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Wednesday 30 December 2015

I will stop eating chocolate for breakfast...


I will do more exercise. 
I will stop eating chocolate for breakfast and I will start taking pole lessons again. 
I will tone my tummy and I will drink less wine.
I will swear less, drink less coffee and hoover at least twice a week. 
I will stop turning our bedroom into a floordrobe and I will stop buying pointless numbers of high heels (although is there really such a thing?!) 
I will try to be less grumpy, shave my legs before I start to resemble a yeti, stop taking everything so personally and organise my dvd shelf. 
I will control my shopping problem, walk the dog when it's my turn and stop leaving all the lights on when I go out. 
I will remember to de-frost Luke's tea and wash up last nights bottles as soon as I get up.
I will reply to texts, see friends more and I will do the laundry before the basket starts to overflow. 
I will clean my oven more often and change the cat litter before my kitchen starts to smell like it's going off...

Although now that I look at it all written down, it seems a little unrealistic. So I think my New Years resolution this year shall simply be this. To be the best mummy I possibly can, give cuddles when they are needed and make the most of my little boy. And if we're both still alive at the end of the year, then I will have done a pretty great job. I'm sure clean laundry and shaved legs are hugely over rated anyway...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! 
Binky Linky

Sunday 27 December 2015

Our week in pictures - Christmas Day!

This weeks 'Week in pictures' is more a 'Christmas Day in pictures' post. 

We had the most wonderful first Christmas for Luke. He was spoilt rotten, showered with gifts and got very overexcited about the whole day. He got some wonderful presents although as we expected, his favourite thing about the whole day was the wrapping paper! His least favourite thing was most definitely sprouts - he was not impressed and pulled some hilarious faces! 
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed yourself as much as we did. 

(P.s. Can you tell my family likes sprouts?!) 


Thursday 24 December 2015

Blogmas #24 - A Franukkah celebration

After last night I am feeling well and truly Christmasified!
The year we left school and headed our separate ways, my group of closest girlies and I made a pact. No matter where we were in the world or what we were doing with our lives, we would meet up at Christmas and have a big celebratory catchup. That was 6 years ago and last night we stuck by our promise for yet another year. 
Trains were taken from London, planes were caught from Paris and once again I was reunited with some of my favourite people in the whole world. 

Somewhere along the way, we named this wonderful occasion Franukkah, a mash up of my friends sur-name and Hanukkah. I do believe it's because our first ever Christmas meet up happened to fall on Hanukkah. However there is an equally likely chance that it was simply named after far to many glasses of prosecco. We shall never know. 

Our evening could not have been more stereotypically Christmassy if we tried. We drank mulled wine, we roasted chestnuts, we exchanged gifts and in between hysterical fits of laughter (and dressing my poor son up as a French chef!) we somehow managed to squeeze in watching A Christmas Carol (regular - not muppet!) 

It was a truly magical evening and I can wholeheartedly say that other than Christmas Day itself, Franukkah is most definitely the most wonderful day of my year. For me it would not be Christmas without it. I am extremely blessed to have such wonderful, loving, insane friends and I hope we still celebrate Christmas together when we are old and wrinkly and our boobs are by our knees. If any you are ready this, then thank you for a wonderful Franukkah. Until next year...



Happy Blogmas X

Tuesday 22 December 2015

Blogmas #22 - 5 minute mince pies!

Ok these are not technically mince pies as such. But they are made from pastry and mincemeat so they're the same really (and they look prettier in my opinion)

I stole the idea for these mince pie swirls from a friend of mine. They take 5 minutes to prepare, taste delicious and make the house smell amazing. They're basically the perfect mummy-friendly Christmas bake. 

Ingredients: 
- Ready rolled puff pastry
- Jar of mincemeat 

Unroll the pastry so it's laid out flat and spread the mincemeat evenly across it. 
Then roll it back up, cut into half inch pieces and place the swirls on a baking tray. 

Brush with milk and bake at 180ÂșC for 15 minutes. Dust with icing sugar and voila --- perfect mince pie swirls! **


If you give these a go, be sure to post a picture on Instagram and tag me @nearlyyummymummy. 

Happy Blogmas! X

**DISCLAIMER** these are very more-ish and you may find yourself accidentally eating the whole plate full before anyone else gets a look in. 

Monday 21 December 2015

Blogmas #21 - Favourite Festive Blogs


As I am doing Blogmas this year, I have found myself being drawn to all the Christmassy blog posts as I scroll through Twitter and visit various blogs. So I thought I would share with you some of my favourites, incase you fancy some festive reading to get you in the Christmss spirit!

The top of my list has to be this wonderful Merry Christmas from Rhyming with Wine. As always, her writing made me chuckle and I found myself in hysterics after finding out that her 3 year old calls it Pissmass! If you fancy a giggle you must have a read. To be honest if you like wine and hysterical laughter then you should probably read most of her stuff!

I also love It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year by Sophie Ella & Me. Reading this made me feel so festive and started to get me really excited about Christmas. Great if you're feeling a bit bah humbug and need reminding why Christmas is so wonderful. 

Another one if you need a hand getting in the Christmas spirit is one from Mum Muddling Through. It's an A-Z of what she loves about Christmas and as I scrolled down the page, I got more and more excited about the big day. By the end of it I felt like an overexcited child and couldn't wait another day for Christmas!  
(Plus I have a soft spot for anyone who shares my love of The Muppet Christmas Carol)

And finally a gem from The Unmumsy Mum. She of my all time favourite bloggers and never fails to crack me up. Her 'Why Is Christmas So Fancy These Days' post was wonderful to read, made me chuckle and after a day of getting caught up in the whirlwind of Christmas excitement as I flew round the shops, it brought me back down to reality a bit.(Thank god because if I had come home with the 6ft tree covered in chunky gold glitter that I very nearly bought, I think Pete would have promptly left me...!) 

Those are a few of my favourites from this year, head over and have a read. 



Happy Blogmas! X




Sunday 20 December 2015

Blogmas #20 - Our Week in Pictures

Another week has flown by and there is now only one more to go until Christmas! I can't believe how quickly it has come around and how much I still have to do! 
This week it's more of a 'My' week in pictures really. It has been a week of Christmas parties, celebration and lots of prosecco! 


I had my work Christmas party this week at Goldbrick House in Bristol which was amazing and I would highly recommend. I wore my new dress and felt a million dollars the whole night. The food was delicious and the meal ended with one of he best chocolate brownies I have ever tried. 

We had a festive rhyme time too this week which involved Christmas nursery rhymes, carols and Christmas jumpers! 

I also had a mummy Christmas this week with some of my favourite people in the whole world. It was a prosecco filled night of giggles and something we should definitely do more often! 

Other than that our week had mainly been filled with Christmas shopping and cuddles. Luke's been recovering from being poorly, so I have been running round like a headless chicken trying to pick up the last few presents and find the right ribbon to match my wrapping paper! 

Next weeks 'week in pictures' will, I'm sure, be filled with pictures from our first Christmas Day as a family. I can't wait to share them with you!

What have you all been up to this week? 

Happy Blogmas! X

Saturday 19 December 2015

Blogmas #19 - A baby-less Christmas...

am hugely lucky to be blessed with an amazing group of mummy friends. These gorgeous ladies are there for me whenever I need, to peel me off the floor when I'm having a meltdown, talk things through when marital bliss isn't feeling quite so blissful and make me laugh like I've never laughed before. In short they are very special ladies and I don't know quite what I would do without them. 

A few weeks ago, we decided we needed a well deserved baby-less Christmas. So last night we checked the boys into daddy daycare, put on our highest heels and headed off to the local pub. Prosecco was flowing, the food was delicious and we had several cases of absolute hysteria and uncontrollable giggles. 

It was a truly lovely evening and I walked through my door at 11 o'clock filled with a warm fuzzy feeling (although there's a small chance that was down to the prosecco...). So thank you ladies, not only for a wonderful night, but for being my rocks through my most challenging adventure yet. You mean the world to me and I love you all <3 


Happy Blogmas! X

Friday 18 December 2015

Blogmas #18 - Dear Santa...

Dear Santa,

I know I have only been in this world a short while compared to a lot of children. However in my opinion, I have been really really good the whole time. 
I started off the year in mummy's tummy and made sure I kicked her lots and lots to make sure she knew I was there. I've kept her entertained all year (sometimes from 5 o'clock in the morning I am such a good son). I have thrown up on her when she has made dodgy fashion choices so she's had to change. I've given her cuddles at 2am so she isn't lonely tucked up in that enormous bed of hers. And I feed the dog from my highchair every evening so she doesn't have to. 
All in all I have been a great son, so here are a few of my favourite things that I would like this year in my stocking. 

First on my list is a sponge. For some reason, mummy thought I'd like lots of lovely expensive toys to play with when I have my bath. Actually I'd just like a sponge to chew. Admittedly most of the time I soak it with water and almost drown myself, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it eventually... 

I would also like a years supply of breadsticks. I have no idea why mummy thinks I'd like to eat these - it's much more fun to use them as drumsticks on my highchair. It makes mess, but mummy loves cleaning so that's fine. 

Next on my list is a new discovery for me but it's so much fun! Wrapping paper! It makes a lovely sound and it's great to rip and crumple up, especially when mummy has laid it out nice and neatly ready to wrap presents. To be honest any paper is great, but wrapping paper is glittery and it definitely tastes better. 

My next request is a bit grown up, but mummy has one so I should be allowed (that's how it works isn't it?) I want an iPhone. This is by far my favourite thing ever. Mummy is going to try and palm me off with a babyish plastic one for Christmas but I'm having none of it. I want the real deal. 

Mummy won't be impressed with my next request. I know I'm only 8 months old AND I'm allergic to dairy. But chocolate is the thing I want to try most in the whole world. I always try my very hardest to get some of mummy's - I scream and cry and throw tantrums, but she's mean so won't let me have it. 

Say Hi to Rudolph for me - he is on Daddy's jumper and I am a huge fan of his nose. 
Happy Christmas! 
Love from Baby Luke X


Thursday 17 December 2015

Blogmas #17 - A Christmas Sing Song!

I think out of the whole week Thursday's is probably my favourite day, and that's because it is Rhyme Time day! 

Every week at our local library, they have a free nursery rhyme sing-a-long session. Myself and a group of my favourite mummies in the whole world meet before hand for much needed coffee (usually accompanied by a large slice of cake for breakfast!) and then head over to sing our hearts out! 

Today was an extra fun Rhyme Time as it was the last one before Christmas, so we got to sing festive nursery rhymes and Carols! Such classics as the wheels on the bus were changed to the skis on the sleigh, while other songs were given a Santa related twist. We dressed the boys up in their various ebarassing jumpers, elf outfits and Santa hats and they all looked absolutely adorable! 


I'm not sure how I'm going to cope without my weekly sing song over the Christmas period, but I can guarantee I will be back in January and I'm already excited! 

Happy Blogmas! X


Monday 14 December 2015

Blogmas #16 - Mummy in mourning

This is it - I have officially had my last set of Christmas nails for another whole year :-( but on the up side, they are gorgeous and I get to enjoy them for 2 whole weeks!

I mentioned last time that I was planning on going gold and black for Christmas Day. 
Due to an utterly gorgeous dress I accidentally bought for my work Christmas party, this has now had to change. As the dress is navy and beaded, I decided to get matching nails with silver snowflake stamping and all the extra glitter I could possibly squeeze in. Although not typical Christmas nails, I am totally in love with them and they look amazing with my dress. 



I am however still quite taken with the idea of gold and black nails, so these may have to be my New Years nails - any excuse for a little extra sparkle :-)

Happy Blogmas! X

Blogmas #15 - Look at what we made!

So today we hopped in the car and went to pick up the cups we painted for both Luke's Grannies.


And here they are! I am so pleased with how they have turned out. I was a little be nervous about how the colours were going to turn out - they go quite a few shades darker when they are fired and they were chosen at random and in a hurry as Luke had projectile vomited all over the shop!)
I am also totally in love with the handprints. They have come out really clearly and I kind of wish I'd done one for myself now! Maybe I'll have to take a trip back in the new year. 


I have decided they are going to be presents from Luke to his Grannies  and I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they open them on Christmas Day (I'm secretly hoping that a few tears will be shed!) 
I think we all know what daddy is getting for Father's Day next year... 

Happy Blogmas! X
Mummuddlingthrough

Blogmas #14 - Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Mince pies are being devoured, mulled wine is warming tummies, fairy lights are adorning houses and shops are buzzing with people buying gifts, goodies and treats. As the big day gets closer, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourite things about the most wonderful time of the year. 


Log fires:
Although not strictly just for Christmas, log fires always make me feel wonderfully festive. My parents have an beautiful fire place and every year we sit in front of it with glasses of warm mulled wine and a box of mince pies and my daddy roasts chestnuts. 

Mince Pies:
Speaking of mince pies, they are another thing I love about this time of year. I am a firm believer that they should be sold all year round. However as this is not the case, I make up for it at Christmas by eating my years worth throughout December. So actually it's probably just as well they don't do them all year round...

Champagne:
Although not really a traditional Christmas drink, Champagne always tastes like Christmas Day to me. Every year my boss gives me a really nice bottle and I take it to my parents to share with the family over Christmas Dinner (having the whole bottle to myself would be greedy... And end in an enormous headache!)

Presents:
I know this is cliche but I do absolutely love presents. I love giving them, I LOVE getting them and I always have so much fun wrapping them! I've gone for a gold and silver theme with my wrapping this year (with extra sparkle of course!)

Brussels sprouts:
I know they're not everyone's cup of tea but I love them. My daddy does them sautĂ©ed with bacon, chestnuts and lemon zest. If you're not usually a sprout fan, I highly recommend trying them done like this. You may well change your tune. 

I could go on but I'll stop there for now. Feel free to say hi in the comments and let me know your favourite things about Christmas. Big or small, I'd love to know :-) 

Happy Blogmas! X
Mami 2 Five

Sunday 13 December 2015

Blogmas #13 - Our week in pictures

So as many of you will have seen from my social media pages, we have had a rather eventful week. 
Luke has been under the weather all week and a trip to the GP on Thursday resulted in an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital. Blue lights, sirens, the whole sherbang. 
Unfortunately Luke was diagnosed with a severe case of bronchiolitis. However I am happy to report that after a few days of antibiotics, steroids and oxygen boxes, he seems to be on the mend and we are back home. 

Due to Luke being poorly and our hospital stay, we had to cancel most of weeks plans. So this weeks photos are a little bit scarce (I didn't think many of you would fancy hideous photos of both of us covered in sick and snot! Plus me without makeup is something no one should have to see) here are a few pics from this week. 

We have been doing a lot more baby led weaning this week and Luke is loving it. One of his favourites is crumpets and jam for breakfast. He gets so excited he tries to put the entire thing in his mouth, before choking and realising this probably isn't quite such a good idea...


We also had a very exciting parcel delivered mid week which contained our Christmas cards! They are a little late going out, but they are finally signed, sealed and will be taken to the post office tomorrow for the elves to sort! 

I just about managed to do some Christmas shopping before our week took a turn for the worse and along the way I picked up this gem of a dress in TK Maxx, reduced to £25! It's gorgeous and will be perfect for my work Christmas party next week - pictures to follow! 


Believe it or not, the photo below was taken the day we were rushed to hospital. Luke deals so well with being poorly that people have a hard time believing he's ill. He was a total trooper and despite being in an oxygen box, he had a whale of a time flirting like crazy with all the nurses! Needless to say they loved him :-) 


And lastly a small and trivial thing - I have FINALLY got round to putting the December patch onto Luke's Seasons calendar.
A friend made this for Luke when he was born and although I love it, I am always forgetting to change the month. It was stuck on October for far too long so I think changing the months will have to be a New Years resolution! 


Unfortunately that is it for this week as we spent half our time in hospital. We have had a lazy day today so should be back into the swing of things tomorrow! We are picking up the crockery we painted this week so in super excited to show you what they look like!

Happy Blogmas! X





Thursday 10 December 2015

Baby in Hospital :-(

Hi lovely people,

I just thought I should write a quick note to say that Blogmas and the blog in general may go quiet for a couple of days. 
Earlier today we were blue lighted to hospital with Luke due to breathing problems and low oxygen levels and are being kept in overnight. 

Hopefully all will be well in a couple of days, but for now the blog may have to take a couple of days break. I will keep you posted on social media. 

Night all. X

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Blogmas #9 - Baby's first Christmas card!

So if you follow me on Instagram, you will know that Luke is the star of our Christmas cards this year. We have never been ones to do printed Christmas cards in previous years, but as it's our first Christmas with a baby we decided to go all out.

I actually took the photo myself and have to say I was really please with how it turned out. It was so easy, fuss free and Luke didn't get at all grumpy.
I draped a red velvet throw over a bean bag and Luke was more than happy to lie on it and play with some fairy lights (battery powered of course!). As a finishing touch I decided to scatter some cheapy baubles around him and the end result was very festive. I felt like a very Pinterest worthy mummy!


Luke wore a little Father Christmas onesie from Next which looked totally gorgeous. However it would appear that Luke has a larger than average head and the matching hat didn't fit, meaning we had to improvise and use a sparkly one I got for a party years ago. A little bit feminine and fabulous, but no one minds on a baby!


After some careful googling I chose to get the cards printed with Optimalprint - they had a really good selection of designs and all Christmas cards were half price! They arrived within a couple of days and look lovely. It did come to more than we would usually spend on cards, but it was totally worth it and I think all our friends and family are going to love them!


All that's left to do now is write them... which will inevitably happen one panic stricken evening the week before Christmas!

Are any of your little ones starring on Christmas cards this year? We'd love to have a look, post your pictures in the comments below.

Happy Blogmas! X

Tuesday 8 December 2015

Blogmas #8 - My top 5 Christmas Movies


This time of year when the weather is miserable and it's cold outside, there is nothing I love more than lighting lots of candles, pouring a large glass of wine and curling up to watch a festive film. Here are a few of my favourite.



5. The Grinch
I know this is sort of a children's film, but it always has been and always will be a favourite of mine. I'm not a huge Jim Carrey fan, but in this I think he is amazing. It's a great film to watch with the whole family as, despite being a children's film, I always end up in fits of giggles (except at the end where I always get a tad emotional!).  

4. The Muppet Christmas Carol 
I have to admit I haven't watched this for ages. But I love it because it reminds me of my childhood. We would watch it every year around Christmas, curled up on the sofa eating mince pies.  

3. The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker 
Although not strictly a movie and by no means a traditional Christmas film, it is a favourite of mine and one that holds s huge amount of sentimental value. I used to be a ballet dancer and came very close to becoming a professional before it sadly made me too ill. I used to go and watch it at the theatre every year at Christmas, however it now brings back too many memories so I haven't been to watch it for years. So as a second best option, I will sometimes watch the DVD of it. That way, if I start to blub it's only my dog who sees!  

2. Love Actually 
An obvious choice I know, but that's because it is a Christmas classic! It has an epic cast and will have emotions running high. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll feel anger, sadness and joy. And I truly think they've worked every angle of love at Christmas. The good, the bad and the ugly.  

 1. The Holiday 
Not only is this number one on my Christmas movies list I think it is possibly my all time favourite film full stop. It is one of those films which restores you faith in humanity and is the perfect accompaniment to a glass of wine while snuggled on the sofa. 
A friend and I have a tradition every Christmas - we drink wine, make Christmas Fettuccine and celebrate being young and alive. If you've watched the film you will understand the reference. If you don't, then I insist you go and watch it immediately! Right this second! 



What is your all time favourite Christmas Movie? Let me know in the comments.

Happy Blogmas! X

Monday 7 December 2015

Blogmas #7 - Christmas wishlist

A couple of days ago, I promised you all my Christmas wishlist. So here it is, just incase any of you fancy buying me any of the following items!
Clockwise from the top left corner are a few things I'm hoping Father Christmas might bring me this year. A few of them are a little far fetched I know, but if you don't ask, you don't get... right?


Matalan Faux Fur Throw - All the throws I currently own are from when Pete and I first moved in together. Our colour schemes are now totally different and they look a little out of place, so I think I shoulde definitely be allowed a new one.

Emma Bridgewater Espresso Cups - After getting a Nespresso machine for my birthday in September, I have a slight obsession with teeny tiny espresso cups. These gorgeous Emma Bridgewater are no exception.

Yankee Candle Honey & Spice - This is my all time favourite scented candle. It is one of the few winter candles that doesn't have a Christmas smell, so can be used from October right through to February.

Whistles Bobble Hat - I fell in love with this after watching Anna Saccone's Vlogmas Asos haul video. I am totally gutted that it's no longer in stock and can only pray they get more in time for Christmas. Unlikely I know, but a girl can hope.

Nicholas Wylde Diamond Present Pendant - I know I won't get this, but I have asked and asked for it, so could there be a very small chance it might end up in my stocking?! This pendant is from the new collection at Nicholas Wylde where I work and I am totally in love. After all, diamonds are a girls best friend.

Emma Bridgewater Bliss Cushion - Another Emma Bridgewater item (I love her stuff). I just think this is totally cute and so relevant to my life at the moment!

White Company Geranium Scent Diffuser - I am totally in love with all things White Company. But their geranium scented things are a particular favourite. I have the candle and the smell always makes me feel very calm and relaxed.

Lancome Grandoise Mascara - I bought this shortly after I had Luke and now refuse to wear anything else. It is amazing and makes my usually tired eyes look big and bright! Anyone whos a fan of falsies without the hassle of glue, this is the mascara for you, and a Christmas list essential!

So there you have it - a small sample of my exceptionally long Christmas list! What's on your wishlist this year?

Happy Blogmas! X

Sunday 6 December 2015

Blogmas #6 - our festive week in pictures!

Quite frankly this week has been a little bit of write off. After Luke's spectacular vomiting display in the pottery painting shop, a trip to the doctor confirmed a nasty bout of gastroenteritis so we have stayed in most of the week and lounged around in sick stained pyjamas (yummy mummy?!) 
However as promised, this weeks 'week in pictures' is a festive one! 


We had a rather lovely start to the week painting pottery for Christmas gifts and decorating the tree. However our placement of the tree turned out to be a bit of a mistake as Luke is now far more interested in the fairy lights than eating his breakfast. 


We also sent off for this years Christmas cards, with Luke starring as a super cute Santa! We took the photo last week when he wasn't poorly - I'm really pleased with it and can't wait to see how the cards turn out. The photo was so easy to set up and only involved a beanbag, a throw, some baubles and fairy lights! Not as good as a professional but they look the part. 


As some of you may know from my Instagram, Saturday was a bit of a disaster day! After a week of being mummy mattress for a poorly baby, I was extremely sleep deprived so slept through my alarm, threw my breakfast down my self and to top it all off I ripped my favourite Ted Baker skirt when I gracefully fell out of my car...! However a new skirt and Pret's nut roast sandwich cheered me up and the rest of the day wasn't too bad (and ended in watching my all time favourite movie The Holiday and drinking much needed wine!). 



And that brings us to today which has been a slightly desperate yet very fun attempt to finish the last of my Christmas shopping! Luke is also now officially sitting up all on his own, and he is getting really strong! I have to admit it's scaring me slightly as crawling isn't that far off, and that means baby proofing everything and running round like a headless chicken! 
What have you been up to this week? Let me know in the comments :-)

Happy Blogmas! X




Saturday 5 December 2015

Blogmas #5 - The countdown to Christmas

Although I absolutely love Christmas Day, one of my favourite parts is actually the lead up to Christmas. 

I love the decorations, the fairy lights and the carols. The markets, the mulled wine and dressing up for the work Christmas party. The Christmas food, the of buying presents and all in all that general festive feeling. 

But simple as it sounds, one of my favourite traditions in the lead up to Christmas, is opening the Advent calendar.
My parents are religious, so growing up I was never allowed a chocolate advent calendar (it took away from the meaning of Christmas) I had ones with pictures. As a 6 year old, you can imagine how unimpressed I was when all the other children opened their door to find little Santa chocolates and I got a picture of a robin. 

Ironically now I much prefer the picture calendars. You can get such beautiful ones with lovely pictures and (you've guessed it) lots and lots of glitter!

This year, when my Daddy dropped by with an Advent calendar 'for Luke' I wondered, at 8 months old, how interested he would really be. 
On the December 1st while we were having breakfast, I put the calendar in front of Luke and was surprised at how taken in he was. His eyes were like saucers and he had a look of total wonder on his little face. It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen, made all the more special by the fact that the calendar was from Grandad. 
Now we open the calendar every morning at breakfast and Luke is totally entranced. It has made one of my favourite Christmas traditions all the more special and I'm actually going to be quite sad when we get to the last door. 


What is your favourite part about the lead up to Christmas? I'd love to hear your count down traditions. 

Happy Blogmas! X



Friday 4 December 2015

Blogmas #4 - I want I want I want...

Anyone who knows me will tell you, I am a very materialistic person. I can't help it, I just LOVE stuff! Shoes, bags, clothes, make-up, homeware and don't even get me started on jewellery. So as you can imagine, when Christmas comes round, I am in my element. I already have a rather long Christmas wishlist this year (which I shall be publishing properly in the next few weeks, should any of you wish to get me a present!) But to give you a rough idea, is currently looks a little something like this:

- Lancome mascara
- Yankee candles
- White Company candles
- Estee Lauder lippy
- Ted baker coat
- Riding boots from Dune
- All saints shearling coat
- Whistles bobble hat
- Diamond present necklace from work
- Tiffany bracelet
- New handbag
- Fur bed throw
- Sparkly cushions
- New phone case
- Emma Bridgewater espresso cups

I won't bore you with anymore for the moment, but you get the gist. A lot of the time with me it's want, want, want.

While pottering round town the other day doing some last bits of shopping, I added several things to the ever growing list.
As I walked past Starbucks immersed in my own little world of Christmas and trying to decide between an americano and their rather delicious hot mulled fruit, I spotted a homeless man curled up under a blanket looking cold and suddenly my mental Christmas list seemed a little bit insignificant. I felt horribly selfish that the most important thing to me was making sure I got everything that was on my list when there were people who wouldn't even have dinner or a place to live this Christmas. It got me thinking, it is so easy to get caught up in the materialistic side of Christmas and just want want want, that sometimes we take our lives for granted and forget to just be thankful for what we already have. I am blessed with so many wonderful things that not everyone is lucky enough to have.

I am blessed with a husband who works incredibly hard so I can stay at home with our little boy.

I am blessed with parents who are always there for me at the drop of a hat.

I am blessed with a job that I love.

I am blessed with a happy, healthy, smiley little boy.

I am blessed with a fridge full of food (cliche but true) and a warm home (once the heater gets fixed...)

I am blessed with a dog who gives me cuddles and a cat who brings me socks as presents.

I am blessed with a wardrobe full of lovely clothes.

I am blessed with friends who are there for me, no matter how far away.

I am blessed with people who make me smile when I feel low.

I am blessed to have all my wonderful Grandparents still with me.


I love Christmas and I love giving and receiving presents, seeing my family and sharing delicious food. I am not saying that we shouldn't enjoy these things but maybe while you are writing your Christmas lists this year, think of those less fortunate that you and make a mental list of all the wonderful things you are blessed with.

Happy Blogmas everyone :-) X

Thursday 3 December 2015

Blogmas #3 - Christmas nails!

So as some of you may know I am a big fan of gelish nails. Although I get them all year round, Christmas is by far my favourite time of year as you can really go all out.
I get them done by a lovely lady called Bex. I go to her beautiful house and get made a cup of tea (which I get to drink while it's hot!) and get pampered for a couple of hours. Luckily for me is very talented and has a huge range of Christmas nail art! Check out the pics on her Facebook and Instagram and you'll see what I mean - I think Rudolph's cheeky face has got to be my favourite.


As I have mentioned countless times before I love anything that sparkles (I think I may have been a magpie in a former life) so when Bex mentioned that she had some new loose glitters I got very over excited.

This time round I have gone for red loose glitter nails with a little bow on my baby fingers like they have been wrapped up, ready to put under the tree. I'm totally in love with them and have already had tons of compliments. 


I have managed to squeeze in one more appointment for a final set of festive nails before Christmas Day so I'm thinking I might go for gold glitter with black snowflake stamping... what do you think? I'd love to see any of your Christmas nails - tag me on Instagram if you want to show me your creations!

Happy Blogmas! X

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Blogmas #2 - Nearly Yummy Mummy Christmas tree!

The Christmas decorations are finally up in the Nearly Yummy Mummy household! I usually have the house sufficiently glitter bombed and ready for Christmas by the first of December. As a self confessed addict of fairy lights and anything sparkly, I like the tree up as early as my husband will allow (apparently the beginning of November is too early?!)
This year due to a migraine on my part and hideous bouts of sickness from the baby, decorating the house happened a couple of days late. However the decorations are now up, and I am feeling super festive!


We unfortunately can't have real Christmas trees in the house as they make me really sneezy. I have to say I'm a little bit sad that we don't get to have the lovely pine smell wafting through the house as it's so Christmassy. However I make up for it with copious amounts of festive scented reed diffusers and thankfully it means I'm not hoovering needles out of the carpet for months!

I am usually a fan of matching everything - I love to co-ordinate! But my Christmas tree is the exception to the rule. When Pete and I first moved in together, we decided to buy one really special tree decoration each year. Now this didn't quite go to plan as I got carried away the first year and bought about 9, But since then I have been very good and stuck to our little tradition.

My favourite places to buy decorations are TK Maxx and a beautiful independent shop in Bath called The 25th of December which is a lot of fun to shop in as it just oozes Christmas. I always leave feeling ten times more excited than when I arrived. This year we did something a bit different. Back in October when we were in Cyprus, we found a beautiful Christmas bauble in one of the shops and decided to buy it as this years decoration to remember our first family holiday. It felt very strange buying a Christmas ornament in hot, sunny Cyprus, but it's beautiful and I love it. 


One of my favourite pieces on my tree was actually something given to me by a very dear friend rather than one I bought myself.
Every year my best friends from school and I get together to catch up, eat good food and drink lots of wine. I think it might be favourite Christmas tradition, and every year the hosts mum showers us with beautiful gifts. Last year I got given the most beautiful Christmas tree decorations from Liberty in London. They are mercury glass hearts which have a hinge and open up so you can hide a chocolate in them (chocolates which I have yet to buy...) They are by far my favourite ornaments and they make my tree look super glam and fancy :-)


As a last minute Christmas idea thought up whilst traipsing round Tesco, I decided to make Pomanders. They smell totally amazing and once I have dusted them with orrisroot they will be finished and ready to make my house smell delicious. I have to say it was oddly therapeutic making pretty patterns out of cloves, I highly recommend it.

I have also dotted cutesie Christmas ornaments around the house like tea light holders, Father Christmas paraphanelia and glittery pine cones (they're a must in my house!).


I am now starting to get very over excited about Christmas and I'm sure I will only get worse as I'm about to head online and get our Christmas cards printed! What is it that gets you in the festive spirit?

Happy Blogmas! X



Let's Talk Mommy

Tuesday 1 December 2015

Blogmas #1 - Christmas pottery painting!

I woke up this morning to see Twitter covered in #blogmas posts. As a big lover of Christmas (I am an avid fan of anything that allows me to cover the house in even more glitter!) I have decided to join in. So welcome to Blogmas day 1!

As it is Luke's first Christmas and my first as a mummy, I feel the need to go a little overboard this year. I mean you only have one first Christmas! 
So this morning we went to Flying Saucers pottery cafe to make some Christmas presents for Luke's Grandparents. 


I had the idea of doing handprint mugs after we had Luke's hand and footprints done on a plaque at 4 months old, so when a friend asked us to join them for pottery painting, I was totally on board. 

With 5 mummies and 6 babies (one set of twins!) it was a manic adventure to say the least. The little ones were not totally in love with the idea of being painted and printed so shouting and tears were a fairly dominant part of the session! 

That being said, Luke was very compliment and I was actually really pleased with the way the the handprints turned out. 


I then added bunting around the top of the mugs and polka dots to fill in the gaps. I wanted to personalise them a bit so I wrote a little message on each of the mugs. My mother in law is more of a 'cup and saucer' kind of lady so I wrote a something around the saucer which I think looks really cute, if I do say so myself! 
As my mums didn't have a saucer with it, I wrote 'Granny's cup of tea' on the bottom so people can see it when she takes a sip :-) 


Unfortunately the end of the session took a turn for the worse as Luke was spectacularly sick over himself, his seat and me. He's since seen the Dr and is all ok but may have a little bit of a bug. Not that you'd guess it - two minutes after converting everything in sick he was back to his happy, chatty self! 
Unfortunately this meant I didn't get a picture of the finished pieces (I also had to skip making a first Christmas bauble which was a bit sad).
However they will be ready next week so I will pop a photo up on my Instagram so you can see how they turned out. 
Pop back tomorrow for our next Christmas adventure. 

Happy Blogmas! X


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