Happy Halloween

How exciting, it was Finley's first Halloween yesterday :) 

I bought his Halloween outfit back in August, a little eager but I do love a bit of fancy dress. I opted for a spooky spider as there is little other option for anyone under 1, it was either this or a pumpkin. I cant wait to dress him up properly - face paint, dyed hair - the lot.

I planned on carving the pumpkins together but Finley had other ideas and opted to take a nap instead and Daddy has a fear of pulp so it left Mummy to do all the hard work. Shhhh don't tell them that I actually really enjoy carving pumpkins. An hour and a half later we ended up with these beauties 

Last year I did an owl style pumpkin which was soooo good (blows own trumpet) and I wanted to re-create it this year but the 'Finley's 1st Halloween' one took so long I went for the traditional 10 minute scary face! Perfect for the doorstep don't you think?

We had loads of trick or treaters, they seemed to arrive in packs! I answered the door with Finley dressed to the nines in his swish spider outfit and all the kids were saying "is that Finley" "awww, happy 1st Halloween". Then there were the few 'kids' I had doubts about, I'm unsure if a 15 year old girl wearing a onsie counts as a trick or treater, especially when she used her hands cupped together as a bag! hmmmmm! 

Overall a great 1st Halloween for Finley :) I had tried to get a picture of him sat between the pumpkins but his newly found crawing knees didn't stay put for longer than a second so I had to weigh up what was more important, perfect Halloween picture but an on fire baby or safe baby and okayish pictures. 

Hope you all had a great day and enjoyed all the spooky goings on

Share your Halloween pictures on my Facebook page :) I would love to see them 

Love Kayleigh x

Exciting News

Guess what...

No I'm not pregnant, crikey the thought of that just brought me out in a cold sweat! Jeez!

I have some exciting news for everyone, a few weeks ago I got in touch with a great website called Baby Knowledge. They have an excellent website full to the brim with info from weaning to child proofing your house. (something I need to get cracking with as Fin is a mischief maker at the mo)

 

There is a little section where they feature baby blogs by different ladies and I am happy to say that I am now one of them :)

Head over and have a look - here

You can also follow their Twitter - @Baby_Knowledge

and like their Facebook page- here

They currently have a competition running on their website to win a Bambeano Baby Bean Bag, something I wish I had when Finley was suffering really bad from Reflux and Colic. The closing date is Friday 7th December so loads of time to get entered.

Thanks to Baby Knowledge for featuring me on their fab website! Keep your eyes peeled for more Baby Knowledge updates.

If you are already a regular reader/follower let me know how you get on with the X-Factor challenge? I am always half and hour behind.

Love Kayleigh x

Wet Wipes Top Trumps

Now I know this sounds like a really random post and I'm sure some of you will be saying "Kayleigh wet wipes are all the same aren't they" well I can confirm they are all very different. Some I love and some I am just not a fan of. 

The two brands competing in the face off today are the 'mums favourite' Pampers Sensitive and Simple Baby Moist wipes. 

First off I will just make a note of other wipes I have used on Finley but cannot rave about. 

1st are Huggies Newborn wipes, I know that some mums love these wipes but I just cant find anything I like about them. The wipe itself is very thick and not pliable when wiping little bums, also the sheet when unfolded is also smaller than the others I have tried. When I was pregnant I stocked up on these as they are usually buy 1 get 2 free (pretty good deal if you like them) and did use all of them but haven't repurchased since. However to end on a positive note, they were very moist and held the moisture well and Finley had no adverse reactions. Maybe these are best suited for sticky fingers when out and about. 

The other brand are Tesco Ultrasoft wipes, I didn't dislike too much about these but compared to Pampers and Simple they are very dry. The sheet itself does hold its shape well so no fear of it tearing which Huggies have a habit of doing. The redeeming feature for me was the packaging, the top of the wipes has a handy clip shut lid rather than a flimsy bit of plastic like the others. Overall nothing wowed me but I would buy again if I had too.

Lets crack on.

Both wipes will be rated out of 10 in a number of categories and the winner will be the one with the highest score at the end. Easy Peasy.

 Lets start with price

With wipes if you look around you will always find at least one brand on offer in one supermarket, when I see the promotion I usually stock up because Finley always needs a clean bum bum. Lets start with Pampers, right this minute at Tesco you can buy a box of 12 packs for £14.99 or 2 for £24.00. BUT don't be fooled by offers! In Asda they are just at there standard price of £10 for the same box. Great value! Simple wipes are different prices all over the place, I bought mine for a great price from Ocado. They were on a half price offer for 4 packs for £2.50, but now back up to £5. Then I had a quick gander on Tesco online and they are £2.48 for one pack - wowers that is expensive.

Score Time - Price

Pampers - 8

Simple - 5

Next lets have a look at pack size. 

In the Pampers pack you get a total of 56 wipes which is the least of all the wipe brands I have mentioned, making the price not so much of a bargain when you look at the cost per wipe. Simple have a massive 80 wipes per pack, it still makes them more expensive per wipe but it saves on having to stock up the nappy changing area for maybe one more day :) 

Score Time - Pack Size

Pampers - 6

Simple - 9 

My favourite

I have always been a massive Pampers fan and never thought to try anything else, they are great at holding moisture, soft to the touch and always on offer. I only recently tried Simple baby wipes because of the amazing offer at Ocado and found that they blow Pampers out of the water. I'm sorry Pampers! Simple are just out and out THE best wipes I have ever used, they are so soft, the sheet is big and supple and extremely moist. They are infused with chamomile and leave a lovely soft balm on Finley's skin. Love them!

Score Time - Mummy's Fave

Pampers - 7 

Simple - *10* 

Last chance to get some points, lets see what Finley thinks.

Both wipes are great for sensitive skin and Finley has never had any adverse reactions to either :)

At the moment he has become the worlds best wriggler when having his nappy changed so speed is key. It all comes down to how quick the wipe can well...wipe. Simple has the edge purely because they are a true wet wipe and get the job done quicker. 

Score Time - Finley's Fave

Pampers -8

Simple - 9

Final Scores

drum roll please......The winner is Simple with a total of 33 points! Pampers came a close runner up with 29 points.

Overall I would happily purchase either of these brands again, I will stock up when Simple have an offer and use Pampers in between. I would happily recommend either to any new mums out there. My advice is shop around for a great price and don't see an offer and think it will be the cheapest price out there. We all need those extra pennies, especially at this time of year.

This is what happens when you take pictures of wipes and a baby gets involved! Well, who doesnt want to see them cheeks!

 

Let me know what wipes you love or if there are any other brands you think I should try and then review. 

Love Kayleigh x

Sundays are made for...

Pinterest browsing

I have always loved having a good old nosey on Pinterest and eyeing up other peoples pages but never really got stuck into re-pinning.

Well the love has been ignited today, not only have I re-pinned my bum off but I have created new boards and even followed some lovelies! 

You can check out my Pinterest boards here 

I wish I had got into this before Finley was born, there are so many cool ideas for documenting your pregnancy and THE most cute newborn pictures! 

Right I'm off to make a list of goodies I need for Christmas crafts with Finners!

Love Kayleigh x

PS: I have got some really exciting posts planned for this week, more Finley's Faves, My new amazing logo, Nuby Blog Competition News and more! Keep a look out!

Maternity Leave Vs Work update

I have realised that since I updated to say I was popping back into work I have only done one post, don't panic I survived but I think it was a little bit of an information overload and my brain needed to settle down again.

So how did it go? Surprisingly very well, Finley was perfectly happy getting some Daddy time and from the sounds of things he didn't even know I was missing! I thought I might be this emotional wreck waving off my baby but I knew he was with his Dad and having loads of fun :) Perhaps if he was at nursery this would be a different story just because it isn't someone you know very well taking care of him. 

I walked into the office and it was the weirdest feeling, it felt like I had never been away but on the same hand when I look back it feels forever ago I was chatting to disgruntled managers about their problem employees! Everyone was coming over chatting to me and waving like I was some celebrity haha it soon wore off by the second day.

I wasn't doing 'real' work but some training that had been organised so I didn't have to use too much brain power. During the training little memories of past cases and policies were flooding back, one of the major things I was worried about was how I wouldn't remember anything and look a total douchebag but there was 'geek of the class' answering in detail why employees go to tribunals! I thought all that information had been crushed and overtaken by the sleepless nights and belly tickles. 

Finley wasnt fussed I was off to work yesterday :(

After the training I had the dreaded 'return to work' chat with my manager! 'noooooo' how can Finley be so old that I am even contemplating working properly again. Luckily work and especially my department are very flexible and are happy for me to return part time. I couldn't imagine working full time these days so I have settled on 16 hours a week. That's if nothing changes work wise before I return.

Quick tip here - before you return to work please check out your rights and also what benefits you may be entitled too or even what you may loose if you return. If you have any questions on why I came to my decision just ask :) I would also advise strongly if you are planning on returning in the next few months pop in like I have a few hours a week to get used to it. You will be entitled to get paid for this so definitely comes in handy when you hit zero pay.

From this week I am classed as back in employment but using my accrued leave until January, I have waved off my maternity leave and will miss it dearly but I knew that it would never last forever. I just hope these last few months I have off will go as slow as possible for me to capture Finley's baby-ness just that little bit longer.

I would love to hear if you have recently returned to work or if you decided not too and be a stay at home mum?

Love Kayleigh x

Photo Love

A bit of a lifey post for everyone today.

So we have been in our new home for almost 2 months now and I was starting to feel sorry for the naked photo frames dotted about the house. The only photos we had up were of a much slender Matt and I on holiday in 2006 - slightly out of date. Off I went on a photo rampage to fill our house full lovely little snaps of all of us looking delightful.

First stop printstagram! Since Finley was born I have been Instagram mad and captured his cheeky face throughout the year and it would be a shame not to display those retro beauties around the house. I ordered the small square prints which are around 2.5x2.5, you get 48 in total which is a nightmare when you have 180 pictures to choose from! In total for 48 pictures it came to $12 but beware shipping is also $12! A tad on the pricey side but totally worth it and they arrived in 4 days! Wowzers!

I also wanted to get some 'proper' photos to pop into frames and give to Grandparents so they can swoon over their grandson. 

I hopped over to Jessops to order some prints - yet again I stumble across another problem. We have too many pictures, we have literally thousands of Finley so it took all day just to choose the 40 we wanted. 

Quick Tip here - if you sign up as a new customer you can get 40 free prints! All you need to do is upload all your images as normal then enter the discount code 'welcome' at the checkout. You will still need to cough up for postage but its only £2.25 - what a bargain. 

I have ordered a number of prints in the past from Snapfish, Tesco, Asda and Photobox but the best quality by far are from Jessops!

Look at those kissable cheeks! 

After deliberating once more we narrowed down what we would pop in our frames and here are the finished products.

I love love love having pictures around the house, it just makes everywhere so homely and cosy, and also deep down every Mum likes showing of their baby! 

My next photo project will involve the hallway and nearly 30 picture frames, can anyone guess whats happening there? 

Love Kayleigh x

What do you mean my Maternity leave is over....

I cannot believe that the time has come to wave goodbye to my Maternity leave, well the paid part at least. In one respect I cant grumble too much as the company I work for are amazing with their Maternity pay package, we get a full 100% wage for 15 weeks then the standard SMP of around £135 up till your 39th week off. 

My 39th week finished yesterday *sob*

 I could take up till the 14th January off but it would be unpaid and I'm sure like the majority of families out there that just is not possible for us. However I have a plan of action to get maximum Finley time, whilst off on Maternity you still accrue your regular holiday entitlement 'yay' I plan to use up mine a few days a week so I'm still off but getting a wage. 

Even with all that in mind I am still going into work TOMORROW! My team is having a few hours of training a week for a few weeks so I'm popping in. I'm not sure I will even remember to use a pen let alone study the ins and outs of employment tribunals! yikes! 

All that in mind I haven't 100% made up my mind how many days/hours I will work or even if I'm going to go back. There are too many questions I still need answering about returning to work...plus the biggest questions ever are could I leave Finley and do I even want too? I don't know how I would concentrate knowing he isn't there for me to tickle and talk gibberish to.

*ahem* getting too emotional here

When I was pregnant everyone said time flew when you had babies but I never quite thought it would go this quick. I'm grasping onto those last few days of babyhood as they are slipping away quickly, every day Finley gets more and more grown up his characteristics are more of a little boy rather than a sqeauky baby. Another major reason for extending my maternity leave as far as I can stretch it. 

If anybody has any questions on Maternity leave, your entitlements and hints please ask. I work in HR and part of my job was advising mums daily on their rights :) I also might be able to get you a few extra days leave too!

I best go and get myself prepared for work tomorrow - it may only be 2 hours but my brain is in rusk and sippy cup mode. Wish me luck.

Love Kayleigh x