New Blog: Cups of Tea & Love

I have decided to start a new blog, mainly about beauty and lifestyle, but I'm sure Melissa will pop up on there too.  I love beauty and finding new products to use, and I didn't think it really fits in with 'Mummy and MeMe' so that's when I decided to start this one. I decided to name it 'Cups of tea and Love', the reason behind it is that, I want it to be a blog where you can sit down with a cup of tea (or a drink of your choice) and have a bit of "you time" and enjoy reading about beauty and all the other things I have been up to or love. All mummies deserve to be pampered and treated to once in a while, we spend enough time covered in sick, snot and food. 

Please have a look and let me know what you think.

Cups of Tea & Love

Sarah

x

How To Make Your Own Wrapping Paper

Today I have very bravely decided to make- yes make, my own wrapping paper, with the help of Melissa. She loves painting, so I thought we would have a cosy day in and get her paints out.

Here is how we did it;

These are the things you will need:

1. Sponge

2. A roll of Brown Paper 

3. Paint

4. Scissors 

5. Finger Paint trays 

6. A Marker (or Felt tip pen that can mark on the sponge.)

I have used the Reeves ready mix paint as it is non-toxic and safe for Melissa to use at her age.

I have used the Crayola non-toxic paint before, but it is really gooey, so it's not great for making things like this. It is, however, very good for younger babies who just want to get messy and explore with new textures.

With a marker draw on the sponge the shape you want to make, it will help when you are cutting it out.

Once you have cut out some shapes, dip them into the paint and start putting them on to the brown paper, in any pattern you wish. Or if you have a little one it will be mostly up to them, like mine was. 

I put Melissa in an old baby grow so that if she got it dirty it didn't matter. But we all know if you're painting with a toddler it IS going to get dirty. As you can see in the top right-hand corner of the picture below that is her apron, which she point blank refused to put on, the little tinker.

Finish off with some ribbon and you've got yourself, your own one of a kind wrapping paper. Perfect for grandparents or daddy's presents.

I hope you enjoyed this. If you decide to make your own wrapping paper, please let me see it either by posting a picture in the comments or post it on Instagram using #mummyandmemewrappingpaper so I can see it.

Love 

Sarah & MeMe

Christmas Tag

 I have seen this Christmas Tag on Makeup Savvy's Blog, I love her blog especially her latest post for gifts under £5, it's such a hard price point to find anything especially for Secret Santa presents, so go check it out if you need some ideas.

I wanted to have a go at this to get myself in the Christmas Spirit even more (if that was even possible!)  and to think about some of my favourite memories. So here I go..

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

Ooo, tough one! I love watching Christmas Movies. Okay lets see, I love;

Home Alone

Muppet Christmas Carol

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone & Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets- Don't get me wrong I love all Harry Potter Films, but I love the first two. They make me feel very festive, I want to go to Hogwarts!! 

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

No- My parents have never let me open a present on Christmas Eve, but it didn't stop me from making tiny holes in the wrapping paper of the presents under the tree to try and make out what it was.

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

My favourite Christmas memory has to be the year I got my first ever pet and kitten, Sooty. My Dad brought her down in her bed and she didn't move, I thought she was a stuffed teddy, but after a little while she started to creep towards me, and I just got so excited jumping around.

4. Favourite festive food?

Favourite festive food- hmmm, I love Christmas fruit cake. Oh and I can't forget the good old Mince Pies.

5. Favourite Christmas gift?

It has to be my Kitten, Sooty again. 

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

At the minute I am loving my Yankee Candle, Red Apple Wreath fragrance. I love lighting my candle so that my house smells all Christmassy.

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

When I was younger and before Melissa, I used to go out around my local town for drinks with all my friends, but since Melissa, we go to Stephen's Mum's house for some tea. It's lovely to see all the children get together and see how excited they all get.

8. What tops your tree?

This year I have a wooden star on the top of my tree.

9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

When I was asking for a Kitten, my Mum & Dad kept saying no, obviously to try and make it look like I wasn't getting one. Their excuses for not letting me get one was that they would have to clean up its poop all the time, so I said "Well can I have a monkey? That way I can put a nappy on it" I thought it was quite clever!

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

The best part of Christmas for me now is seeing how excited Melissa will get on Christmas morning. I love all the things you can do on the run up to Christmas, like visiting a Christmas Market, (I did this today) or decorating the house and the Christmas tree.

I hope you enjoyed this Christmas Tag, and that it got you feeling festive too.

I have left the questions below so please leave me your answers in the comments below, or if you have a blog please  tag me, so that I can see your answers, I'd love to see them.

I hope you are all having a lovely day. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Love 

Sarah & MeMe

x

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

4. Favourite festive food?

5. Favourite Christmas gift?

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
8. What tops your tree?
9. As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?
10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

My Little Girl Turns 18 Months

On the 1st of December, Melissa turned 18 Months old. It has been the quickest 18 months of my life, ever. It only feels like yesterday that I was waddling around, waiting for her arrival, and now she is here running around, and trying her very best to talk. 

It is amazing how much they grow in such a short space of time. It's hard to imagine a day when she couldn't even hold her head up, it still all feels a bit surreal, even now after 18 months.

At 18 months old her little character is shining through more and more, and I can start to see the little girl she will become. She is such a happy and funny little girl, and people even strangers comment on her. Every shop will go into she will wave to everyone on the way out and quite happily talk to anyone who gives her a smile, she makes me one very proud Mama! As happy as she is, she does have her moments of being a little tinker and knows how to throw a good paddy when she wants. I thought 'terrible twos' started at 2, not 18 months?! She threw a paddy in a packed shop because she couldn't have a toy pram, well it took me totally of guard and I quickly went to the till, paid and left. Next time I think I will a little better prepared.

Her favourite things to do are; dancing, any bit of music that comes on and she will do a little dance, bouncing up and down and swinging her arms totally adorable. Along with this, which it quite a new thing is singing, you never know she may be the next big pop star when she's older!

Another she absolutely loves are wooden puzzles, and my goodness she is good at them. They are the ones where you match up the animals to what is on the board.

So I thought I would share with you a few of my favourite photographs of her/ us from the past 18 Months. As I upload them I will probably be crying at them wondering my little baby and the time has gone.. 

So yes, I did cry looking through all my photos. Becoming a Mummy has been so rewarding- tiring but oh so rewarding. Especially now when she is at the age, where she will stop what she is doing and come over to you and give you a kiss, and right then and there my heart just fills up with so much love, and I feel like I could pop with happiness. Or the way she looks so excited to show me something she has learnt and I feel so proud of her. Becoming a Mummy, has truly been a gift.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. Is there anything you wish for me to post? If so, please comment below. Hope you're having a lovely day.

Love 

Sarah & MeMe 

Find everything you need for your little ones this Christmas | Great Little Children Trading Company

A while back I was just browsing the internet, as you do, and I stumbled across this website called 'Great Little Trading Company'. As soon as I clicked on it, I was hooked! It is one of those websites that you can spend ages on and want to make sure you've seen every item on the website. Not only looking but also adding everything in your basket, then realising you are about to spend a small fortune on toys. Then you ask yourself; am I buying these for me or MeMe?! Ok, so before I carry on, I just want to say that I have not been sponsored by this company to do this post, I just genuinely love this website!

Below are some of my favourites that I will hopefully be getting MeMe for Christmas and my Nieces and Nephews. 

Sweet Pea Play Kitchen

I think this is so adorable!! I think Melissa might be too young for this now, but this is something that she will play with and last for many years to come. It's £158, but for the quality of it I think it's a reasonable price. It also comes in different colours.

Sweet Pea Play Kitchen

Toy Garage

What little boy wouldn't love this. It's got cars, ramps, lifts, everything to keep him amused.

Click to buy here

Shopping Trolley

MeMe absolutely loves pushing anything around, especially her pram. She tries to put as much stuff in her pram as possible, so I just know she would love this! It's £49 and I know you can get cheaper ones, but with it being wood it will last a lot longer.

Click to buy here

There are lots of little toys as well that make for lovely presents.

 

I will be treating my MeMe, Nieces and Nephews, to lots of toys from this website. 

I am going to do another post about this company the storage and furniture that they sell, so keep an eye out on that. 

I hope this has has given you some Inspirations on gifs for littles ones, or just introduced you to a lovely website that you can use in the future.

Hope you're having a lovely day.

Sarah & MeMe

x

My Top 5 Christmas Advent Calendars

Here are my Top 5 Advent Calendars for this year. I just love Advent Calendars and the count down to Christmas, so I am getting very excited that we are nearly in December! (keep reading to hear how excited I get about some of these advent calendars!)

With Melissa not really knowing what Advent is, or really needing to have chocolate every day, I love the idea of these ones, so that I can either put a little treat in or an activity to do for that day. 

The first one is from a blog called WhipperBerry. I just love this, and she has made this all by her self! It's looks so professional and festive! See how she has done it on the link below the image.

From Wipperberry Blog




This one is from Not on the Highstreet. Oh I just love love love this! I like how they are little houses. You could dot them around the house, and in the mornings you have to find the right numbered house with your little ones. You could tell them that they are where the little elves live, and every night one of the elves makes a present or an activity for them to open the in the morning. (oh, i'm getting myself so excited)

From Not on the Highstreet

This one would look lovely as a decoration around the house on one of the walls, that just doubles up as an advent Calendar.

Great Little Trading Company

I thought this was really different with it lighting up, I think it would be lovely in the living room at night, it would make the room feel so cosy. Plus again with the elves, you could say that when the lights are on, the elves are in and are busy making a present for the next day.

John Lewis

If you are feeling creative this year, then why not buy one where you can paint and decorate it yourself? This one is from Hobby Craft. Below is a picture of how you can decorate it. If your little one is older then you could let them decorate it.

Hobby Craft

On my my previous post, I made a list of activities you could write and put inside the boxes, if you want to read it please click here.

I have also pinned a lot of DIY Advent Calendars on Pinterest Christmas Board, to see them please click here.

I hope you enjoyed this post on my Top 5 Advent Calendars. Which are you favourite advent calendars? Or your Christmas Advent Traditions, I'd love to hear them in the comments below, or just simply say Hi!

Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

Love 

Sarah & MeMe

25 things to do this Christmas Time with a Toddler

Christmas Is Coming...

 These are my 25 Things I would like to do this Christmas Time with MeMe. I have been thinking of putting these ideas on to a piece of paper and then putting them into a wooden Advent Calendar, with drawers. Everyday she could open up a drawer and that would be the activity we did that day. 

I am going to do a Blog about my favourite Advent Calendars, the ones that are a bit different to the normal kind, that you can get at supermarkets, with chocolate inside. So keep an eye out for that.

Hope you are having a lovely day, and are starting to feel festive, like I am.

Love

Sarah & MeMe

x