Battling the Mummy Tummy: Yoga at Home

Like many new mums, during pregnancy I dabbled in a bit of yoga, the teacher was great and the poses really helped with some of my pregnancy ailments, but I didn't stick out. Here's why;

The sort of mothers who were also at the class were mainly of the hippy-dippy variety and I felt out of place. Also I was pretty bad at it! A massive pregnancy belly (which turned into a 9 lb 13 baby, no less) isn't really conducive to flexibility.

Even if I hadn't been pregnant, my sense of balance  isn't the best and I still would have found myself toppling to the side.

Now, though, I've found a bit of a solution to my yoga-inadequacy: Erin Motz and DoYouYoga.com

Erin calls herself a 'bad yogi' not the sense that I have described, with the falling over and stuff, she's actually very good at yoga. She means 'bad' in the sense that chocolate is bad.  Her website reveals that she is 'a renegade yogi who indulges in the occasional burger...'

Isn't the word renegade an excellent word?

I started off doing Erin's 30 day yoga challenge (which she runs through DoYouYoga.com on Youtube- see below) about 2 months ago. Actually I'm still doing it, I'm doing it every other day (or so) instead of daily. Does that make me a renegade too?

Since starting it I've got really into yoga. Erin's videos don't make me feel like a heffalump attempting contortion- she gives lots of options, emphasises that yoga is personal and you should only do what feels good (what? it's supposed to be pleasant?? I know, right?).

She even outright admits that some of it is quick tricky, so I never feel put off if there's something I can't do.





Since starting, I have developed a wee girl crush on Erin, because of her bad yogi philosophy- which encompasses eating french cheese, meat and drinking wine.

I'm even considering taking B to a parent toddler yoga class- so you may find me mastering a crow pose yet!

Mummy Chic: Summer Dressing

So, apparently, it's summer now. We went to stay with my mum for a week and, as the weather here was miserable, we packed long sleeved tops and jumper dresses (for me- not the boys). While we were there it mysterious became summer and now we're back the dreaded Box of Summer Clothes is open.

I don't have many summer clothes and, as I'm rather a fan of a black opaque, I find summer dressing really tough. However, today I think I've nailed it. 

Later on, we're off to Hove Lagoon paddling pool ( Wait, what? It's warm enough for that? Er, yes it is!). So I am sporting a sheer lacy T-shirt from Next, my trusty pinkish White Stuff cut-offs and this swimswuit underneath. My necklace was a present from All Saints, which I've had for donkey's. 

In terms of make-up, hayfever has forced me to ditch the eye-liner so I'm compensating with bronzer. That is all. 

*Update*

B cuts a fine figure poolside as always.  

Batman swimmers, M&S Thomas jellies, Toys r us. 

B is for....Blinking Awful Weather

Given that the whole country has been battered by sideways rain and gale force winds, I thought I'd do a roundup of places to take a toddler in B&H when you don't want to be outside. I'd also like it noted that, being from Wales, I don't think it actually rains very much on the sunny South Coast so when I can't just go to the park, I'm genuinely shocked. Here's my top five (they are actually all in Hove.)

Sussex Central YMCA, Marmion Road

This great little centre has tons of activities for all ages but B and I are particularly fond of Toddler Gym. This runs on Mon, Weds and Friday and is really well stock with ride-on toys, a bouncy castle, a ball pit, balance beams, squishy mats and a slide. It's only £3 a pop and the YMCA lay on free tea and coffee for the mums (and dads).

http://www.sussexcentralymca.org.uk/ 


Hove Museum, New Church Road

The 'Wizards Attic' in hove museum is a bit of a hidden gem. Each time we've been we've had the whole place to ourselves. The 'attic' consists of toy exhibition, styled to look like an elderly Wizard's workshop. There are cabinets of retro toys, a bedroom with is half modern and half Victorian, drawers of broken toys that little hands can pull out and explore and (pretend) mouse holes dotted along the skirting board. B loves cruising around and exploring the nooks and crannies.

http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums/hovemuseum/Pages/home.aspx



Westow's, School Road

This one is a bit of a Mecca for Hove mummies. This soft play area and astro football is free for non-walkers, so expect to see flocks turn up when it's a bit wet out. The under 3s area is small, but large enough to keep crawling and newly walking babies occupied for an afternoon. There's a ramp/ladder to master climbing and if they're feeling brave, a full size slide to attempt. (B did both of these this afternoon, I've never seen him look so chuffed.)

http://www.westows.com/ 



Cafe Intenso, Portland Road

This is a little known Italian coffee house right across the way from Westow's (for when you turn up there and realise it's half-term then immediately leave- that will happen). Around the back of the main seating area they have a lovely, self-contained section which is full of toys ( including one those bigwooden things with knobs on). You may even get to drink you're coffee in piece.




The Book Nook

Despite it's minuscule size, the Book Nook's coffee shop had to make our list. There's been many a day where we've needed to get out. the weather's not been great and I've felt the need for a cheap cuppa. This cafe boasts a little pirate ship full a books, with a real life steering wheel that can occupy B for hours- and with £1.70 for an Americano you can't go wrong.


http://www.booknookuk.com/ 

Splashpoint Worthing

Happy New Year!

Hope you had a great Christmas. Ours was fantastic but for now I've had quite enough indulgence and I'd like to write a review, thanks.

On Monday, we went off for a swim in search of normality. We didn't fancy our local swimming pool, which smells a bit of wee, so we drove in what I can only assume was a hurricane to Worthing, to check out the new leisure centre.

The picture doesn't really do it justice. There's a fantastic pirate ship play area, smaller slides and squirt guns. One corner even contains a mini Jacuzzi area, which felt like a luxury in a council-run swimming pool. All this is nicely kept away from the serious lane swimmer in a separate leisure pool.  This area is sectioned off from the main pool by glass wall- so if the little ones decide to go running off you'll at least stand a fighting chance of catching them.

Unsurprisingly- during horrible weather in the Christmas holidays it was very busy, but that didn't spoil our fun. We'll definitely go back.

Getting Out and About

My advice- just do it

I'm definitely not an expert on parenting. Super Nanny's job is more than safe, but I have been doing it for a whole 7 weeks now so I do have a couple of tips, which might be of some use to mums who are even fresher than me.

I was having lunch with a friend who has a baby the same age as B and she mentioned that she was suffering a lack of confidence when it came to leaving the house with her little girl. This is seething that I had heard other new parents struggle with and I think I've gotten over my own fear.

The best thing I did was to just suck it up and get out. We live in a first floor flat and I became adamant that I wouldn't be able to carry my buggy (which disassembles really easily) down stairs on my own. I was terrified B would cry or wee and I wouldn' know what to do. Guess what: I got him downstairs and back up again completely unaided and he did cry and he did wee but, as I'm not an idiot, I managed to find my way to the M&S cafe and change him and feed him just fine.  Now we're old pros at going out and B just loves the M&S cafe.

See?

I feel so much better being able to leave the house whenever I fancy and I probably have a more active social life now than before I had B. 

Hoorah! 

If you're feeling rubbish hanging around the house after the birth of your baby, please ignore the people who say it's your prerogative to sit in a velour onesie and let your little one suckle from dawn to dusk. Buy some new clothes, invest in an easy-on make up kit and go out for lunch, coffee whatever, meet friends go for long walks, talk to people in the street. 

It will make your life better. 

B is for... Baby Massage

This might prove to be a bit of a rave review but I'll try my best to keep it balanced.

B and I went to Baby Massage in Brighton last week and we were pleasantly surprised. OK, we absolutely LOVED it.

B normally hates being messed with, nappy changes turn into a bit of a wrestling match (and I usually come off worse). He also, normally, hates being put down for longer than 10 minutes unless he's asleep. However at baby massage he spent 45 minutes on a changing mat being stroked nearly the whole time. The gestures obviously worked as he gurgles and cooed throughout.

For anyone who has no idea what baby massage is all about (as I didn't really) he's a short introduction: It's pretty much what it says on the tin- you massage your baby. It involves baby-friendly massage techniques designed to relax, soothe and encourage good sleeping patterns, improve digestion.

I was hugely sceptical before we went, that a bit of a back rub could sort out common baby afflictions and I have to say that as B isn't a sicky baby and has no trouble going to number twos I haven't noticed much of a change- but he really enjoyed the class.

We went to Lucy's Angels baby massage, which takes place at Yoga Mammas in Brighton. The class is  fun, full of lovely mummies and babies and doesn't take itself too seriously. There's nothing worse than a yoga teacher or massage therapist trying to convert you to Buddhism- that doesn't happen here.

Lucy is great and helps put mum's at ease- she understood that the first few times you go somewhere unfamiliar with your baby you can have awful stressful visions that they won't stop crying and then poo everywhere.  Like all the girls who run classes at Yoga Mammas she made us feel very welcome and you can tell she genuinely loves babies and mummies too.

Find out more here: http://www.lucysangels.co.uk/