Matteo’s parents also came over and stayed with us for twelve days. They helped us a bit round the house and in the garden and looked after the boys when we were at work. His Mum also cleared my ironing pile which I am so grateful for!!
One day we picked Matteo up from work and went for a drink and a cake at a local garden centre all together. You can see my Instagram photo of the men of the family here.
I’d wanted to have a baby for quite a while and we were incredibly lucky that we got pregnant within three months of starting trying. The first few weeks were pretty easy in that i did’t really have any pregnancy symptoms. It was from around 8 weeks pregnant when I started to suffer with nausea. It was constant, 24 hours a day for probably the next 8 weeks solid, although I never threw up once. As long as I kept eating little and often I could manage to control it. I remember being at work and secretly eating ginger biscuits at my desk to try to combat it. I also remember having to get up in the middle of the night to sit on the sofa and eat a flapjack because I just felt so sick and hungry at the same time!
I am so glad to have a little bit warmer weather. Oliver asked to grow some strawberries this year and as the plants we have in the garden have been in for two years I let him pick some new ones at the garden centre this weekend as well as some vegetable seeds. He wants to have a go at growing carrots. He was so excited to buy Italian seeds! My spring bulbs are coming up in the garden and the flowers are blooming. I can’t wait until April when the red tulips come out in the front garden so everything has a bit more colour.
This month has had its ups and downs, from a lovely half term week, to the washing machine breaking and another hospital stay for Ethan, albeit a lot shorter this time (only one night). Our photos this month are a bit last minute and are not the best quality as the light wasn’t great on Sunday but I think we still got a few nice shots thanks to my Mum.
What do you feel when you see Beyoncé’s twins introduction photo? What do you see? Do you just see a beautifully styled photo and think “aww, a Mum and her babies”. Do you see a perfect image of motherhood? Does it make you feel jealous that you didn’t look like that one month after giving birth? This post is about my thoughts on that photo and a reflection on my own experience.
It’s been a cold and dark month and we haven’t actually had much time to spend together as a family. The first two weekends I was teaching and then the third Saturday I went on a study day so on Sunday we made an effort to get out the house for half an hour and go for a walk together to get some fresh air, even if it was absolutely freezing. I took my tripod and new camera and was determined to figure out the self-timer setting. I only got two good shots but I LOVE them. I can’t believe we’re actually all smiling! We went straight home after this as we really were getting cold.
As we only have a small kitchen we don’t have room for a lot of gadgets, I literally have room for my kettle and (smoothie) blender that I use every day, add some post, a lunch box, two fruit bowls and some water bottles and it’s more than cluttered! If you’re lucky enough to have a bigger kitchen than us and have a bread maker you can do the first bit of this recipe in it, saving some time.
We’re not back into routine at all and I’m not sure we will be for a while. I’ve been waking them up every morning and struggling to get them to calm down at bedtime. I think they’re over tired and have been having a crazy half hour just before bed every night. I’ve just felt like a broken record, telling them over and over again to eat and get ready in a morning and then asking them to calm down and get ready for bed at night. They’re just not listening to us at all. Oliver especially seems to be in his own little world most of the time and the only person he lets in is Ethan apart from when he wants cuddles at bedtime.
This recipe serves 2 adults and 2 small children but makes lots of sauce so if making for more people you can increase the number of sausages you put in. If making for 4 like us and you don’t want to serve all the sauce for dinner you can save some and have some with pasta for lunch or dinner the next day.
This recipe serves 2 adults and 2 small children as part of a buffet lunch. We like to eat it with grilled halloumi cheese, sautéed spinach and salad potatoes. It tastes great served straight away but even better when it’s been left for a few hours or even eaten the next day.