Skeanies Competition!

If you have read my raving review on the new shoe brand called 'Skeanies' then you will know how brilliant they are, as well as recommended by podiatrists and made from top quality leather. Great for reassuring parents their little one's feet are in good hands (oo-er) and comfortable for growing feet too!

So just in the spirit of being the lovely blogger that I am, I have teamed up with Skeanies to offer one lucky reader a pair of their gorgeous shoes! Their website has lots to choose from for boys and girls alike, all you need to do is enter via the rafflecopter below by visiting their website and leaving a comment with the name of the style of shoes you would want to win below in the comments!

Of course there are other ways to enter! Once you've left your comment below you can alsodo the following to earn extra entries:

• Follow on facebook
• Follow on twitter
• Tweet about the competition
• Google+1 this post

So all you need to do is pick your favourite pair and keep your fingers and toes crossed! Winner will be drawn within 24 hours of competition close and notified by email.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Introducing Skeanies!

Now, I've got a 'thing' about feet.

That got your attention didn't it?! No I don't mean a Christian Grey kind of 'thing', more a instant gag reflex, can't bear to have someone else's feet touch me...kind of thing. Then along came Joshua, whose feet I can't get enough of! It's all very new to me-this whole, finding feet... absolutely lovely! His tiny, perfect toes and his lovely soft skin, well baby feet are simply wonderful aren't they?! I love to tickle his feet and watch him howl with laughter and at bath time we have a routine where after he's all dry I kiss the soles of his feet 'nan-nights', again he loves it and chuckles away!

So with how beautiful his feet are, and considering they are going to take my little prince where ever he wants to go in the world, I know how important it is to protect them and look after them. There is one major retailer on the high street who for years were seen as the only place to go for 'proper' shoes to help your little one walk. I was horrified when I looked in there as a heavily pregnant mound of baby bump (I was preparing early-good job as he walked at 10 months!). The shoes were so...well not my thing. No choice, no real difference in the shoes, they all looked a bit 'samey' to me. Luckily when I had Josh there were alternatives and lots of them, so we've never bought shoes from there!

He loves Converse and Vans but I wanted to make sure he had a 'proper' pair of shoes. I've often read about how trainers constantly for little feet are not good at supporting them so knew it was important to find shoes that a podiatrist would recommend. That's where Skeanies come in. The Australian born shoe brand, now launched here in Europe. Their shoes are approved by feet specialists and paediatricians alike so you know your little one's feet, are in good hands, oo-er!

Skeanies have an eco-friendly approach, they only use leather offcuts for their shoes so you know they are quality shoes and will allow for growing feet to move and breathe! We got these gorgeous 'Boat Shoes' in navy with a velcro style strap. They have a flexable rubber sole for grip and they are so comfy for Joshua, he loves to run round in them and as we have wooden floor throughout the downstairs of our home-I don't have to worry he will slip when he's in these!

There are so many gorgeous shoes to choose from for boys and girls on their website. We particularly like these pink loafers if you have a girl! They have a stretchy collar and super soft leather and look so fashionable!

As the website isn't British founded the sizes are European but they have a whole section on the website with details about the conversion to help you and details on how to measure your childs feet properly and accurately on your own. I found this really helpful as I didn't know how to do it properly before!

Skeanies are a firm favourite in our house now. Joshua is comfortable in them and I'm not worried about his feet while he wears them. Likewise I worry less when he's running around indoors in these and I'm happy that they are stylish enough to be sported by my little man! The prices are good too, our Boat shoes cost £34.99 and the ranges for the infants are less than these too-so it's also justifiable to invest in a pair.

They get five stars from me and Joshua and even Joshua's Dad who is VERY picky said he liked them when he took Joshua out wearing them. I can't wait to see more from Skeanies as their range develops and they release more styles-they are deffinately a huge brand to watch! 

Please visit their website here: www.skeanies.co.uk

Love Chloe xx

**This is a sponsored post, we were sent a pair of Skeanies for the purpose of the review but all opinions and thoughts are my own**

'Nah'

Joshua has learnt a new word! Now this may not sound too ground breaking to you, but considering the total lack of words and the few he did have vanishing in to thin air...well I was bursting with pride (and relief) this week when he began to say this word. It's a word full of promise, it's strong and assertive and it allows him to express himself and his independance. It's also already beginning to be the bain of my life! That word it 'No'!

I was so relieved when I asked him a random question last week and he replied with a 'Nah' and a shake of his head! It literally stopped me in my tracks and then had my jumping up and down, clapping my hands with glee like a cartoon character on heat, at Christmas time! However very quickly I realised that he can't tell the difference all the time between when an answer should actually be 'No' and when it should be 'Yes'. For example he slipped off the bottom step of our stairs (one step not more, I'm not neglectful people!!) and I asked him if he was ok and he replied 'Nah' while he happily toddled back of to Happyland. But for the most part he does actually get it right! And I am so excited that my little boy can actually interact with me at last!

Joshua is two in a matter of weeks and is under a specch therapist after loosing the few words he did have some months ago and not learning any more. Lots of people told me the same thing, that he would just wake up and start jabbering away-which he didn't. I spent months and months of disappointment (and fear quite frankly) that something was wrong when this mystical morning of speech-never appeared. So although 'No' might not seem much, to me and Joshua it's our first interaction-first proper verbal interaction should I say!

I now find myself asking him questions all the time just so he can cutely shake his head and say 'Nah'! "Do you want any more tea, Joshua?" or "Do you need a new nappy, Joshua"? However I am beginning to see the affect this power has upon him as he acknowledges that this one word has the potential to completely throw me and get him what he wants! At tea time when he's had enough he knows he gets fruit and pudding so when I ask if he wants more dinner, the answer is always 'No'. When I ask him to sit down to put his shoes on before he goes in the garden-that same two worded letter is the answer!

I know he's expressing his independance through it and at the moment I couldn't mind one bit! I'm just so pleased and actually found myself lying awake last night wondering when we are going to get a full 'Mummy' and 'Daddy'! So for the meantime I am loving 'No' but I am sure after another week or so this won't be the case...He's also learnt to pick his nose in the last week too. Not quite so excited about that one!

What words does your little one have that drive you mad?

Love Chloe xx

What's New Pussycat?

Sometimes recently, I feel a bit like I'm neglecting you beautiful lot! I read all these excellent and informative posts on all manner of things from parenting to procrastinating, and feel a bit stumped for what to write myself! As you all know, our living situation is a little tricky these days with Baby Daddy's ongoing disability which has badly affected our daily lives. Because of this we, well we don't really DO a lot! I can't write about fantastic places we go or exciting things we do, because the most exotic place me and Josh have been recently is the aquatic section of the garden centre!!

The most frivolous thing we've done recently is to gravel our old flower bed in the garden and the most spontaneous thing we've done was to buy some new GU puds from Sainsbury's. We are so rock and roll these days! In fact I suddenly felt about twenty years older this weekend when I realised that I am very happy and content in my rigid daily routine! The inner need to dispel this feeling craved a random bungee jump or something equally carefree just to prove to myself I'm actually only 24...then my inner old granny said 'sod it' and I went back to wearing my slippers, drinking hot chocolate and reading my book in bed! My inner granny almost suffered a nervous breakdown last week when I actually went on my first night out THIS YEAR! Yes, I know. I stuffed her to the back on my mind and boogied, and drank my way through an entire day and night of fun and laughter. It was a great night but boy oh boy did I feel rough for two days. Since when did hangovers last longer than a long lay in, a macdonalds lunch and an afternoon nap?...Since I became a mother that's when. My hangovers are now encouraged by hours of Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse, a toddler using my body as a climbing frame and nappies with various contents requiring my attention. It really is momentous.

I'm working little a looney these days! I can't complain at all because I absolutely love it (if you didn't know I started a business selling handmade goods this summer www.daisydaysdesigns.co.uk ) and am very blessed to be able to do something I love finally. But as with all business's it's in it's early stage and I could really do with transforming my spare bedroom in to a proper workshop. So if anyone has some spare money, spare Ikea vouchers or the like then let me know because I will happily take them off your hands to help with my 'workshop' a.k.a escape room!

Joshua is a gem. It's approaching his second birthday now, less than a month away and he's really making some developmental progress now. He understands everything that we say to him, he's amazing us every day with all these things he suddenly knows how to do. Yesterday he spilt some juice-next thing he's got a tea towel and was wiping it up! Well Trained, my son! Can't say he got that from his Dad!

Other than that there is no earth shattering news on the Twenty Something Mum front at the moment! My house is still a tip with my living room resembling an explosion at Toys'r'us, my fridge freezer is on the brink of breaking...OOOO I did paint my kitchen last week-that was pretty earth shattering for me! Especially as I didn't plan on it and just decided to do it on the day...after about ten minutes felt like an idiot, a knackered one! I realised I had probably taken on too much with that task but couldn't stop as the main section of wall had a massive duck egg coloured smear down the middle....suffice to say it now looks amazing but my arms have only just stopped aching!

So you bootiful lot, what have you been up to? Anyone got any huge news? Please? Need something interesting to captivate me!!! SAVE ME FROM MY BOREDOM!

Just Kidding.

Kind of.

Love Chloe xx

Facebook...Motherhood Friend, or Faux?

As a young person, I spent years going 'against the grain' and choosing not to have a facebook account. Although I was using it as much as other teenagers, by my later teens I was fed up with the spying and the access that it gave people to my life, and the access it gave me to theirs. At that time I was impressionable, as most teenagers are. The trials and tribulations of teenage angst combined with access to ex-boyfriends profiles, access to profiles of people who I always felt threatened by etc meant that I could have an unhealthy access to things I didn't need to see or know (I'm not talking stalking people, I'm no bunny boiler! But snooping through pictures from nights out which did nothing to mend my broken heart). Then as I matured (a little!) I hated the drama that lurked at every corner on my own doorstep as I begun to date Joshua's daddy. Having a facebook account with something as 'simple' as a relationship status seemed to be the invitation people needed to get involved with, lie about and try and ruin my new relationship. Combined with the fact that I considered myself a totally different person from the 17 year old girl who originally set up the page...so I took it off. I spent four years as a facebook free friend, only choosing to speak to the people I actually cared about in person or on the phone and I can't say I missed facebook.

Things changed when we moved away. Motherhood is lonely, far more lonely than anything can prepare you for and relocating to an area hours from home with no friends or family intensified this feeling. So after weighing up the pro's and con's I decided to delve back in to the book of face to keep in touch with home etc. I set up a new account (only after I tried to re-ignite my old one but seeing hundreads of 'friends' I didn't even know, nor could remember I decided a fresh page was needed) and went from there.

It wasn't long before I noticed certain things hadn't changed that had always annoyed me-the annoying status updates from people who want to tell the whole world that they have a problem, just so people give them sympathy and ask what's the matter, and then act all coy and shy and say 'it doesn't matter'-my take on attention seekers on a virtual platform. Friend requests from people I didn't like enough to give a view in to my life, or no friend request from people who I thought would want that window-it began to emotionally affect me very quickly. Or rather, it began to pee me off. But as facebook does, it draws you in and becomes like a limb.

As a mother now on facebook I find it worse than before in some ways. I read a great post over at Bizzy Mum's Blog this week about this-Seeing status updates on facebook from mothers who literally always gush about their child(ren). All of us love our children more than life itself, we would all lay down in the road for them if needed, and we all think ours is the best-that's just what motherhood is. But THOSE mothers who only put things like "love my baby girl/boy so much, they are the light of my life, couldn't imagine life without them, they are the best thing ever, their poo smells like roses, I would drink their urine and they are perfect in every way..." THOSE mothers really get my goat. Who are they trying to kid-me or themselves?! Depending on my mood it can make me laugh or demotivate me, constantly seeing the same mothers gush is a little...sickening and also makes the rest of us feel useless when our own child is currently running around naked, covered in chocolate, remnants of marmite in his hair, trashing the house and trying mummy's patience on every level (not just mine hey?!). On those days those updates drive me mad.

Then there is the whole photo thing. Lots of parents don't like pictures of their children on facebook. Now I understand the logic behind this. When I realised how the photographs of my son which I used on my blog, would show up in the search engine when my name was searched-well I wasn't happy at all. Unsavory characters could have access easily to pictures of my little man, in fact they were advertised for all to see, rather than only being shown on my blog-as intended. Because of this I now try not to use many(you've probably noticed this) so I do understand the logic. HOWEVER on facebook, I feel it's a little different because if you have a private profile, like most people do, means that no-one you don't know can have access to private and personal details or photo's. So when you go to a BBQ or birthday party and want to put the snaps on your page for all to enjoy the sight of your 'little prince' dancing like  superstar...you have to check first with all parents. And there is always one who isn't willing to give permission for that, and you can guarantee it's their child in EVERY decent picture of your own. And what's more the pictures usually appear on their own profile anyway.

All of this goes with all the previously experienced nastiness too. A soppy status dedicated to 'good friends' which doesn't include you, or a party you don't get invited to...all these things can make you feel so excluded, so judged and like your back at school again fighting for a place in the 'in crowd'. It's just not for me.

The lonelihood I've experienced at times in my first few years as a mother has been my driving force to use facebook but I am very aware of how it works and how it makes me feel, more importantly. So rather than be impulsive and delete my account again, I now don't really use it as an interactive tool. I look at my friends holiday snaps, chat with people who live far away from me and I wouldn't usually get to be involved with as much...but that's as far as it goes now. I don't spend 24 hours a day with it on the laptop, and spend most of my facebook time on my business page working now instead.

My take is that facebook can be a great platform for friendship, for business and valuable platform and lifeline for mothers when they need to feel less alone. But only in small doses that is. What do you think about facebook? Are you an addict, or like me, a sporadic user? Would love to know your thoughts!

Love Chloe
xx

Strectch... (Marks)

I absolutely adore my son, I would lay down in the road for him in a flash, there is nothing I wouldn't do out of devotion to him. I love my life as a Mummy, wouldn't change it for the world...and yet sometimes this little annoying voice in my head starts whinging away. (Psychologists please note this is a proverbial 'voice' not an actual exsistant voice!) This little voice is like a diva whose demands aren't met and she's getting increasingly frustrated!

The little diva voice whines on about feeling like an elastic band that's been pulled to it's maximum, it's stretched so far it's at it's pre-pang elasticity. It's stretched that much that there is no elasticity/room to move left! Usually I manage to block her annoying voice out with a couple of episodes of brain numbing childrens cartoons or immerse myself in work, which I love. But her whinging has been a bit of  a revelation for me. (Which I so wish wasn't the case as I daren't give her the satisfaction out of fear for her next demand/revelation about my life, motherhood, the world etc!)

We carry our babies for months, nurturing them and using our bodies to grow them. Many mothers are left with actual physical reminders of this in the form of those marks we all shudder at the thought of...those *looks around shiftiliy and lowers voice*..stretch marks. I'm very lucky I don't really have many, a few on the sides of my hips but I had them before, some of my friends have them quite badly which I know they really dislike. Some brilliant minded Mummies refer to these are their 'war wounds' and their 'trophies' that they nurtured a new life (this is me sometimes). Some people (like me a lot of the time) just see them as a physical reminded that our bodies will never be the same again! Never would I change having my son but it would be nice if I could have kept my pre baby body-it just felt a little...nicer!

Anyway the type of *whispers* - stretch marks - that I am really talking about are the mental ones. The ones I wasn't prepared for, the ones that don't have lotions and potions being advertised as miracle treatments, the ones that no-one really talks about are the stretch marks left on your life and in your head! I often talk about how I made the choice to sacrifice having a disposable income to stay at home with my son, we have no spare money and only just scrape by but it's a sacrifice-a stretch-I make for my son. Everyone is different in this respect so please don't read in to that comment if you're a working mummy, it's just an example!). Financially my stretch marks are deep, scary and threatening that I often fear that change is necessary to remove them...change I don't want to make (return stamping feet diva moment).

Everyday my brain reminds me it's now covered in stretch marks! I have a million and one things to do every day-those people who think that being a stay at home mum means we spend our days with out feet up, watching tv and having a brilliant time, are so ill informed I would love to drop kick each one of them in to reality! Between the on going saga with Joshua's Daddy's ill health, Joshua's current assesments for lack of speech etc, keeping a family running all on my own, running a small business and just about managing to keep myself mentally afloat of the point where my whole body crumples in one massive brain-fart...well, my head is thoroughly covered in stretch marks! So many stretch marks that I sometimes actually forget that I'm only 24!

Most of the time I speed through all the things that have fallen on to my shoulders (these shoulders are broad babies, built to take a stealth of weighty responsibilities!) and never have much time to reflect on my mental stretch marks, but sometimes, just sometimes I wish I could just be a mummy and a twenty four year old! Not all the other stuff! *sighs*

Sometimes I really don't help myself though, yesterday for example in the midst of a mentally busy day and a very healthy looking order book just waiting for my attention...I decided to decorate my kitchen. On my own! It's something I've wanted to do for ages and out of rebellion towards those darn stretchmarks I just thought 'sod it' and did it to make myself happy...although after about twenty minutes and a VERY small amount of painting done, I did realise I had massively underestimated the amount of hard work involved! Typical Chloe hilarity! Got it finished though and I love it and it was nice to take a break from the ever imposing stretchmarks. It was nice to choose to put the stretchmarks aside and do something for me (although I wouldn't recommend anything this strenuous again, more a spa day for a break instead I think!).

So I guess I feel a bit short changed that no-one told me about the mental stretchmarks I would be left with as a mother, a bit like a diva as I contemplate all the jobs and things I have to do which I really don't want to and a LOT like an over stretched elastic band! Oh the joys of motherhood...and life! x

Love Chloe xx