FAMILY HOLIDAY AT RIXOS SAADIYAT ISLAND ABU DHABI

FAMILY HOLIDAY AT RIXOS SAADIYAT ISLAND ABU DHABI

Rixos Saadiyat Island decisively changed my mind about all inclusive holidays… Since a less than luxury all inclusive break in Barbados many years ago the thought of staying in another all inclusive sprawling resort hadn’t been front of mind… Thankfully there’s a new breed of all inclusive: or as Rixos promote their luxury…

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A ROMANTIC FAMILY HOLIDAY VISION

A ROMANTIC FAMILY HOLIDAY VISION

‘Romantic’ in the Oxford Dictionary is ‘characterised by, or suggestion of, an idealised view of reality’…  This week we have a little trip to the sandy shores of Abu Dhabi… I have a romantic vision of our time off together: relaxing and fun, rather than just memorable! Baby won’t know where he is…

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6 MONTHS BRINGING UP BABY

6 MONTHS BRINGING UP BABY

I have absolutely no idea where 6 months bringing up baby has gone… From my tracking app I can tell you we’ve had 1,120 nappies, 4,000+ ounces of formula, 200+ hours of nursing, 122 baths and 15 tastes of solids… I do love a bit of baby data! It has definitely been a…

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A MARK IN THE SAND: HOTEL WISH LIST

A MARK IN THE SAND: HOTEL WISH LIST

A hotel or few as a mark in the sand. We might not go to any of these any time soon but it’s a set of pretty pictures and a wish list of sorts.

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BRINGING UP BABY: FEEDING

BRINGING UP BABY: FEEDING

I will start with the only important thing that really needs to be said about feeding a baby… A well fed baby is a happy baby is the best type of baby. And a happy baby means a happy Mummy. #fedisbest We didn’t have a particularly stressful time, but feeding baby still had…

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HAVE BABY WILL TRAVEL: FLYING

HAVE BABY WILL TRAVEL: FLYING

To say I was nervous about our first attempt at flying as a threesome would be an understatement. A lot was riding on it. We love flying and travelling and we really want Baby P to love travel and adventure as well. Turns out he did like flying on his first attempt! Especially if…

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PENELOPE PARKER & BABY IN THE AUTUMN

PENELOPE PARKER & BABY IN THE AUTUMN

Autumn went by in a blur of coffee dates, walks with baby and business trips for Mr P. It started hot and balmy and finished frosty and soggy!  Days continue to vanish. I often don’t think I’ve achieved a thing but I actually did 1,000 little things to keep baby happy each day.…

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LEARN TO SWIM WITH BABY PADDLERS

LEARN TO SWIM WITH BABY PADDLERS

Water will be a big part of family life. Mr P and I met through sailing and we love to be by the sea. Getting Baby P safe and confident in the water is a high priority for us. Bathtime hasn’t always been smooth sailing for him… Sometimes we still hold his hand…

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SHOP SMALL: GIFTS FOR BABY AND MUMMY

SHOP SMALL: GIFTS FOR BABY AND MUMMY

Something I have enjoyed during night feeds (apart from staring into his gorgeous eyes) is the maze of small businesses selling gorgeous baby and mummy stuff on Instagram… Whilst I am the first to admit most of his clothes come from Tesco or H&M, I have found some shop small gems in my 2am…

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A NIGHT IN LONDON – WITH A BABY

A NIGHT IN LONDON – WITH A BABY

Roll the clock back six months and we’d stay in London every few weeks. A date night supper somewhere fancy and then we would use up a few accumulating hotel points for a free stay, to avoid our commute! Now however… A night in London is a holiday! Not necessarily relaxing. But a…

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WHERE DO SELF CARE AND SELFLESSNESS MEET?

WHERE DO SELF CARE AND SELFLESSNESS MEET?

Self care. Something to focus on. Where do self care and selflessness meet when you have a new baby and thousands of demands a day? Probably nowhere near the middle – the tiny human is the priority! I didn’t know I could be totally selfless until he arrived. Don’t get me wrong I have never…

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BABY MEMORIES: MY 1ST PHOTOS

BABY MEMORIES: MY 1ST PHOTOS

I love photos. Taking them and looking at them. I take photos to remember special places, events and experiences. I can spend hours looking through them. And I write my blog to capture the details or anecdotes: a modern scrap book or photo album so I forget nothing. I also love to read.…

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SWAPPING SUITS FOR ACTIVEWEAR WITH UK LINGERIE

SWAPPING SUITS FOR ACTIVEWEAR WITH UK LINGERIE

Swapping my job in the city for an even busier job as mummy meant a sea change in what I wear. No more pencil skirts, fitted dresses and high heels on a weekday and pretty little dresses or my trusty Levi’s at the weekend… No. That’s all packed away in boxes in the…

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OH BABY IT’S A WILD WORLD – MY TRAVEL WISHES

OH BABY IT’S A WILD WORLD – MY TRAVEL WISHES

Oh baby it’s a wild world 🎶 For many reasons, but lets focus on the adventures. Here’s the things I wish for my baby from travel based on the life skills I take from it. To travel Just having the opportunity to see the world in the first place is something special. Not taking…

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WINCHESTER COLLEGE HERITAGE OPEN DAY

WINCHESTER COLLEGE HERITAGE OPEN DAY

There’s a certain allure to somewhere that’s behind closed doors and not open to the public. Winchester College is such a place. We’d catch glimpses of it across the water meadows on a stroll or by peering in the porters lodge door. But that’s it. We got close to spending a day at…

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BRINGING UP BABY: FEELING THROUGH THE 4TH TRIMESTER

BRINGING UP BABY: FEELING THROUGH THE 4TH TRIMESTER

I learn many things about baby and being a mummy every day. But in the fourth trimester I remember most fondly four things he’s taught me as we’ve bonded about some of our simplest feelings, emotions and actions. Some of this is old hat to many, or sounds poetic or too sugar tinted.…

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ONE BABY ACHIEVEMENT AT A TIME

ONE BABY ACHIEVEMENT AT A TIME

I started writing this baby post on my phone a few weeks ago… But, when you only get one thing done a day, prioritising a blog post takes a while! But the baby monitor is on, baby is napping and I fancied a bit of blogging! So, first let’s roll the clock back…

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1481 DAYS: MISCARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD

1481 DAYS: MISCARRIAGE AND MOTHERHOOD

Talking about miscarriage isn’t something I find easy even with close friends and colleagues so writing this is tough. I have started this post many times… The timing was never right. But talking about miscarriage is important. Too many people go through it. Most people don’t talk about it and suffer privately. 1…

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PENELOPE, PARKER AND BABY IN THE SUMMER

PENELOPE, PARKER AND BABY IN THE SUMMER

Summer 2018 has been pretty life changing… I even altered the blog name!! But first… June marked the end of our first year in our new home. In fact it was when it really started to feel like home too. The carpets went down and the lighting was finished. The upstairs of our…

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BRINGING UP BABY: 6 WEEKS IN

BRINGING UP BABY: 6 WEEKS IN

Every day in life is a learning day… And nothing compares to the speed of learning with a new baby. It comes thick and fast… Not just the poo! It’s surreal, I had more training to be an office first aider than a parent! I never let myself get ahead of things in…

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TAKE AWAYS FROM TRAVEL

TAKE AWAYS FROM TRAVEL

When you suddenly don’t travel as much as you did, you realise what you love about it. That said, I’m happy with the reason why I can count on just two hands how many flights I have taken in the last 6 months and the fact that we can’t really book any more…

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THE BABYMOON – TRIED AND TESTED

THE BABYMOON – TRIED AND TESTED

The babymoon – it’s fair to say we took a few… Not just the “last jam before the pram” before the arrival, but at regular intervals through 9 months of growing the baby. Our choices were around Baby P and to be sure I got the relaxing and de-stressing breaks I needed to…

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DAY 1 WITH BABY: WHAT’S REALLY NEEDED?

DAY 1 WITH BABY: WHAT’S REALLY NEEDED?

I didn’t believe that we’d really be bringing home Baby P. Despite having watched the heart trace for the whole of labour to check his heart was beating… Even with those last few pushes when the midwives could see his little head. And Mr P was even summoned down there (!!) by the…

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LIFE UPDATE: BABY PARKER

LIFE UPDATE: BABY PARKER

My beloved blog has been, and will be, a little quiet… There’s a newly beloved on the scene… A baby! Last week we celebrated the much longed for arrival of Baby Parker into the world! The last 9 months of adventures have all discreetly been carrying around our tiny human that we’ve waited…

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CHARMING COTSWOLDS STAY AT THE LYGON ARMS

CHARMING COTSWOLDS STAY AT THE LYGON ARMS

We’ve been lucky enough to stay at the Chewton Glen and Cliveden House a number of times. There are few teams and hotels that know hospitality better. I have for a long time been wary of what’s on offer hotel-wise in the Cotswolds as much of it looks a bit like Little London.…

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