of london charm. My braclet is starting to make me look like Mr T as it is full of charms but this one will always be my favourite. It was bought for me by my hubby on my birthday after we took a daytrip to Paris. It wasn't just any old day trip it was a valentine's present for him which I bought a couple of days before the birth of our first baby. I know what your thinking how romantic a trip together without the baby, strolling around Paris drinking wine, eating pastries holding hands and kissing. Reminding ourselves why we love each other so much. Well it was nothing like that! In my pregnancy haze I thought how romantic to take our 6 week old baby to Paris with us and booked all three of us onto the Eurostar! On the day we woke at 2.30am, took an overpriced taxi to Kings Cross St Pancras to catch the first Euro Star of the day. We took turns in holding the baby whilst the other slept, and then exited the train to rush hour Monday morning in Paris. An extra V-day present that I tagged on was experiencing extreme anxiety! The crowds made me totally panicky and I had a freaked out every time we walked along the Seine thinking that baby Sid was going to get blown into the water. After a few hours of being extremely irrational I was able to calm down and enjoy the day. We had a wonderful day strolling around stopping to breastfeed and nappy change outside all the main attractions, the eiffel tower, La Louvre, L'arc De triomphe. On the train home an exhausted Peter wearily asked if next year I could just get him a pair of socks! I always have a little giggle when I see that charm what an awful present to get a new sleep deprived baby! Wonder if this daytrip is doable with three kids under four?!
Day 5: What career did you have planned as a child......
I always wanted to be a hairdresser as a child. This is pretty comical now as I have had so many hair disasters and day to day my hair usually resembles a birds nest. My worst hair moment was when my older sister decided to save me some money and chemically straighten my hair with an unbranded substance she got off brixton market for a tenner. All seemed great until half my hair started to fall out and of course this all took place on the same day that I had a date! Magic timing! My next career choice was accountant however after A-Level maths I was well and truly over that idea. Then I trotted off to uni and was more concerned about what hotpants I would be wearing to the student union and who my latest crush was on. Until the final year of uni when one day watching the BBC1 programme "missing' on BBC1 I decided it looked like fun to try and find missing people. After pinging my application off to the Met I have never looked back. Below is a little 22 year old Nareece getting ready to patrol the streets of Haringey, so naive and hopeful bless her!
Day 4: Share a secret about yourself.....
I've really struggled with today's post as I have a very bad habit of telling my friends and anyone with ears things that shouldn't be told. My secrets are few and far between. The one thing I can think of that noone knows is that when I first started dating my now husband for his birthday I decided to bake him some cookies (That wasn't his only gift, I'm tight but not that tight). I thought that would show off my future wifey potential and impress him. Well in usual Nareece style I didn't have time and ended up buying a ready made mix from Tescos and thought I'd pass them off as home made. I ended up having to give them to him in front of his parents who were over from Spain at the time. His mum was blown away after trying one and was amazed that I had been able to rustle them up. She must have spoken about how amazing they were for about 2 hours straight, asking me about the recipe and how I managed to get them so soft and chewy. I think she might have also said I should think about mass production they were that tasty. Well in for a penny in for a pound I had to run with the pretence and reel off ingredients, methods and other goods I could bake. Seven years later she still raves about those cookies whenever there is a baked good in sight and I just don't have the balls to admit they are actually Betty Crocker!
Day 3: If I won the lottery I would.....
I think like most people every week I plan what I would spend my lottery win on whether I buy a ticket or not! So this post doesn't require much thinking.
1) Clear the mortgage and finish the renovations! After three years of living in what feels like a continual building site I would finish the house and do the kitchen extension. Then I would do a little celebration dance before clearing the mortage.
2) Go on a super duper extravagant holiday somewhere like Mauritius or Bora Bora. It would involve cocktails, sunbathing and lots of reading. However hotel must have a children's club available! FACT!
3) Return home and get a personal trainer, chef and nanny.
4) Get my now super skinny figure (thanks to personal trainer and chef) down to harrods and go crazy in Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen!
All very selfish and indulgent but hey it's a daydream anyway.
Over and out!
Day 2: An old photo of me
This photo is from April 2012 at my hen do. Any picture from my hen do makes me smile as there was not the usual bullying of the hen to get wasted. I was very willingly pouring alcohol down my own gob and making everyone do shots from my penis gun! We went to Ladies Day at Aintree and I think I laughed and drank for three straight days with all my favourite ladies!
If you had told me that 4 years later we would have bought our London house, be pregnant with our third baby and I'd be a stay at home mum I would have choked on my jäger bomb! Nareece 2012 lived for going out, Mr D and I averaged 3 holidays a year and didn't get out of bed before 1pm on a weekend. Little did I know as I force fed my mum alcohol that 1 month later I'd have little Sid starting his journey and life would be changed forever!
Day 1: Who are you?
1. Who are you
So here I am Nareece 32 years young and feeling heavy, uncomfortable and very pregnant! This is my third baby with my lovely hubby Peter and was totally unplanned. We already have two very boisterous men, Sid three years old and Ralph who is one. I'm one of four and after a chaotic noisy childhood I was looking forward to being a 2.4 family unit until we got this little surprise! Now I'm over the shock I am super excited at the prospect of possibly using the girls name we have had banked for the last three years!
I live in East London in a little overpriced Victorian terrace which we have spent the last 3 years renovating. We now just have the kitchen extension to go yay! Very slowly we are catching this monkey!
This year I decided (was kind of forced financially) to take a career break to look after the children. Before the career break I was a Detective in the Met on the Child Abuse Unit. It was fast paced, stressful and emotional but I loved working with children and doing what I could to help people through the criminal justice process.
After a few months of being a full time carer for the kids I have started to design a range of alternative fingerprint trees and set up a craft club for children launching in October half term in The Duke Wansted! Watch this space!
So here are four hugely important facts about me:
1. I love gin and tonic
2. My husband got Danny dyer to propose to me on his behalf (I'm a huge massive gigantic Danny Dyer fan)
3. My biggest claim to fame is that Jermaine Defoe asked me out on a date on my first day out on patrol!
4. I can juggle ( three balls!)
