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This day I love.......

We are very lucky that when we found out we were expecting Thing3 that we had enough bedrooms.  It did mean that I had to give up my office, but this has now been relocated.  My office walls were decorated recently in Graham and Brown wallpaper and it was decided that rather than removing the paper we would instead paint over the top to brighten up the room.

I wanted to keep the nursery neutral as we do not know if Thing3 is male or female and I settled on Ammonite and Dimpse, from Farrow and Ball, for the walls.  These colours both have soft natural hints to them and as this is a little room I thought it would be perfect for adding in light.  Dimpse has a subtle grey tone to it and Ammonite has more a natural fossil colour.  I felt the two would compliment each other really well.  

the nursery paint

I was really pleased that the paint covered the walls well and only needed one coat.  Farrow and Ball paint has a real luxurious touch to it, which you can see when you paint.  I wanted to ensure a good coverage over the wallpaper and therefore Farrow and Ball was the paint of choice.  In certain lights the walls change colour slightly, with the feature wall becoming darker and the other walls becoming closer to white and then sometimes grey.  I think it depends on the light from the window and if in natural light or artificial light.  I love these subtle changes to the room.  The room feels really warm and welcoming, and the natural tones on the walls add a calming effect to the room.

The carpet in the room was the original black carpet from when we moved in.  This has been in need of replacing for some time and converting the space into a nursery seemed the optimum moment to do so.  I settled for a hardwood floor, as it is much easier to keep clean, plus it is then in keeping with the rest of the house.  Once the flooring had been laid it was a case of adding in the furniture.

The room has a fitted wardrobe, so all that was needed was a cot and chest of drawers.  The drawers I already had, and the cot we painted from a second had cot which I bought online.  I made sure it met all current safety standards and had the required stamps before purchasing.  It looks brand new and I am so pleased with it.

the cot is ready

There was originally a sofa in my office and I decided to keep this in the nursery for night feeds.  We all love superheroes in our house and I thought this, along with Dr Seuss would be perfect for the theme for the nursery.  I came across a batman cushion online and knew the second I saw it that it had to be in the nursery.  

batman cushion

I had had a canvas shopping bag which the handles broke from Cosatto and by sticking velcro in the top I converted it to a cushion cover.  Perfect for the nursery.  The sofa has been used to create a reading corner.  We have a real love for books and reading in our house and we are hoping Thing3 develops this same love.  As this is only a small room I purchased a tidy books book case in white to help display all the wonderful books for Thing3.  The girls both have tidy book cases which I have also purchased for them and they take up very little floor space, along with giving easy access to the books.  

The girls have their scan pictures displayed on the walls in their bedrooms, and I found the hanging frame in Asda in the sale.  It is the perfect size for adding scan pictures to.


reading corner in the nursery

The reading corner is finished with my beautiful wooden print from Imprify, which of course is of the girls in their superhero costumes. 

superhero in the nursery

I would love a superhero themed rug and blind to go in the nursery but have not yet managed to find one, but these can be added once Thing3 arrives.

I really love the nursery and the way the room has transformed from my office to a room filled with love ready for Thing3 arrival.  



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It has been a busy week this week for Thing 3.  Last week the paint from Farrow and Ball arrived for the nursery and we are hoping to paint before Christmas.  I ordered some flooring from Factory direct flooring and was really surprised when I had a phone call saying it was in stock and I could have it delivered the next day!  We haven't yet unboxed the flooring as I cannot lift the boxes but as soon as we have painted we will be putting the flooring down.  Things are slowly taking shape in the nursery. All we need in there now is a rug, which I am on the look out for.  After Christmas I will be making a video room tour of the finished nursery which I am really looking forward to sharing.

Perfect Prep - Tommee tippee

The perfect prep from tommee tippee offers convenience for making formula milk.  A hot shot kills any bacteria, followed by cooler water to make the perfect bottle in under 2minutes.  I can see the perfect prep to be a life saver for those night time feeds.  I attended the launch of the perfect prep a few years ago and was really impressed with it then.  I remember at the time that it would be on the top of my wish list should we ever have another baby.  I am really looking forward to putting the perfect prep to the test when Thing 3 arrives.


Mama Baby Bliss

Mama Baby Bliss offer nurturing and pamper products for Mums to be and their babies.  They have a full range of classes including baby massage and baby yoga and also offer pamper parties.  I received a sample of their 100% natural skin products to help soothe and relax.

At the moment I am in a great deal of pain and so sleeping is a huge issue.  The Mama Baby Bliss products have been a little bit of a life saver for me.  I can have a nice relax to help ease some of the pain I am in, which helps me to unwind.  Whilst I am not a sleep those few minutes to myself are really helping.

The Ooooh Bath soak is really relaxing and it contains essential oils which will help after birth too.  There is a wide range of products available both for antenatal and postnatal and some can be used on baby too.

Thank you Mama Baby Bliss for helping to relieve some of the pain I have been feeling recently.


Others

Finally this week I want to say a big thank you to my friends!  My best friend has kindly given me a Moses basket and stand, changing mat and some clothes.  This is amazing as now Thing 3 has somewhere to sleep when they arrive.  One of my other friends kindly donated a play mat and another a baby chair.  I feel really lucky to have such amazing friends and feel things are slowly coming together for Thing 3. 
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I decided to combine this weeks update and things for Thing 3 post as it all seems to fit together. This week has been an emotional week as I was advised by physio to stop running. I saw the physio at 23+1 for the pain I have had in my abdomen. The extreme pain when walking has been getting worse and physio was in many ways needed.

My physio has diagnosed a 3.5cm distasis recti and hip displacement. On top of this I have also torn and done damage to my lower abdominal muscles. This week has been focusing on doing my exercises in order to prevent and further damage and try to make every day tasks like walking less painful.

I am not allowed to lift anything. Lifting s bowl of cereal hurts. I cannot do the ironing or vacuuming and some simple tasks like putting on shoes really hurts. However I am determined to keep going and am doing everything my physio had advised. My husband has been great at helping with housework and my Mum has been a superstar too. I do feel really frustrated and guilty because they are such simple tasks and pregnancy should not be an illness or an excuse to not do things. Unfortunately for me the damage to my muscles is saying otherwise.

Thing 3 gave me a scare mid way through the week after having a very quiet day, but soon made up for it with some strong kicks. I am loving all the wiggles and kicks and they seem to be getting stronger every day. I am looking forward to hearing Thing 3 heart heart at the 24 week appointment with the midwife.

One of my friends has very kindly given me some baby clothes for Thing 3 which I am incredibly grateful for as I had given away all of the girls things. This week also saw the paint arrive for the nursery. I have gone for neutral colours as I do not know the gender and also chosen paint from Farrow and Ball. I wanted good quality paint that I knew would withstand daily life with a baby and farrow and ball met this criteria. I shall be writing up nursery ideas in a few weeks and sharing with you the finished nursery. I am currently looking at flooring and blinds and then it is a case of putting it all together.



As the pregnancy progress I am also making decisions towards birthing plans and how I will feed Thing 3. I am hoping to share my decision as soon as I have made one. Whatever I decide I know that Tommee Tippee have a range of products to help me and my work with then as a mumbasador helpfully will continue with Thing 3.

To celebrate my partnership with Tommee Tippee I am giving away a box of 20 breast milk storage pouches.  The pouches fit most brands of pumps so you can express directly into them, meaning no more spilt milk.  A single pouch can be used to express, warm the ouch directly and then feed direct from the pouch.  All you need to do to be in with a chance is follow the instructions on the widget this also shows full terms and conditions.  Giveaway closes midnight GMT on 18th December 2015.




Storage Pouch
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First I must apologies that my 365 is late.  A weekend of blogging conference and Illness meant I am only just able to sit up and type.

Sunday

eldest and mummy on training walk

Just over two weeks left [well one really its on Sunday] and then the big challenge will be here.  I will be walking the Yorkshire 3 peaks to raise money for Alzheimer's society.  I just want to say thank you to all those that have sponsored me so far via my Just giving badge [badge on blog] and helped me to raise over £200.  I will be aiming to tweet during the walk and you can follow me and Lisa [Hollybobbs] with #blogY3P.  A training walk with my daughter in the sunshine was a really lovely way to spend a Sunday.

Monday

youngest sweeping leaves

The girls and I spent some time cleaning up leaves in the garden and doing some general tidying up.  With the lovely weather its great to get outside and enjoy some time in the garden before bed.

Tuesday

eldest in play tunnel

More lovely summer play, my eldest loves her play tents which give great shade on hot days. 

Wednesday

the finished play house

I am so pleased with how the play house has turned out.  It has taken a while to complete due to the repair work that was needed but it has been well worth it.  Thanks to Farrow and Ball for the paint, I hope that the play house will last the girls for years to come

Thursday

cow bob bob cow

My daughter wanted to visit the farm after nursery.  This is one of my favourite pictures of the day as the cow shows a particular interest in BOB.

Friday

beautiful smiles

We visited a shopping centre after work as I needed some last minute supplies for the Yorkshire 3 peaks walk.  My eldest wanted a go on the fire engine ride.  I just love how happy she is

Saturday

gin

Ok so Saturday did not go according to plan.  My daughter decided to dive in from the side of the swimming pool into my face.  Which resulted in blood loss and a swollen nose, plus a lovely cut [quite deep I might add] across the bridge of my nose.  My daughter is unharmed, unhurt, unmarked and alright.  Which to me is the most important thing.  I however have a headache [still its now Monday] and my face/nose is killing me.  As a result of this I was late to pick up Hollybobbs, which made us late for the pre #blogonmosi dinner [sorry again Laura].  This picture is therefore of the gin Lisa and I had in our hotel room before blog on to wind down from a rather hectic day.

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With the lovely warm weather we have been able to finish painting the play house, which is part of the BIG project.  I cannot believe the transformation of the play house.  It has really gone from plain, unloved and weathered to a modern much loved play house for the girls.  The side bridge also has had a coat of paint

beautiful painted play housepainting the bridge


On the left you can see one side of the bridge is still to be painted and the right hand picture shows the finished bridge and play house.  I will be painting the door but am still undecided on what colour to paint it.  For now I like the unpainted look.  I have used one 750 ml tin of Elephants breath, and half a 2.5l tin of Mouses back  on both items.  The paint is from Farrow and Ball, I love the range of colours but also how well the paint went on.  

The next part of BIG is to repair the swing and slide set and paint this.  The repairs are well under way and I hope to soon share with you an update.

The sunny weather has also seen plenty of walking in preparation for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge, which is less than 2 weeks away.  I am aiming to raise £250 for Alzheimer's Society, so far I am at £96.  Every little counts and I would love your help, you can sponsor me here. 

I have walked through fields with grass so tall that even BOB was hidden


I have suffered with hay fever and my allergy to grass, which resulted in a very itchy rash all over my legs.

itchy legs

The girls and I have loved our long walks together, enjoying cuddles

summer cuddles

and exploring to see what creatures we can find

found a caterpillar looking through the grass

Running free and enjoying the views

running freeamazing views



Most of all these wonderful sunny days have been perfect for eating ice cream

eating ice cream

and playing in the garden 

chilling in the tunneldog playing in garden

Yes I really have enjoyed the past few days with my girls

This day I love BIG sunny days.

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At the end of May I revealed the BIG project.  After cleaning all the play house and play equipment June has been spent doing repair work.  This has taken a lot longer than expected.  Mainly due to the intermittent weather but also for unseen circumstances.  

Our first job was sanding.  We wanted to sand the climbing frame to make sure the surfaces are smooth to remove any 'splinter' related injuries to the children.  My eldest wanted to help.  She started looking for places that needed sanding

assessing the site

She then started sanding.  

Sanding down

The original idea behind the project was to get the girls involved at the different stages so that they had more of a sense of achievement and an understanding of what had been done.

After the climbing frame we turned our attention to the play house.  This needed a lot more work.  The roof needed replacing.

extent of the damgedamaged roof

 A new wooden fascia was needed on both the front and rear of the house, as well as the wooden diamond decal at the top.

missing fascia

I was unsure what roof to buy or where to get it from having never done this before.  I had to do it at a point that my youngest was asleep and there was no chance of rain, as I did not want to get wet.  I searched the Internet and free ads for some time and then we found some felt in my Dads garage.

I took on the challenge of roofing the play house, and whilst I don't think I should give up my day job, I also don't think I did too bad a job.

roof fixedre roofed

I repaired the fascias, but unfortunately have not yet managed to find a diamond decal for the apex.

ready to paint

After all the repair works, it was time for my favourite part and that is painting.  

Farrow & Ball have very kindly provided the paints for this part of the project.  I have to say with all the beautiful colours it was a very tough choice picking the ones we did.  We went for Elephants breath and Mouses Back in Exterior eggshell.  I just love the names!

farrow and ball

I would describe the paint as smooth and creamy.  It went on really well and everything only needed one coat.  This was a great pleasant surprise and a real time saver especially when having to paint between daughters naps.  The paint dried very quickly which was also great when my eldest wanted to play in the play house whilst I was painting.  I also loved that I could wash the paint off my daughters hands with baby wipes and water.  Fantastic as she has sensitive skin.

I still have the main poles to paint, which will be the same colour as the house.  I also need to paint the door but not sure which colour to choose, would love to know your thoughts?

almost finished painted play house

I am really hoping this weekend stays nice so that I can finish painting the play house and the bridge, and then make a start on the climbing frame.  Since painting the playhouse both my husband and I keep stopping and looking out the window at it.  We cannot believe how different it looks.  It just goes to show how good quality paint can really transform and restore a 12 year old previously unloved playhouse, to a much loved and treasured play house that is going to grow with my girls for a good few years to come.


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About me

About Me

Welcome to This Day I love.

My name is Leyla, also known as Mum to my 3 humans and dog Mum to J. I have a passion for the outdoors and love to run. I can often be found off road exploring the trails and fells and covering distances all the way up to 50 miles. As a family we love travelling and discovering new adventures, as I try and run around the world!

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