Britmums Live 2016 #BML16 | My First Britmums Experience...

26.6.16


This year was my very first Britmums experience, and actually my first experience of a blogging conference in general. I keep trying to sum it up to people, and can't really find the words. It was absolutely fantastic, but also very overwhelming, long and exhausting.

My day started bright and early when I met the lovely Fran from Whinge Whinge Wine on the train. I was a bag of nerves, but I cannot tell you how much better I felt for not being alone. We arrived at The Brewery to a sea of people, and so began the hunt for faces I recognised!



It wasn't long before I spotted Sophie from Sophie & Lily, and within a few minutes we were taken through to registration and nibbles. The process was really easy - although I was shocked they didn't even check my ticket, they just asked my name once I picked up my badge. We quickly grabbed some pastries and drinks and found a table ready for the day to begin.

From there the day passed with a bit of a blur. I spent most of my day with Sophie and Claire (The Witt Family), we're all vloggers so I've 'known' them for a while now. We went to a number of sessions, although I didn't find all of them to be as useful as I was hoping. The SEO chat was definitely the best and I do felt I learnt some helpful bits. I also really enjoyed the Parenting Round Tables - Parents Under 30 chat too; it was lovely to just chat to lots of mums, and hear their experiences.




I spent my afternoon and evening with three fantastic ladies (and one gorgeous baby) - Alex (Lamb and Bear), Charlotte (Berice Baby) and Kay (Mummy Burgess). We relaxed in the MAM lounge before heading to the Keynote speeches and BiBs Awards. Amazingly I won MAM's fantastic giveaway, which really did make my day! The Keynotes were great, and I'm really glad I stayed for the awards.

The Hub was absolutely bursting with life, and I will admit I found it a bit too much to begin with. The room wasn't very large, and with the amount of people in there it was very intense. This did calm down throughout the day though which was better, and made it easier to talk to the brands and see what was going on. I really enjoyed meeting the brands; from cupcakes with MAM and tasting the new Coke Zero (I totally tasted the difference), to creating ice cream combinations with Affilinet, there was loads going on. I didn't manage to meet as many brands as I'd have liked, but there just simply wasn't time!




Something that really disappointed me was the food, or the lack of. The day started at 9am and if you stayed for the award, like I did, it ended at 7.30pm. In this time we were offered tiny pastries, a small hot lunch, teeny tiny cakes and then the little samples available with the brands. Don't get me wrong, what was offered was lovely, but there just simply wasn't enough! I came home very lightheaded and hungry - there should at least have been savoury nibbles before the awards I think.

Throughout the day I spotted so many familiar faces, although I wish I was brave enough to say hi to everyone! I was so happy to meet Alice (Alice & Amelia) again, after meeting her in Bluestone last year. After chatting on twitter for a while now it was lovely to meet Hannah (The Diary of an 'Ordinary' Mum), although we didn't manage a picture! I also bumped into two more Hannahs - Hi Baby Blog and Budding Smiles - both were lovely and have the most gorgeous little girls. I met Stacie from Parker & Me, although again it wasn't for long enough, and with so much going on it was so hard to find people once they were gone. I also managed to bump into and grab a quick selfie with Donna (What the Redhead said) at the end of the day - She's like blogging royalty so I was thrilled to meet her!

Overall I had a great day, and I'm so pleased I battled with my anxiety to go. Although I don't think I learnt very much, meeting fellow bloggers really was worth it! The day was VERY long though, and I felt as if I was go go go to be able to do everything in time. I'm still not 100% sure if I'd go again. Of course I'd love to meet everyone again, but I'm sure it was worth the money.



I vlogged my day so make sure to go over to my channel to watch. I'll also be vlogging all the goodies I managed to pick up to give you an idea of what to expect!

Saving Space with Babymoov | Light Wood Highchair

19.6.16


Edit: Since reviewing this pushchair (7 months) we have had a couple of problems. We have had to replace the tray due to the plastic snapping (and the colour coming off), and the opening mechanism is also damaged. The highchair does have a lifetime guarantee, but we are disappointed to have problems so soon.

Living in a flat we really have to be conscious of the things we buy. Although ours is bigger than most I've seen, we still don't have that much space! One area that is especially tricky is our kitchen / living room. It's open plan, there's not much storage space, and there's no room for a separate dining room. Luckily we managed to pick up a dining table that folds down, but what about a highchair?

We needed one that could fold up really small - so that we could store it out of the way when not in use. It also had to be easy to clean and use; we follow baby led weaning which gets very messy. We've had a 3 highchairs over the years now, and I think we've finally found the one that covers everything! The Light wood highchair from Babymoov has been an absolute dream.




Previous highchairs have been plastic, which although easy to clean always seemed to be really bulky. Where this one is wood it folds so slimline it can easily slot into a small place. The tray can be kept on when folded too, which although makes it slightly wider, is nothing compared to previous ones we've owned.

It also ticks the box of being easy to keep clean! The cushion comes separately so no little nooks and crannies for crumbs to hide in, and this also means it's easy to whip off and clean. The tray is removable, and the straps can pop out too for a deep clean (something that I have to do on a regular basis with Parker's love for mess haha).



The best bit of all? The chair actually grows with your child! This means we won't have to get another chair once he outgrows it so he can sit at the table. We'll simply adjust it, remove the tray, and he can sit at the table with us - it truly is #stresslessweaning!

*We're working with Babymoov as part of their #stresslessweaning team. We received this item as part of the project, however all opinions are honest and my own*

The Siblings Project | June

15.6.16

Just look at these two this month! My gorgeous babies are looking so grown up, and are becoming a right little pair. I love how summery this month's photos are too (although if you looked outside today you wouldn't think it was ever this sunny haha), and they remind me of the lovely afternoon we spent at Ightham Mote.



Despite how these pictures look, we've had a bit of a set back with Indiana this month. I'm not sure if it's jealousy or just her being a 2 year old, but she's been pretty mean this month! Pushing, not sharing, not letting Parker get even remotely close to her... the list goes on. It's such a shame as when they do get along they have such a lovely bond.

Hopefully as Parker gets older, and he learns he doesn't have to be next to Indie at every second, things will improve again. I know deep down she really does love him - the cuddles, concern and slobbery kisses are proof of that. And he really does think the world of her too.



These pictures do seem to capture the best of them though. Parker the cheeky, mischievous little brother. Indiana the protective, loving big sister. Together little partners in crime... who we just know will be giving us lots of trouble in the years to come haha.




The Me and Mine Project

Ightham Mote in Summer | Days Out With The National Trust

6.6.16


Last Sunday the sun finally decided to make an appearance down here in Kent. We didn't waste any time, and decided to pack our bags and head out to another National Trust property. I love that our memberships give us this freedom, as it means we have somewhere to go without much planning - and it's so affordable too!

We decided to head back to Ightham Mote, as our last visit back in January was such a wash out. We didn't take food this time, but looking back I really wish we took a picnic. The weather was just so beautiful - and the fact you can borrow deck chairs would have made it much more luxurious too!



As it was so wet last time, we really didn't see much. I was surprised that there was actually so much to do, despite it being a rather small property. First stop for us was the natural play area for Indie to explore. This is made out of all natural products, and many from the property too!

It is aimed more at older children, so unfortunately Parker couldn't enjoy it much - but I think adding anything man made would spoil it. Indie loved jumping, climbing, exploring and even got muddy (much to her disgust haha).

I think this is so much more fun for children, as they are free to use their imagination. There was no waiting for a swing or climbing up the slide. Indie just got stuck in, and when we finally encouraged her out, she left with a stick magic wand to carry on the fun.

There were also other bits for kids to enjoy, such as trails and quizzes. I'm sure Indie would love to join in these kind of things in a few years, as she's definitely still too young to understand them now.







We wandered over to the lawn in front of the house after a good play - not before we'd gone over every bridge, picked daisies and watched the water in the streams. There are a number of large areas of grass to sit and relax (although most do have open areas of water nearby).

As Parker has recently learnt to properly crawl he was in his absolute element. It was lovely to let him crawl around (under our watchful eyes of course), and let him be free, as he's usually stuck in his pram on days out. He loved following after Jack and Indiana on their little adventures. Although he did take a particular liking to eating the grass haha.

We could have sat there for hours, and many families had come prepared with frisbees, footballs and even bubbles - something we'll try to remember next time! We topped it off by enjoying tubs of ice cream, bought from the little gift shop.









Once again we never made it into the house itself, as we simply ran out of time. The courtyard was beautiful though, and we managed to capture this month's Siblings Project photos (make sure to look out for them, Parker's pulling some amazing faces haha).

There was even live music and dancing in front of the house as we walked passed. They did try to get us involved but it really wasn't for us haha. It looked like fun though, so I'd keep an eye out if you do visit!







We had such a lovely family day out - and although we had fun when we visited in the rain, Ightham Mote in the summer is just something else! I just hope the sun sticks around so we can have our picnic on the lawn one day this summer.

Parker's 10 Month Update


Wow, what a month for our baby boy! He seems to have grown and learnt so much this month, and his personality is absolutely shining through. He is cheeky and mischievous and such a joy to be around.

I have no idea how much he weighs, but going by how hard it is to carry him these days, I'm going to say it's quite a bit. He's still in a combination of 6-9 and 9-12 month clothing and size 5 nappies. He's got the most squishable leg rolls, that looked so cute in shorts on our recent holiday!


We've finally managed to drop P's dream feed this month which has made life so much easier. It actually happened accidentally, and he didn't even make a fuss for it once - maybe we should have tried earlier haha. The rest of his routine is still the same, although dropping the dream feed has meant he's taking his other 3 bottles much better during the day. He has two naps a day at around 9am and 1/2pm and will now sleep 7-7 which we are very thankful for. He eats A LOT too, just like his sister did haha.

One thing that does have a major affect on his sleep though, is teething. He now has 2 teeth which look absolutely adorable! His second one popped through on holiday, which resulted in him co-sleeping with us most nights. This has happened most nights when teething is in full swing. Luckily he goes back in his cot after so I just enjoy the sleepy snuggles when they happen.


Parker is completely on the move now - he's climbing, cruising, properly crawling and can go from laying down to sitting up by himself. He can walk along with his push along walker; although it's more of a run these days! He's still wobbly on his feet but can stand for a a few seconds unaided. I wish he would just sit still for a minute as he's into everything now - something that just causes arguments with Indie as she wants to play on her own haha.

We enjoyed our first holiday abroad as a family this month, which P thoroughly enjoyed! He was amazing on the plane, and even learnt to say Mama while we were out there. He's loving playing with toys more now although his favourite thing to do is to play with his big sister.


I'm Going to #BML16!

3.6.16

So after blogging for over two years, I'm finally going to my first blogging conference - Britmums Live or #BML16 as it's know this year! I still can't believe it as I never thought I'd pluck up the courage to book a ticket, and I'm still VERY nervous. But I'm also so excited to finally meet some fellow bloggers who I've been speaking to for ages now.

Britmums have set up a linky to hopefully take away some of those nerves, so here's a little bit more about me:

My Name: Emily.. the clues in the blog name I think ;)

My Blog: I've been blogging at EmilyandIndiana for over two years now! I'm also a vlogger, which is actually where I first starting sharing our family life - you'll find us if you search 'thepeachicksandus'

Find me on Social Media at: You'll find me under EmilyandIndiana on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, @emilyvaughanx on Twitter and 'thepeachicksandus on Youtube.

How I Look: You'll rarely find a selfie of me anywhere, so here's one of me and the rest of my family. I'm short, with mousey blonde hair and blue eyes. I will most likely look very tired too haha.


Is this my First Blogging Event? Yes! I'm still very anxious about it, but like I said still really excited. Hopefully attending will give me more confidence to attend more events in the future.

I will be Wearing: Absolutely no idea! I feel you can't plan much with how the weather has been lately. I do know I'll have my hair down though - a luxury I rarely get at home, as Parker is obsessed with pulling my hair haha.

What I Hope to Gain from #BML16: I am most excited to meet fellow bloggers! I've spoken to people on social media for ages now, so it will be great to finally meet them in person. I'm looking forward to hopefully learning something new when it comes to blogging too, and maybe meeting some new brands!

As this is my first conference I don't have any tips - I have heard to take a big bag though so I'll be sure to do so! I'd love any tips though, and please do come say hello if you find me hiding in the corner haha.