Winter and Depression

Winter has always been a season that really gets me down and being someone who suffers with depression it gets me very down. I find myself tired, sad, weepy, sometimes snappy and tend to lose my appetite as well. I'd rather just hide in bed all day until Spring arrives.

I'm thankful that I have a very understanding partner who has been very co-operative with me and my depression and does what he can to cheer me up. I hope he knows that what he does actually makes a difference, even if sometimes it may not seem like it but really it does. A few days ago he came home from work with flowers and I felt so much better when he did.

What I am trying to say in this blog post is that depression sucks, and one of the best things you can do is talk about it to your loved ones and for them to be understanding. Over the years I've noticed how doctors take depression far more seriously then did when I was a teenager, they just threw me a pack of anti-depressants and sent me on my way. Now I have to go to see my GP once every 3 months and every so often fill in a survey to give them an idea on how I'm doing as well as speak to the doctor about any issues I may be having. It's great they are concerned so much and are doing a lot to help people with depression no matter who you are or what type of depression it may be.

To cut this rather random post short... we should all just eat a buttload of food, get super fat then get into a cosy bed and sleep until Spring. Okay sure you miss Christmas, I'm sure we can move it or something but these mammals out there have the right idea in hibernating! Screw you, Winter. I'm gonna pack on the fat and sleep until you go away.

Note: I'm not going to, I'm lazy but christ even I couldn't sleep for that long. I mean I'd miss my favourite TV shows for starters and this blog would be left dead for a whole season. I'll just stick to warm cups of tea until hibernation becomes law.

Enjoying Christmas Gifts!

This is Baby Al's first Christmas and we spent the holiday period over at my parents' house which is a good 3 hours drive away from our home. I didn't really get to take many photographs of the whole day mainly because I was busy with his gifts as well as mine, though I think my dad got some pictures and videos of him with the new camera they got as their Christmas gift for one another. From Santa he got the VTech First Steps Walker. He has held it but would rather it was placed infront of him so he can spend hours flipping the butterfly and pressing the keys. I kept spinning the cogs and was surprised that it made noises and so was he! He started trying to turn them and pressing them in and getting reactions from the toy. This picture was actually taken on Boxing Day as we had my big brother coming over, the shirt he is wearing was another gift from Santa which is a cute print of a tie! He also adores the telephone and will happily shake it like crazy non-stop. So far this toy has gotten the thumbs up from the both of us but a proper review will be posted at a later date.

He also got an ELC shape sorting house from us and so far he has really gotten into this whole putting shapes into the right hole idea. Square seems a bit tricky at the moment as they only fit when put in a certain way which confuses him, also one of the squares is purple and the line around the circle hole on the house is the same purple, he seems to try real hard to put the purple square into the circle hole and I can only presume it's cos of the colours. But he doesn't mind! He's cheeky enough to just remove the roof and cheat. Oh well, he's happy and that makes me happy! And yes there is a golden bauble under the chair for a reason. He became a fan of my mom's tree and kept removing baubles which soon got all over the living room! Bless him! And the alien sleepsuit was another gift from Santa (pssst - from Asda a pack of 2!) as he overheard that he was outgrowing his old ones, but the little lad got tons of new clothes from family this year as well as god knows how many toys! As I type this my desk has an empty bottle of milk, a singing caterpillar, a LeapFrog ABC plane, a slightly chewed Elmer's Weather book and a now empty cup of squash that I gulped down in matter of seconds.

Oh and poor little thing has been grumpy for days and we knew it was teething pains and... pop! Third tooth has started showing itself! So now he has two bottom gum teeth and one peeping through the top gum. But that doesn't stop the fact he's screaming in his cot right now when he's meant to be having his nap. 

Ideas for Stocking Fillers

Are you stuck for stocking filler ideas for your little ones? Here's a helpful list of ideas for all sorts of ages to enjoy when the find their stocking filled with lots of little gifts.

• Stacking Cups - if your little one doesn't have any yet go get some. Even if they aren't ready to stack them they will fully enjoy the banging sounds against the table and each other. And who knows, maybe your little one will surprise you and show you how smart they really are! You can even get them from supermarkets. Ours were a gift from my parents who saw them in their local Morrisons for a real bargain!
• Books - At a very young age you'll find children will enjoy simply taking in all the pictures and letters on each page and even try opening and closing the book. They are never too young to read to, and I'd suggest any of the That's Not My... range and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 
• Highchair toys - If your child is old enough to be in a highchair then why not get a highchair toy for them to play with whilst you are busy getting their food prepared. If your child is small then make sure the toy isn't too high up for them to enjoy.
• Rattles & Teethers - If you're little one is still very young for big toys and perhaps cannot sit up on their own then rattles and teething rings may be perfect. They are cheap, come in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes as well as easy to get from any shop.
• Soft Toys - We all love soft toys, no matter what age we are. They are a comfort to many children and also fun to play games with. You can get soft chime balls or even cuddly toys of your child's favourite Disney character.
• Food Boxes - For as long as I can remember I always got small packs of different treats in my stocking that I would either scoff down or make it last for as long as possible. I remember it use to be Cadbury buttons and the like but now it's After Eights and few times I've had a pack of for Ferrero Rocher. But I'm sure your child is not into those sorts of things yet so maybe some Baby Biscuits, Rusks. If you have a toddler then Organix Christmas food box might be of interest along with all the different Christmas boxes you can get at your supermarket.

Christmas is near!

Since the day our little boy was born we have been saving money up for Christmas time. A friend of ours got him loads of cute Miffy toys and a purple elephant money bank. This has become his saving bank for Christmas and Birthday times.

It's his first ever Christmas and there's many things I want to make sure he gets including a special bauble for the tree. He's also going to get a baby walker as he'll be nearly 9 months old. I'm super excited about the whole thing, and yes I do know Baby Al won't really know what's special about Christmas and will probably end up playing with all the wrapping paper but the excitement inside me isn't to do with the day itself. I'm mostly excited because he'll get lots of new things and whenever he plays with something new for the first time he looks so deep in wonder as he tries to work it out and play with it. My parents got him some little stacking cups last months, he can't stack them but first day we got them out he was grabbing the cups, banging them together, attacking the stacks we had set up for him to dismantle and just adored it.

I've not only got enough money for his walker but I have continued to save to get little bits and bobs as well PLUS I realised I had not touched my Boots Advantage card in ages so popped in the store to use their machines. Sure enough I have myself nearly £12 worth of points to spend! I'm well chuffed with that!

We also got given some M&S vouchers from Sky when we joined them. I bought a top for £25 on my 24th birthday only to find out it was £15 special offer so we still have £30 to spend. We're keeping it incase we need to buy any gifts for people or want to get some nice food for Christmas time. We did check out the toys and clothes there for little 'un but we didn't really like much there.

So Baby's 1st Birthday is the next huddle after Christmas has been and gone. This is tricky as I really wanted my brothers as well as my parents to be there but they live 3 hours drive away whilst other half's parents and sister are just down the road (well his sister is in the same town as us, his parents are only 35 minutes drive away if traffic is bad). I'll have to ponder over it but in the mean time... cake! If your child is already 1 or older what was their first cake? Chocolate? Sponge? Fruit? Did your little one have a slice or did you decide against the sweet cake and went for a healthier route? Love to hear from other parents!