It's ok not to be Supermum!

We'd all love to be Supermum. The ones who have time to cook everything from scratch, play with their child and be super creative. I thought I'd be this kind of mum. When I was pregnant, I had visions of me and my baby baking cookies, painting with potatoes and never ever getting cross with him.
And then he was born and I realised that was a dream. Some mums are lucky enough to be like that. Unfortunately, that just wasn't meant for me. I try to cook everything from scratch but there are some days where I'm that tired, I feel like my eyes are going to fall out. So freezer food is the only choice for dinner. I also hate the mess and washing up made from cooking so some days I'm just too lazy to clean that mess up! So I avoid the cooking in the first place!
I haven't been creative in the slightest! I started making a button H canvas for Henry's room. I started it 5 months ago and it's still sat unfinished. I would love to be more creative but I just can't get into that mindset.
And I do get angry with him. Those times where I repeatedly say no while he pressed buttons on the Sky box. Or when he acts like I'm trying to rip his face off when all I want to do is wipe his snotty nose!

It's ok not to live up to those expectations.  I've had such a difficult time with Henry lately. He's whinging at every little thing. Gone are the days where he could play on his own while I got on with housework. Nowadays, Timmy Time is constantly on the TV while I try to clean/cook/put a wash on. He's also taken to waking up at 6am but he'll go back to sleep when we bring him into our bed. But by that point, I'm awake..and then tired by midday. So my nerves are on edge anyway.
I felt bad that I was getting annoyed at him. I thought he must be in pain or tired. And then I stopped feeling guilty. I still try everything to make him happy again. But I remember that I'm only human. I'm not Supermum.

And so it begins...

Hello all!

So a monumental thing happened this week. After months and months of rocking on all fours, Henry finally crawled! There was no warning to it, no signs..he just did it! I think he knew I'd had a particularly bad day that day and wanted to cheer me up ;)

There's no stopping him now. I put him down on the rug and he's off, crawling to the other side of the room to play with his walker (the noisiest thing he owns). I've just watched him pull himself up to grab his stacking rings off his toybox! Looks like this weekend will be spent looking for stair gates and safety equipment!

On another note, his birthday is coming scarily close! We bought his first present last week and his cake smash is almost booked and sorted. We're having a little party for him at my mums house 2 days before, we've decided on a pirate theme. It'll make some really good pictures! (I'll apologise for the birthday spam you'll inevitably get between now and then ;)). And then on his actual birthday, we're taking him to the zoo. I think we're more excited then he is haha!

Until next time
Shannon x

Dear Stranger...

Dear Stranger,
There are so many things I wish I could say to you right now. They range from very polite to me basically ripping your head off. But they all have the same theme..stop staring!

Yes, my child is crying. And yes, I know what's wrong with him and I've also done everything I can to help him. He's teething. Haven't you ever had a toothache, maybe a wisdom tooth cutting or just general pain? Imagine not being able to express how much it hurt. You'd scream wouldn't you? Because that's all you know. Well, that's the same with my son. His 7th tooth is coming through and as he can't talk yet, he's letting me know through crying.

I'm not going to lie, it does my head in too. The crying is bad enough but knowing I can't do anything to take my baby's pain away..that hurts. I'm his mother, I'm supposed to make everything better for him but I've just got to sit back and wait for it to subside or for his medicine to kick in. You've just been listening to it for 10 minutes, I've had it for 3 days! Ask any mother, teething is her arch nemesis!

But the worst thing of all? It's being judged by you. The silent looks that say it all. Staring like I'm not doing anything to stop my baby from making any noise. Please don't stare..or even worse, turn around to stare. I'm doing my best. Hearing my baby sob his little heart out makes me want to cry but you, the stranger I've never met before? You make me want to go home and hide until he's better.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, stop judging. Don't you remember what it's like to have a young baby? And if you've never had children, ask a friend or family member what it's like. Maybe that will give you some enlightenment and stop making good mothers feel inadequate.

InstaWean Team Challenge - Cauliflower dippers!

Hello all!

This week I was given the opportunity to be part of the InstaWean Team. Every week, a group of 9 mummas and one guest account get given an ingredient and they all have to make something yummy with that ingredient. They've done Brussel sprouts and asparagus so far. This week was cauliflower so this was the ingredient I had to use.

I chose to do cauliflower dippers. They sound vile but they were really nice! It surprised me how nice they were and the great thing was, the cauliflower wasn't visible so children (or adults) who don't like cauliflower wouldn't know it was in there. The cheese and herbs overpower it (in a good way!)

Anyway, here's the recipe...

You will need:

1 cauliflower

1 beaten egg

1 tsp mixed herbs

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Handful of grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees c or 425 degrees f.

Chop the cauliflower head into chunks, removing the core. Add the chunks to a food processor and blitz until it resembles rice. 

Heat an inch of water in a pan and when it's boiling, add the cauliflower chunks and steam (with a lid on the pan) for about 5 mins. 

Drain and when it's cool enough, put it inside a clean tea towel. Gather up the corners of the tea towel and squeeze all the liquid out you can.

Add the cauliflower to a bowl with all the other ingredients and half the cheese. Mix well. 

Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and spread the mixture into a rectangle. 

Bake for 30 mins or until it's a golden brown. 

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake for another 10 mins until it's melted. 

Cut into strips and serve with your favourite dip! 

I had a lot of fun participating in this challenge and I'll definitely be taking part in future challenges at home!

Until next time

Shannon x