I like being busy but I am very much looking forward to a week off the week after next, starting off with my Sister-in-Law's wedding - yay! - in which we are all playing a role. Can't wait!
So, what's new, what am I loving and what things have we been getting up to?
DOING I spent a lot of time in the car last week and also went to visit my parents at the weekend in Hampshire. We hadn't been to visit since March, as we were due to see each other after Ethan's birthday but then he had chickenpox, so we were long overdue some family time.
Ethan was very excited to see his Grandad and on Saturday, we spent the day at a local fair. We last went to this fair two years ago when Ethan was only a few weeks old and it was a really lovely way to pass an afternoon.
We watched the parade, ate burgers and ice cream, visited the farm animals that had come to visit and I may have had a cheeky Pimms too. Summer has started people!
On Sunday, we went to see my Mum. Ethan opened his birthday presents and we then went to Birdworld, a zoo of, well, birds of course! It's somewhere I went when I was very young and one of the most infamous stories about me as a little girl is how we went to Birdworld, and after a lovely days spend there, I got into the car and asked my parents 'when are we going to Birdworld?'. Toddlers, eh?
We had no such trouble with Ethan; he absolutely loved walking around (refusing to get in his chair until the very end when he was well and truly worn out) and Mum and I had such fun seeing his reaction to all the birds, owls, parrots and penguins.
The penguins are always one of my favourite things to see - they're such happy, carefree birds and Ethan is a big fan too.
Trying to both fit our heads through the holes at the same time - and failing.
It was so nice to go back and it was in many ways just as I remembered, although there were more playing areas and picnic areas too, plus Jenny Wren Farm. I'd highly recommend it if you're in the Hampshire area.
WASHING I can be quite lax when it comes to laundry and we never seem to get to the bottom of the laundry basket (it's like Narnia, does it even have a bottom or an end?!). Little man has the most laundry out of all of us it seems and we forever seem to have the washing machine on the go.
Being sensitive types, both Ethan and I can easily be irritated by products that come into contact with our skin so I'm always on the lookout for mild options. I was kindly sent a sample of Senses fabric conditioner which comes in various fragrances including this one, Pure, which is good for babies and anyone with sensitive skin.
I think fresh laundry is one of the best, most comforting smells there is, along with the smell of newborns (seriously, someone should try and bottle their scent) and cut grass, and every wash load we have done with Senses fabric conditioner has smelt so lovely, been gentle on our skin and has left our clothes feeling very soft too.
I've been really pleased with this, and with 100 washes per bottle, it's fantastic value too (you can pick it up at discount store B&M, for instance).
APPLYING Last week, I started phototherapy again, for the second time, to treat my psoriasis. Fortunately, my arms had already started clearing up and the nice people at MooGoo thought that their natural creams, which feature natural dairy cream modified for human use, might be able to help my skin too.
I've been using their Irritable Skin Balm daily and have also used this on Ethan, as it's good for eczema and dermatitis as well as psoriasis and Ethan's had some bumpy skin on his arms for a while now which seems to bother him now and then.
Both this and the Soothing MSM cream is really nice to apply. It's not too rich but it's also not to slippery, it absorbs well and my skin feels well moisturised after. So, so far so good! And the packaging is really cute too, mimicking milk cartons.
With light therapy, my skin needs more moisturiser than ever so I take this with me to use after treatments. I'll keep you posted on my progress, as I will be going three times a week for up to 10 weeks to kick my psoriasis into touch again.
PREPARING Ethan will be moving up to the toddler group at his nursery on 6th July and we met with the staff to find out more about his new routine when he does move. He loves nursery and everyone who works there is so lovely, so we have no doubt he will settle into the new group and continue to develop as much as he has already.
SAY CHEESE I recently got a new car (hello, Renault Captur) and just received a voucher through the post as a thank you for a Venture Photoshoot, free of charge, including a print. It was a nice surprise and a nice touch so I'm going to see if we can go along to this during our week off.
Ah, a week off. One whole week. A wedding, my birthday and a trip to Durham to see our friends. Oh, how I can hardly wait!
I'm so glad it was warm enough that you could get out and about - looks like he's enjoying the ice cream.
ReplyDeleteLizzie Dripping