http://adserver.adtech.de/?adlink|3.0|311|1072359|1|16|AdId%3D6699352;BnId%3D1;link%3Dhttp://www.askamum.co.uk (They love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!)
 
I am absolutely and utterly exhausted after this week and cannot wait to have a few days at my Mum’s in Norfolk. We’re travelling up later today just in time for Halloween and I couldn’t be more thrilled at the prospect of having someone else do all the cooking and not having any cleaning of my own to do. My house seems to get very messy, very quickly, it must be because it’s so small but I seem to spend my life tidying and when it’s all done there’s a new lot to do?! We’re going to have lots of Halloween celebrations with bangers and potatoes, family and costumes and due to the fact that Florence loved her Easter egg hunt so much we’re going to have a Halloween hunt! I can’t wait, let the apple bobbing begin! I seem to have done so much this week (yet again) so next week is going to be quiet and peaceful, I hope!
 
It was half term this week and that means most of Florence’s clubs closing down so we had to use our brains and come up with lots of fun things to entertain her. Of course we spent time with friends which was always fun and on Tuesday we went to the new Westfield shopping centre in Stratford to see their free showing of Charley Bear. It was really sweet and worth getting up mega early to get down there and ensure our tickets. Florence really likes Charley Bear so it was a bit of a treat really and good old Westfield organised the whole thing for absolutely free. One thing I love about London is that there is always lots going on which you don’t really have to pay for, all you have to do is use your eyes and ears (or read my blog of course) and you will often find a perfect activity for no more than the price of your tube fare and even then the kids travel free! This City is amazing, I love it!
 

 
Another fantastic freebie worth knowing about and a tip passed on to me last week by a good friend is Hainault Park. Just outside London in Essex and literally a 25 minute drive from us (although you can get a bus). Because Florence has a new and growing obsession with meerkats ever since our trip to The National Geographic Store’s party last week, I was looking for more places that we could go and find real live meerkats to ogle; it turns out Hainault Park is just the place. There’s a small parking fee but the farm/zoo is utterly free of charge and it couldn’t be sweeter! As well as the adorable meerkats which reside just by the under 8’s play area with a viewing platform for even the smallest fan to get a glimpse; they have donkeys, ponies, horses, cows, sheep, chickens, goats and rabbits! I may have missed something, if I have please forgive me; there was so much to see and do! Another play area accommodates the over 8’s and there’s fields and field’s to walk in alongside the river. Lots of people were flying kites when we went and it was lovely to watch them as we sat having a cup of tea in the coffee shop. Worth a visit? Just a bit!
 

 
The only free thing I wanted to do in London this week but missed was to take Florence to Fortnum and Mason’s pumpkin carving competition yesterday but unfortunately we just couldn’t make it… They were providing drinks and ghoulish nibbles (for free) and pumpkins for children up to the age of 10 in the afternoon and for the adults in the evening. With fantastic prizes on offer such as the Fortnum and Mason hamper worth £1000 it was a competition worth entering but it proved to be just one activity too many for me as I had spent the day at the Baby show and my energy was zapped! Good luck to all those who entered though and I do hope they had fun! So, yesterday took Florence and myself off to The Baby Show and what a day we had! I came away having only spent £20 on a Happy Hopperz cow (www.happyhopperz.co.uk) and some refreshments so the bank balance is ok and we had a thoroughly lovely time! The Happy Hopperz cow is going to be reviewed in full for my Christmas edition so watch this space and Florence is going to love it when I give it to her for either 25^th December or her birthday just under a week later (Being born on New Year’s Eve does mean a fairly pricey time for us)! She spent ages at both the trade show and yesterday playing with them on the stand so I know it’s going to be an absolute winner! I also managed to meet up with a couple of my competition winners and another blogging Mummy friend of mine so that was a lovely aspect to the day! If you’ve not been to the show and you are going to have or have a baby then you must go next time (or tomorrow, the last day at Earls Court for this year) because it just has everything baby under one roof and all at special show discounted prices! Tickets can be very inexpensive if booked early and if you have older children they have a free crèche! Woo hoo! That was the best part for us, I got to show and network and meet new and old friends and Florence just got to play with all the new Fisher Price toys for a couple of hours! She was, as a result, exhausted and slept for more than 6 hours in a row which is a bit of a record for us! Admittedly she was up and playing at 4am this morning but at least we had that long stretch. I love The Baby Show because it really gives you a chance to look at and test products properly and all the experts you could hope for are under one roof. They have a stage with live demonstrations and talks on topics such as breast feeding and how to do it going on all day with invaluable advice, contacts and information running throughout the day. They also have an area where you can go and learn children’s first aid and there are competitions on practically every stand – you gotta be in em to win em! It’s worth knowing there are areas for feeding, both privately for nursing and for older children (baby food is provided) and for changing where Pampers provide the necessary. It’s so much more than just a shopping experience and with plenty of places to sit and have a coffee and relax it’s the perfect day out for new and expectant mums! I entered Florence into the ‘Face of the Baby Show’ competition too which means I came away with a gorgeous complimentary photo of her which is a great keepsake. Sonam Studios who were running the competition alongside Truly Scrumptious model agency for children were also taking free pictures of you with your child and or bump so we’ve got a nice couple of keepsakes from the day too. Florence is actually already a member of the Truly Scrumptious model agency and has worked as a child model for quite some time now so it was a bit annoying that she couldn’t muster a smile for the camera yesterday… kids eh! What else did we do? We got her hand and foot prints done for free with www.happyhands.co.uk which was fab because we also got them at the last two shows meaning I have a series; we browsed the lovely underwear collection for both expectant and new Mum’s in M&S; found some fantastic new products such as the chillipeeps teat (www.chillipeeps.com) and generally spent a very enjoyable day. For all information on The Baby Show and to find out how to purchase tickets for the next event visit www.thebabyshow.co.uk
 
Something else you could purchase at The Baby Show, and an item I can thoroughly recommend, is the Gumigem Teething necklace. I was given mine as a gift at the Trade show a couple of weeks ago and I think it’s a really excellent design. Gumigem teething necklaces are priced at between £10 and £12.50 and are made from silicone which meets FDA standards and are BPA, PVC, Lead, Latex and Phthalate free. They can withstand high temperatures, be easily sterilised or placed in the dishwasher and are on a long cord meaning plenty of reach for baby, and for extra comfort and safety, each necklace has a breakaway clasp. The concept is to wear the necklace and then instead of your child making a beeline for your metal jewellery they have something which is safe for them to put in their mouths. The pendant is ideal for them to chew on and ease the pain of their teeth coming through while being close to you and receiving your hugs and comfort. I chose the Lightning pendant in copper pot because the shape is designed for molars which are the bad boys Florence currently has coming through and so far she has loved chewing on the necklace. It’s designed to be not only functional but stylish too and I think it’s really quirky; lots of people have complimented me on it already. The best function for me so far however has been something that it wasn’t even designed to be used for… Florence, while feeding has a habit of twiddling the other side for comfort. This is so irritating, annoying and actually very painful and I am trying, along with feeding altogether to break the habit. I think breaking this comfort side to it might be the key to getting her off entirely and I have tried giving her all sorts of toys to play with in the past but she has always discarded them immediately. She has however been using the Gumigem to play with while having her feeds which is just lovely and an added bonus for us. I suppose because it’s on a cord she’s familiar with seeing it on me every day and she likes and uses it for it’s actual purpose makes it an attractive thing to play with –whatever the reason, it’s working and that’s good news! For all information on the necklaces, including extensive safety details and prices please visit the website www.gumigem.co.uk.
 

 
So as you can see, our week has been awesomely busy and that’s not even all of it! As I had been running a competition to win tickets to the London Dungeons I thought it only right, after I had picked my winners, (Well done Susie and Helen) that I myself should go take a look and write a little review! Being half term I decided to take advantage of the fact that my little sister was off school and take her for a treat, so we also did that this week and it was brilliant! I’m going to save that for my Halloween roundup next week and use the material then as I plan to do nothing more than ‘strolling’ while I’m at my Mum’s, perhaps a bit of shopping and of course some time spent at the park! I’m sure a fair amount of film watching will happen as well! And talking of films, do you remember a while ago I mentioned a great new film that was to hit our cinemas towards the end of the year called Will? Well, it’s about to be released on November the fourth by Vertigo Films and I just have to tell you all how brilliant this film is for the whole family because it’s just lovely and should so not be missed!
 
Will Brennan played movingly by 11 year old newcomer Perry Eggleton is living in an orphanage run by nuns. His Father couldn’t cope after the death of his beloved mother and had to place him in care where Will has grown up ever since. Years later after rebuilding his life his Dad comes back to see him and make amends. Played by Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) he wants to rebuild his relationship with Will and to start their new journey together he buys them tickets to the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul where he plans they will pilgrimage to see Liverpool, ‘their team’ win! He places a bet long before that Liverpool will make the final and the money is to pay for the trip. Will is a Liverpool FC fanatic who wants nothing more than to be with his Dad and this dream come true for him is the envy of all his friends in the home. Then tragedy strikes and Will is left without hope in his life once again. His friends urge him to make the journey to Istanbul come whatever and we see him make his emotional journey across Europe. This film brought not just tears to my eyes but actual full on crying in both sadness and happiness. It was beautiful, heart warming and so well acted I could shout about it from the roof tops. I also took my ten year old sister with me to see this and she, like me, loved it despite us having no interest in football whatsoever. This film is about dreams and family and friendship and is absolutely what your children should be watching; it has morals and it has a story line to beat most films suitable for children. Football fans will be pleased to note that Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Kenny Dalglish make their film debuts; Director Ellen Perry said “They were all strong performances. I’ve seen footballers act before and these three were extraordinary… they were committed, knew their lines and were willing to improvise.” Well, if I haven’t convinced you yet then just watch the trailer below and make sure you get yourself to the cinema after November 4^th for a truly lovely film!
 

 
I must stop writing soon and get packing and loading the car up for Norfolk. It’s ridiculous how much stuff you need to take away with you for a child and I’m only going to my Mum’s where she has loads of stuff she keeps there anyway! I really don’t know where it all comes from or what we’re going to do once there’s two of them?! Can’t wait to get there but hate the journey and so does Florence. The poor thing hates being strapped in to her car seat and not able to move around so before I leave you with my pregnancy diary I just want to let you all know abut this great travel product we’ll be using in the car and wouldn’t want to travel without nowadays! Keeping Florence occupied on short journeys is difficult enough but on long ones it’s an absolute nightmare. She is not the sort of girl who is happy to just sit and yet she’s not the quite old enough to explain what we’re doing, how long we’ll be and why we’re doing it. Nor is she old enough for age old car games such as I spy. Books and toys will keep her happy for a limited period but what she really needs is something that will keep her brain stimulated and I think I’ve found the perfect answer. ‘100 things for little children to do on journeys’ is a pack of activity cards which are double sided and provide different things to entertain. Of course Florence isn’t the targeted audience here, they are aimed at children who can read the simple instructions but because each one has a different picture and each one can be drawn on with the special pen in the pack she still finds them really interesting and they keep her from getting utterly bored! Florence loves to have something to draw on but paper would be far too flimsy and also not very tidy. With this pack of cards I can dish them out one by one and take them back as I pass her the next one when she’s bored of the first. The best bit is that they wipe clean and can be used again and again. The card they are printed on is pretty sturdy and they don’t require anything to lean on in order to use them so they are a pretty great activity for the car as well as any other form of travelling. The cards have things like, dot to dot and spot the difference puzzles as well as faces to draw on and many other activities. Of course there’s so many of them that once they’re wiped clean and by the time you get round to each one again they’ll be like new once more! They’re made by Usborne Publishing and priced at £5.99. For an item that can be used again and again and is smaller than a book that’s pretty good value I think! For more information on these and all of Usborne’s books and products please visit their website www.usborne.com.
 

 
MY PREGNANCY DIARY WEEK 13
 
I am utterly delighted to report that the scan went swimmingly well and everything looks good; the baby is, as far as the scan can detect healthy, has all the right measurement and the nuchal fold measurement (the thickness on the back of the neck) looks right. Of course I will have to wait until I get the result of the accompanying blood test result to be reassured further but I think we had about the best result we could have done. I will never be fully worry free as I have said before, but it is reassuring to hear the sonographer say everything looks good to her. I was absolutely terrified and my heart in my mouth when she ran the scanner over my tummy but was very quickly relieved to see that my baby was very much there! He or she was kicking and bouncing up and down and the picture was so utterly clear, I swear they’ve moved on even in the two or so years since I had my last one. It was so clear in fact that I thought I saw a little something! The sonographer asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby and I said no. I then couldn’t help myself and asked, ‘why, can you see?’ and she said yes. I also remember asking this with Florence and the sonographer came back at me with a much better answer considering I didn’t want to know and said ‘Well I haven’t looked and will only do so if you want me to.’ I was shocked that at 12 weeks this woman said she could see so I said that I thought you couldn’t detect this early but she informed me that sometimes it’s pretty obvious. I do think this was bad of her because it makes it obvious to me what she thinks it is now… I mean she must think, like me that she saw a little willy so I was a bit upset truth be told. Not that we might be having a boy, of course that would be delightful, as would it be to have another girl but I just don’t want to know, I want a surprise! So, I did a bit of googling when I got home and realised that even though some very experienced sonographers can detect the sex of the baby at 12 weeks, only 46% get it right. Both boys and girls have a little nub and apparently it’s down to the angle of it whether it’s a boy or a girl and it’s very hard to determine which at the 12 week mark. So, I’m now presuming she probably couldn’t be accurate and am back to thinking we have got our surprise! I love the ‘is it a boy or is it a girl’ guessing that goes on till the very last minute! One thing’s for sure, when I go back in 8 weeks for the next one I’m saying as I walk in the room ‘Please don’t tell me anything about the sex of the baby, I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!’
 
Nothing else majorly to report, the sickness is not really there anymore, comes in little waves but goes quite quickly and the tiredness, although still there, is much better than it was. I’m moving into the easier second trimester and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve still had a few ailments this week, a bit of a muscle pain in my lower back and quite a few headaches but I’m hoping everything will ease soon and I’ll be back to normal! One fabuluppa thing is that my skin is improving buckets and actually starting to not resemble that of a teenager! Bring it on! With regard to the headaches I’ve been having I’m sure it’s down to lack of sleep and it’s really irritating because where I’d usually reach for a paracetamol but when I’m pregnant I just prefer not to. I know lots of people say it’s fine but if I can manage without I’d really rather and that brings me onto my product of the week. Migraine Kool n Soothe are non medical soft gel sheets which you place on your forehead. They have an immediate cooling relief to be used for migraine and severe headache and can provide up to 8 hours relief. I used them when I was pregnant with Florence and they are an absolute must for me when pregnant. Priced at around £2.99 and stocked in all good chemists they’re just a completely safe and worry free way of relieving pain. You look a bit of a wally when wearing one but they don’t half do the job and you can wear them all through the night (If you don’t have a toddler who wants to peel it off)! I wouldn’t be without mine, they’re an absolute must!
 
So, from now until next week, I’ll leave you with the pics of my little one… Let the guessing begin? What do you think, boy or girl?
 

 
P.S Just before I go… I’ve got to do some shameful boasting and say how proud I am of Florence for learning how to do a forward roll! She’s been nearly there for about 8 weeks but she’s just managed it look!