Saturday 30 March 2013

Settling in...

We have moved! Yes it has actually happened and we are now living in Farnborough again.  It doesn't yet feel like home, it feels like a weird holiday where we take all our possessions and make them fit in a new place.  Although we have lived here before, it has changed and things are not where they used to be and as we're now at a different life stage, we look/need for different things.  I think it will take a while before it feels like home.
 
The move itself was quite eventful... well for me, the children and our cat.  The cat did not travel well and kept soiling her box, which meant we had to pull over and clean it all up.  Also there was an accident which meant we were stuck on the motorway with a horrendous smell and most of us wanting to throw up... Instead of the journey taking just over an hour, it took 3.  Then we were met with the delight of the unloading and not having the correct keys.  It felt like a very long day....
 
However we were blessed with helpers and a meal, a food shop and babysitters for the children - the pleasure of having family nearby :) The snow was definitely a surprise and i feel like its pretty much snowed everyday since we moved here.  Just little flurries, which seem to tie in with the school run really well.  Which is another blessing, N & J both got school places and were able to start straight away.  It is a lovely school - well as far as I can tell after a week.  It is not a faith based school, as we had previously. I will miss the traditions and the understanding of faith but it is still a very caring and nurturing school.   
 
It took about a week to unpack all boxes and get the house straight.  It feels nice having some of our pictures up (don't want to make too many holes in the wall) and to be organised.  I hate the chaos of not knowing where everything is and mess being everywhere.  Changing all our address details and registering with new doctors/dentists means we've probably spent a good day on just admin. As I type this, I have just remembered I haven't changed the hospital details - a job for the 'to do' list for later..

Its certainly been a busy couple of weeks but now its time for our Easter celebrations, thankful for what we have, what Jesus has done and for new beginnings!
 
John 3:15 For God loved the world so much, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life

Thursday 14 March 2013

On the move


We are moving, a week today and chaos has arrived!  We have been going through are possessions, questioning do we really need this? when was the last time we looked at it? is it worth keeping? Its amazing how much stuff you can accumulate, how much stuff we thought was a good idea and the just in case stuff.  So before you know it, Project Clear Out comes.
 
Over the past 6 months we have done lots of sorting, sale sites, car boots, charity and dump runs.  Getting rid of the clutter and getting ship shape for viewings.  All those little jobs that you've put off become completed.  I like living in house viewing state - however its not easy to maintain with 4 boys and a husband. We are moving into rental accommodation so we want to travel light as we could move again till we find the right home.  We think we've streamlined our stuff but the reality of boxing it all up seems quite daunting.  It not just the size of it but packing up the memories and saying goodbye...
 
Jon and I have lived on Southcoast for almost 15 years now.  I did university here, we started careers here, we got married, had our children and bought our home here.  This is also where we met Jesus and became part of church.  We have lots of memories here, some of our darkest and happiest moments.  This is where we have really grown as adults.  There are lots of things we will miss, the beach, Sunnys chip shop (our favourite take away chip shop), the shops, the parks and green spaces... Of course we will also really miss our friends, the familiarity and our church family.  This is our first church family.  We have been blessed with some very close friends over the years and will be hard to leave them.
 
God has been great at providing different people through each life stage to come alongside us and friends to keep us company along the way but now its time for a new chapter.  The doors have closed here and we're ready for the next step. The next step being Farnborough in Hampshire.  This is originally where we are from and believe this is where God wants us now.  We are looking forward to the move and our new adventure.  It is painful to say goodbye although I've not had that much time to think about it, as busy sorting out the house ready to move, removal companies, solicitors, rental property, running down the freezer/food, leaving farewells and not to mention the complicated maze of the education system.  Amongst all of this, still being mum and wife and dealing with the everyday.  Its certainly a busy season and looking forward to the next chapter, trusting in our faithful God!
 
 

Wednesday 13 March 2013

Nappy Review

After 9 and a quarter years of doing nappies, I have some experience and a few preferences.  In terms of disposable nappies, I have used many brands but my favourites and those I found most absorbent were Pampers and Lidls own.  Lidls represent the most value as a lot cheaper and are my overall favourite for toddler upwards.  My least favourite were Huggies and Asda own brand.  Each child is different, so each brand fits and absorbs in a different way, and these brands are what worked or didn't for my sons (pls note I did have bigger babies, 90th centile upwards). 
 
Real nappies, I have used Bumgenius and Tots Bots (from birth to potty).  I loved these, so soft and available in lots of colours.  They were easy to use but I had to stop as my childrens skins are so sensitive they reacted to having any urine against their skin. Although they were changed often, it just wasn't possible to change after every time, as I didn't know they had been.  They are better for the environment and are cheaper, after the initial outlay.  We also used re-useable wipes.  These are like little flannels which just go straight into the nappy bucket with the nappy, so it wasn't really any extra effort at all.  I did find them slightly bulky which meant my baby may wear a bigger size clothes on the bottom half.  They seem like a scary amount of work but actually they're not.  They are some work ie put washing on, take washing out to dry.
 
The bumgenius were all ready to go, went on like a normal nappy except they had a liner.  The liner is like a firmer longer piece of tissue which was flushed away if soiled (if wet they could be used again after washing) and the nappy went into a dry bucket.  At the end of the day the nappy wash went on and they dried.  The bucket had a washable liner so that went in too and I didn't even have to touch any soiled nappies.  Tots Bots I used at night as more absorbent and bulky.  They had a liner too plus a water proof outer layer.  They would also wash with the others.  The bucket and (water proof bag when out) kept all smells at bay.  Depending on how many you bought would depend on how regularly you would need to wash.  I did one load of nappy washing a day, they would dry the following and be worn after that.
 
The nappy lady, (google or facebook her) did a great free service.  You fill out a questionnaire and she will tell you the best real nappy to suit your needs.  It was really detailed and gave you different choices.  On her site, she also has you tube videos on how to care and look after them so you can see how easy it is for yourself.  She is really honest about the pros and cons too.  So if you're considering it, I would recommend that she is your first stop.
 
I would say that real nappies are cheaper if you stick to it, so maybe buy a few to try out rather than a whole kit to see if it really suits you.  Our downfall was after buying a package that didn't suit our child i didn't really want to keep spending out more money to find the right brand of re-useable.  I am sure that there would of been, as there is so much choice.  Also you have to be organised to work out when you can wash/dry them.  Our brand didn't need to be washed at a high temperature so it didn't cost more to the environment/purse strings in this way.  They are all different. 
 
Disposable nappies are slim, easy to buy and carry around.  They just require throwing away when you're done.  You can buy really cheap ones (like re-useables) but your child may need changing more often or be prepared for leaks or tabs falling off.  You can buy safer to the environment nappies but at the end of the day, they fill up landfills.  It all comes down to your preferences and some trial and error.