Live life on the wild side

(contains amazon associates link)  Hey guys, it's been a while!  My last post was a little before my return to work, were are now half way through  2025!  So where are we? Well little man isn't so little, at 16 months he is in full blown toddler hood, we walk, run, climb, scream, babble, and have super sass (gets that from me), we get frustrated at not being able to do things but want to be into doing everything! He has been at nursery for about 7 months now and has fully settled in found his confidence and loves every day! We have had our fair share of illnesses, accidents and art work and we are currently preparing for the transition to the next room.  As for me, I've settled into being a Mama and a Teacher, I've reflected on my life and started making adjustments, I have also had my fair share of illnesses (though not as many as the boy) and I'm surviving, not quite thriving, but getting closer to the threshold.  What have we been up to? Lately? trying t...

 Hey guys its Jess here,  Today I just want to share a little about where we are now!  We are nearly nine months old! This is very exciting, but very daunting as it also means it's nearly time to go back to work, I am excited as I am stepping into a new role, but also a little anxious, I've been out of the game for a little while, wrapped up in the cosy bubble of being a Mama, and now i need to tackle the challenge of learning to be a Mama AND a teacher.  This week we have been doing settles at nursery, he has done so well, of course there were tears, its to be expected, its very different settling in to nursery, even if they have been to lots of play groups, spent time with family without you present or been around lots of new people. It can be a little overwhelming to be in a new place with new faces, smells and sounds and then to realise your Mama or Da isn't there? I would cry too!  Saying that though, early years educators work really hard to help new littl...

(Contains amazon affiliate links)  Hey guys,  Welcome back to the blog and if you are new here welcome to the blog, here I share my adventures as a runner, and a mum as I navigate work, life and everything in between.  Over the weekend we went on a family trip to experience some camping, this was for two reasons, a trial before some future events with camping thrown in and new adventures for the little man.  The adventure started before we even hit the campsite, it started with the packing, packing to go camping as a couple is very different to packing to go camping as a couple with a newborn, there are more clothes, you have to consider feeding and decide the best way to ensure warmth through the night.  Packing clothes meant packing plenty of spares, and plenty of layers, we kitted out with at least three changes of clothes, 2 night time outfits in case a change was needed and warmer layers to add if the temperature change, along with nappies, wipes, and back ...

 Hey guys,  Jess here with a short blog around parent groups!  Before becoming a mum I was never really sure around going to a parent group or mum and baby group as most are named but during the first few weeks I checked in with the Abingdon Breastfeeding cafe to get some support around breast feeding, particularly around latching and my concerns around feeding, since then I have been going weekly, sometimes for additional support but mostly just to catch up, have coffee and cake and meet other parents.  This importance around parent groups really came to me as hubby returned to work and I had my first few days home alone, it takes time to re-adjust to a new routine of being on your own, suddenly the extra hands are gone, you have to rethink how your taking time to shower, you get use to taking your newborn with you to pee and your pretty much doing all the changing and feeding, throw in a few days of bad reflux and not napping and you end up with one very emotional ...

Hey guys, Jessie here, todays blog is a look back over our short adventure in the park for a coffee date with my little man!  Living in the flat the first challenge was getting out, not an issue with the use of the sling but with the pushchair it is a whole different ball game. Hubby was on hand but as he is due back at work soon I needed to trial getting me, baby, bag and pushchair all down two flights of stairs. Cue comedic tunes.  With a bit of trial and error for where to place the front wheel that needs to come off to fully fold it down and trialling the best way to carry him and it we made it down in one peice! (And following the coffee date back up in one peice)  We headed out for a walk around the park followed by a stop in the shade to enjoy some time outside, I picked up this handy little travel picnic blanket on amazon for camping and wanted to test it, it's good for what it is and I can't complain for the size and price.  Whilst he rested in the pushchair...

Hey guys,  Jess here with a short blog following our first big outing as a family. Today we went on a visit to Oxford city centre for a day out to achieve a couple of goals.  1. Get out of the house 2. Test out being out with a newborn before we take on bigger adventures This meant planning feeds, changes, and expressing/breastfeeding on the go or in public.  We opted to drive up and take the pushchair, packed the bags with enough formula feeds to make up, as well as a back up ready to go feed just in case and plans to breast feed as one of the times I was due to express coincided with this.  Here are a few of the barriers we faced and others that I also considered.  1. Pushchair navigation- This will vary depending on what style, brand or size of pushchair you have, We have the out and about nipper sport- brought primarily for the purpose of running with him once he is older but also being ideal to use with him as a new born for outings, I have plans to take i...

 Hey guys, Jess here, Today I want to share  a short advice blog with you following 3 weeks post birth, well just over 3 weeks, we were 3 weeks Wednesday just gone, although it doesn't really feel like it because it does feel like we lost a week whilst we were in hospital!  Those of you who have been following the blog will have probably already read the birth experience and some of my other tips, if you haven't, go check them out.  Okay so today I want to share some thought's advice and tips for 3 weeks post birth.  Firstly the thoughts: Initially my thought is how on earth has it already been 3 weeks! What felt like really long nights, long days and difficult times are 'mostly' behind me-though I know I still have many more sleepless nights to go-however they also feel like they went too quickly, He's no longer my little baby boy, though he still has the scrunch but its not fully noticeable till I look back over photos, however he is getting heavier.  My ...

 As I write this I am 6 days out from the due date of our little one, starting a family is a huge transition for people, it's a big change as you bring a tiny human into the world for many reasons.  One you and your partner are going to go through a range of changes as you get ready for this tiny little creature that basically can do nothing and needs you to do everything for it. Two as the pregnant person your body goes through a mass amount of changes, this varies from person to person and can affect every aspect of your being! Three baby items just take over, it doesn't matter how much you try and streamline the items you're bringing in, or how much storage space you create it just seems to be everywhere!  As hubby and I took on the adventure of family life we have also gone through these changes, the last 9 months have been a journey of learning about my changing body, getting ready to care for a tiny human, making space for said tiny human to live and trying to navig...

 Hey guys!  Welcome back to the blog and the first (sort of) adventure bag challenge off 2024......Well i don't think I can actually count this one as an adventure bag challenge, but it was definitely and adventure!  This year Chris and I went back over to Girona for a week away training camp, This was something we did in 2023 and thoroughly enjoyed, in 2023, we took on some running, riding and taking in the sights. This year however was a little different due to me being as late as I was in my pregnancy! At about 7 and a half months pregnant my training plan had to change a bit, running has become more difficult and actually as I write this now I have pretty much stopped the running and opted just for a walk instead. I managed to tackle one short run/walk in Girona and the rest of the days were filled with hikes, walks, stretching and yoga. This year I found myself more exhausted which is to be expected! Chris still got out on some really good long rides, took on some de...

 As 2023 comes to an end and the Festivities have been in full swing, I want to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy new year.  This year has been filled with mini adventures, the challenges of pregnancy, the journey of navigating a new job role and fitting in general health and well being as well. As for 2024 well that is a whole new adventure!  In my older years i have never really been one for new years resolutions but i do like the idea of making commitments and agreements with myself, and each year they are usually just things that i want to continue working on to continue to support and improve myself, so rather than giving up chocolate or hitting the gym every day I usually focus on things like, lets make sure i focus on my sleep routine, take on more adventures and make sure i move a little daily.  These are normally my big three, there are may things I want to work on and goals come and go, things change and plans get adjusted, fo...

 Welcome back to the adventure bag challenge and and adventure with a difference, with the ever growing bump the adventures will become a little difference, though I still plan to get out for a big hike before baby, and the back pack will be used for the training camp.... I hope.  This weekend I packed my bags a little different and the clothes I chose were a little less adventure and a little more glam, this weekend was my works award ceremony, an annual ceremony where we recognise and award various people, like the Oscar's on a smaller scale.  So bags packed, hotel and train book and an eye watering amount and away we went, the event was held in Manchester and despite a weekend of planned train strikes I had very little issue with actually getting from A to B, it was both nice and weird getting on the train I normally take home but staying on as it gets to my stop.  I opted for an earlier train to avoid to many issues and started my journey about 5.30 am, hitting M...

 Welcome back to the adventure blog, and this post is something a little different, this is less about my adventure and more about our adventure. By ours, I mean the whole of bikes and laces!  Lets dip into a bit of background, this year started with another year of planning, we had races lined up, I resigned up for the marathon in Abingdon (third time lucky? )we even pencilled in Brutal again because apparently one time of brutal race events wasn't enough for us, However despite all the planning, pencilling in and events there was a slight caveat to each of them. That was the fact that we may not be able to do any of them.  This year Chris and I decided that we would actually just stop with the contraception and see what happens, I mean were not stupid we know what happens but from the perspective of a woman who has been on the pill for a while you start to get doubts on if it actually will ever happen or not, we already knew we wanted to try and have a family and as we ...

An adventure with a difference, not all adventures are in the wilderness, Today we took our time exploring part of the city, specifically Oxford!  We have lived near Oxford and worked there at Various parts of our lives, but never fully explored, we always take the same paths, routes and have done the same things, but today we explored new places.  We started with a slow paced easy breakfast and a hot drink, watching the world go by before heading off to see our first sight of the day. Christchurch, We had seen the gardens plenty of times, and most of my literary tours include it, but we haven't actually been inside, with the tickets purchased and collected we lined up ready to go in and see the inside of Christchurch.  Christchurch is famous for various films parts of filming as well as sources of inspiration around a range of stories including alive in wonderland, it is home to students currently going through their studies but is still open to the public to tour for a ...