NMA - First Date

NMA; non-mummy adventure.

Last Saturday was a big deal to my husband and me; we had our first 'date' since Bear was born.

He and I don't get out much as a couple anymore, not many parents do, though I suppose that we should be thankful that we get out more than a lot of people. Throughout the year a lot of bands that we like announced tours and so we picked up tickets as we went along. It wasn't until we stopped to think that we realised that we booked quite a few. Five to be precise, across October to December. The first one was skipped due to Bear having had a nightmare week with reflux and me having been unwell myself, but the next night I was practically forced out because it was 'good for me'. I had been feeling decidedly poorly that week and so everyone around me concluded that I should get out and have a break from my lovely but demanding terrible twosome.

So we popped along to the O2 in Greenwich and had some yummy dinner at Nando's before getting the tube from Greenwich North over to Brixton. We almost always park at the O2 for anywhere in London because for a tenner we know that it's far more secure than parked on the street elsewhere in the city. Once at Brixton we stopped for an extremely unnecessarily luxurious hot chocolate before having a wonder around the shops. I introduced my husband to the joys of TKMaxx and being the dedicated parents that we are, we couldn't resist a quick jolly around Mothercare and the ELC to treat our babies.

We finished the night with a concert at O2 Brixton Academy, I can't remember the opening bands but the headliner was Danish, fifties-inspired metal band Volbeat who were amazing and full of energy as usual, however, my painkillers wore off and I was exhausted so sadly didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked.

I do enjoy our non-parenting evenings together but I do miss my babies too! I hope our next date is something less noisy!

Clare

NMA - Through the Never

NMA - Non-Mummy Adventure.

So Friday was a few firsts for me; first hair cut in about a year, first time I'd made an effort in my appearance since before Bear was born,  first time I'd been to the cinema in over two years and the first time I'd left Bear for longer a walk to the corner shop.

My husband and I drove to Crawley on Friday afternoon to see the new Metallica film 'Through the Never' at the IMAX. I'd left Bear that morning with my husband to go to the hairdressers, but I was only gone for about ninety-minutes and just down the road. Crawley on the other hand is an hour's drive away from our little home and so we were apart for several hours. I will admit I was a bit teary as I said goodbye but only because I wasn't with him and not because I believed he would receive anything but the best care from my mother-in-law.

We stopped off before the film to meet up with a friend and have a cheeky Starbucks. Now, I'm a coffee snob, I'm not going to lie. I wouldn't go so fa as to call myself an expert but work in the industry and I know good coffee. Starbucks is way down on that scale however my husband loves their frappucinos and I will admit their seasonal drinks provide a pleasing novelty. I ended up with a salted carmel hot chocolate with lashings of whipped cream and despite the fact it needed to be hotter and I had to ask for a spoon, it was very nice. I also necked a single espresso in the hope I'd stay awake for the whole movie. 

The film itself was a super-amped, high definition, three-dimensional mega-concert with a bit of a story spliced in. My husband and our friend loved it...I thought it was okay but then again, I'm not a die-hard Metallica fan, whereas they are. I've seen them live a few times, there's only so many times you can hear 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' without being bored if you're not a majar fan. I thought the story would be more present and involved, it was a bit narsacistic but then when isn't something like this? It was odd, gory, graphic and loud...essentially a metal fan's dream movie. Like I said, it was okay.

We finished our evening with dinner at TGIFridays, discussing the film, our up-coming gigs and the big Metallica announcement this week. The men didn't find my attempts at humour funny...I suggested the bad was breaking up, as well as a multitude of cross-dressing-based rumours. I also decided to attempt what I perceive to be the biggest burger, ever (foolishly didn't get a photo) and managed it (but donated half my chips).

I really, really enjoyed myself, however, because although dinner and a movie is quite mundane for most, for me the whole experience did wonders for reminding me who I am, underneath the layer of myself labelled 'Mummy'. It reminded me that I can still look nice, wear clothes unsuitable for breast-feeding in and have my company enjoyed if not talking about anything child-related.

Here's my 'ootd', excuse the toilet selfie!

I'm already looking forward to my next evening out.

Clare

NodPod

I love a snugly blanket as much as anyone but for me with my dry, sensitive skin, I'm quite fussy when it comes to buying bedding, especially where my children (more specifically my newborn) are concerned. I'm especially picky with my son, not just because of his delicate skin, but because I spend a lot of time picking up, swaddling him and wrapping him up, especially now that the weather is turning to autumn (yay). Some poorer quality fleece blankets can scratch against my skin, and even some more expensive cotton blankets I've previously bought from well-known high-street names have been abandoned in favour of the home-made blankets that were given to us.

The NodPod is a stylish, shaped little blanket that allows you to wrap your little one up all snugly and warm without the need for lots of excess fabric getting tangled in the way. It's a blanket, with legs and hood to ensure that your baby's little limbs are kept nice and warm. At each side are additional pieces of blanket to wrap around baby, keeping their arms nice and close (like swaddling). The shape is perfect for use in the pram, car seat or sling (I've done the first two so far), without the need to extra fussiness and allowance for straps, you just wrap, clip-in and go! Unlike a regular blanket, you know that baby is and remains as covered as he or she was when you put them in their mode of transportation, rather than wondering of blankets have bunched or a leg is dangling out!

The NodPod isn't exclusive to being out and about, it is just as effective inside a cot, crib or Moses basket, still keeping your babe snug and cozy and has rapidly become my go-to blanket of choice if I need to nip out to the garden to tend to my toddler or whenever we leave the house. Here are my pros and cons...

Pros.

- Washes well (maintains it's shape and softness) and is fast-drying.

- Soft to touch.

- The shape allows baby to stay warm.

- Difficult for baby to wriggle out of.

- Suitable for use with straps, slings and everything inbetween.

Cons.

- Can swamp a tiny newborn as difficult to get them to straiten their legs, blanket available in sizes 0-6 or 6-12 months.

- Because of shape, may not be suitable for longer (taller) babies.

The NodPod can be found at Beebies Baby Store in both sizes in a choice of blue, white and pink  from £23.

Clare

Please note, I was gifted this NodPod by the kind people of Beebies Baby Store, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.