Mummy Lauretta

A family and lifestyle blog by a Mum to identical bilingual twin boys
twins dating scan

It’s Twins! The Story of our 12 Week Scan

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!

Me & Mine Project {March 17}

 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.

Me & Mine Project {February 17}

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. 

one month old twins

Motherhood One Month In – What Does It Really Look Like?

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.

Me & Mine Project {January 17}

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. 

Cooking with Kids – Homemade Pizza

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.

The Siblings Project {September 17}

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.

Sausage & Cannellini Bean Casserole

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.

Tuna & Beans Salad

Tuna & Bean Salad

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.

Decisions I didn’t Make During my Labour

Why didn’t I question the constant fetal monitoring, the breaking of my waters or the syntocinon (artificial oxytocin) drip to induce my contractions?  As an educated women in her late 20s who had attended the hospital’s own antenatal classes you’d think that I would have wanted to have a part in these decisions but the truth is I just went along with it.  I trusted the doctors and knew them to have more knowledge than me and to want the best outcome for me and my babies.  The thing is though, in a medicalised environment, do they always know what is best?