The Guilt of a Working Mum

Poor little Pop Princess has come down with the sickness bug now, bless her she looks so poorly. Rock Baby on the other hand has bounced back and is happy as Larry now!




My dad who looks after the girls for two days per week has also been struck down, he has been very ill and I feel so bad for him, he is no spring chicken and he recently gave up smoking which I have been so proud of him for, but it has seemed to have had the opposite effect in which he seems to pick up all manner of bugs and his immune system seems so low. You think after kicking a 40 year smoking habit he would be so much healthier. We think it's the years of tar being cleaned out of his system.

One of Rock Baby's little friends who we saw on Thursday has also been sick today, this was after we saw them 48 hours after her last bout and when I believed she was on the mend, but actually she was still infectious obviously.

So it's a waiting game to see if me or my hubby get it! Not something I am looking forward to.

We had to come up with a solution to Pop Princess's distress when it came to Rock Baby screaming when she was ill. PP hated it and would scream at RB to be quiet and was getting herself in a right state as she couldn't handle the noise, she was really sensitive to it. Thankfully one of our friends works in Formula 1 racing and he had got some ear protectors for his little girl for when she went to the races and suggested we borrow them. As you can see from the pictures below they worked a treat and PP was a much happier little girl!





With illness comes all the juggling with trying to get alternative child care sorted out, having to leave work earlier to attend to sick children and some days not being able to go in at all as they are simply too poorly and only want their mummy.

I was supposed to go the The Baby Show last week and also had a big meeting in London, thankfully they understood when I had to rearrange which was great and I have a very understanding boss. Hubby had to take the day off work today to look after the girls as my week was quite disrupted last week so we are trying to share the load, whilst the girls get better and my dad recovers. Nursery is also out for Wednesday but luckily my in laws are helping out.

It's been a usual mix of emotions like it is for many working mums with Guilt being the biggest.

Guilty for leaving them when they are poorly to go to work and feeling that was wrong

Guilty for letting work down and having to rearrange meetings and for not being able to make it into the office

Guilty for my dad getting poorly and Rock Baby's little friend

There is always something to worry about but when they are ill it makes everything that little more stressful!

Win a Family Ticket to DFS Crufts 2011

It's Competition time!

As you know I was very lucky to be selected to attend DFS Crufts 2011 as a VIP MUM by The Kennel Club. The whole family are really excited to be attending and we will be going on Sunday 13th March as its the best in show day! Its also the toy dog day so we are hoping to see lots of other Griffon Bruxellois like our dog Finnie.

Crufts promises to be a great family day out and I will be reporting back with how our Crufts experience goes.

I am very pleased to be in a position to run a competition on my blog and one lucky winner will win:

A family ticket to DFS Crufts and personalised children's shirts. Like the ones below:



The winner can choose the style that they like the most. They have some great limited edition merchandise available this year including this rather lovely hoody which has the 120 years logo on it (can you believe the show has been going for that long!)



To enter this competition all you have to do is answer the following question:

What day and year was the very first Crufts event held on (quick tip go to the DFS Crufts home page for help!). Just put your answer below in the comments box and tweet the following:

I would like to go to #DFSCrufts2011 I've entered with @rockbabyworld

The Competition closes on the 26th February and the winner will be randomly selected.

If you would like to find out more about the event go along to their facebook page here and follow them on twitter @KCLovesDogs

It would also be lovely if you could follow this blog!


Good Luck everybody!!!

Silent Sunday - Poorly Rock Baby

Silent Sunday - Poorly Rock Baby

Thursday my day off!

Thursday today which means my only day off with the girls, this morning we went to the hospital so Rock Baby could have her check up for her birthmark and they are really pleased with her, its almost gone and they think she will only have to be on the medication for a few more months!



RB has been really grizzly today and she was up from 12 to 3 last night teething, and we are so not use to it so I was walking around like a zombie this morning. We have been extremely lucky with both the girls, who have always slept from a very early age from 7 to 7! Its more likely to be pop princess waking me up than RB, she us up at least once a night either needing a wee or wanting to be tucked back in or she has lost mickey mouse. Its almost like automatic pilot now and 9 times out of 10 I will be the one to get up whilst my hubby snores away, I do give him the obligatory dig in the ribs when I collapse back in bed though!

PP had her swimming lesson this afternoon, its only her third lesson and she is already swimming all on her own with a tummy band and arm bands, so proud of her as I am a bit rubbish when it comes to taking the girls swimming so she hasn't really been that much. I just find it so stressful, its always boiling and the whole getting undressed, dried and dressed again is like an assault course. Now PP is 3 she can have classes on her own whilst RB and I watch her progress from the nice dry and stress free viewing corridor.



PP also started her new nursery this week, she is in kindergarten and has a uniform to wear, she looked so cute and so grown up it was like the first day at school! She had shiny new black shoes to wear to and was so excited, she bounded into her new class and was so confident and happy saying 'hello everybody!' and then sitting herself down and helping herself to toast with all the other children and hardly a second glance back at me!

Finally I'll be putting my competition up on Monday for one lucky person to win a family pass to DFS Crufts so watch out for that...

I'm Going to DFS Crufts 2011!

I had some very exciting news this week I have been selected to be a Crufts Mum and have been invited by The Kennel Club to attend the DFS Crufts show 2011, on Sunday 13th March. I am so excited! Its going to be a great fun family day out and the girls will love it especially Pop Princess. The show is in its 120th year and will take place 10 – 13 March at the NEC Birmingham

I've always been a big dog lover, I've had a dog in my life ever since I was born. They have always been treated as a family member and Finnie our little dog was our baby before the girls were born.



Finnie above when Pop Princess was a baby!

We searched high and low for Finnie, she is a Griffon Bruxellois and we knew they were great little dogs, with an infectious personality and highly intelligent. We had a dog of the same breed called Cora when I was younger and she was bought for my mum as an anniversary gift, she was an amazing dog and soon attached herself to me. Shortly after we had Cora, we got Bess a German Shepherd a much bigger dog but completely soft as anything and great with young children. At the time my mum used to look after my two little cousins whilst my Auntie went to work and we have pictures of them when they were babies sitting in Bess's basket when she was a puppy all curled up together.

When we lost Bess and Cora to old age my dad was devastated as was I. Those two dogs were the stability and loving presence my dad needed when my mum passed away. They would not leave his side and seemed to understand what we were all going through.

We have been invited to DFS Crufts as a family and my dad and his wife will be coming with us and it will be fantastic as its also my dads birthday the same day too. We are going on the Sunday which is the Best in Show day.

For anyone that is thinking of going to DFS Crufts this year more details can be found at their website www.crufts.org.uk but if you would like the chance to win a family ticket to the show, please keep checking back as I will be running a competition very soon!!

As well as the competition I'll be running a guest post by Louise Glazebrook of The Darling Dog Company, who is a well respected dog trainer and dog behavioural therapist and she will be writing a post with advice on introducing children to dogs.