Making Over Our Living Room

We moved into our home in November and although it is looking incredibly full of 'stuff',  we have not got round to adding some of the personal touches we intended, and with two small children around getting the motivation to do these things doesn't always come easily.  Money supermarket have set a bloggers challenge to makeover a room or part of a room with £50 and it seemed like the perfect excuse to make those changes.

Here is the space I wanted to work with:

I love photography and whilst it may not be a skill of mine, we do have a lot of beautiful photos that I want to show off. I decided that the money would be used to create a photo wall behind our living room sofa.  I love the elegant white or wooden frames that many houses have, but our lives are all about colour so I chose some beautifully bright frames from ikea to add some personality to the room.  They were very reasonably priced and the smaller sized came in packs of two for £2.50.  I have also bought some cheap wooden frames from the poundshop which I want to paint with some leftovers we have around.

I found a brightly coloured photo-clock on Ebay which forms the centre of the wall (and is somehow the only clock we have in the entire house!) My final piece was a gorgeous glass bottle to go in the window which I picked up for 25p from a local bootfair and filled with some water beads that we have been using for messy play with Dylan.   

And voila! Our living room looks brighter and our gorgeous photos are finally on display!

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Day 2- The Half Birthday

6 months seems like a turning point.  My 'baby' is now closer to being a toddling, talking one year old than he is to that helpless little newborn.  He is now on solids, smiling, laughing, rolling, sitting unaided, chatting away (although not in words yet), eating his toes, teething and sleeping in his own room.  He has a beautiful personality and his features  are becoming more prominent and gorgeous every day.


Today we celebrated Dylan's half birthday for the first time.  No cards or fancy presents, but some extra special cuddles and kisses.  Of course we did keep the most important part of the birthday tradition going - cake.

For our 'new thing' today, Dylan had his first lunch ( we are now on 3 meals a day!- how grown up) and he had his first cake.  Granted he only ate a miniscule amount of it, but he had a lot of fun smearing it round the highchair.  The candle light was present enough for him, watching it flicker could have entertained him all evening.

Celebrating half birthdays will definitely stay as a tradition in our house - any excuse for cake is good with me!

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Day 1 - Building a Fort

When I was a child, nothing beat rounding up all the duvets and blankets in the house and dragging them down the stairs. The coffee tables, dining room chairs, large toys and anything else suitable was also collected and lifted (read dragged) into the living room on a rainy day to create my own private den.


There was something magical about that cramped, dark space- it was warm, safe, people could only come in when they were invited, and that meant a 'No Brothers' sign hung over the entrance.  We could spend all day playing under some chairs and blankets, oblivious to the world around us.


For day 1 of the February Challenge, I built Dylan his first ever den.  Chairs, the sofa, and five different blankets all came together to form a lovely hidden retreat, and the moment I put the last blanket up, and created our little bubble, his face lit up with excitement. I had taken in a torch, so we lay on the floor and watched the torch light dancing on the different blankets and body parts, and he looked engrossed in the moment.

I'm not sure whether today was more for me or him, but as he tried to catch the light as it flickered on the blankets, or grab whichever limb it was lighting up, it felt enjoyable for both of us.  We just need to make a 'No Daddys' sign for next time!

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February Challenge

I have set myself a challenge and decided that everyday in the month of February I will do something new either with or for Dylan.  It may not always be a big thing, but it must be new. You would think that with a 6 month old this shouldn't be too much of a challenge, but i'm struggling with ideas already!


I think this may be more for me than him, as all I need to do is show him a water bottle and he is ecstatic (he has a fascination with Evian bottles I will never understand!).  He gets so excited by the smallest things, I sometimes wish life was that simple for me- it would be a much happier place!


You only have to hold a book in front of him and you get the same reaction- his legs stiffen, his hands start madly flailing around, the eyes widen and his smile says its Christmas morning.  And that is just for the front cover. . .


Well I have tomorrow's 'new thing' all ready but after that my ideas are running short.  Please help me out and comment with any ideas!

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