Happy Friday ...

I love Fridays! The start of the weekend and the end of a stressful week, but it means I get to spend time with my little boy and get lots of huggles.

He's a bit off with me this week, I think being a fulltime mummy means my little prince is starting to forget who I am. Hubby looks after him whilst I go out to earn a living and it's hard coming home to find that my little boy has done something new and I've missed it *pulls sad face*.

Today, I received a message telling me "he's crawling" but is it silly of me to feel happy that my son has mastered the art of moving forwards (rather than his normal backwards slide) whilst also feeling jealous that I wasn't there to see him in action?

Yesterday, I left for work and little Ben 10 was hitting my hands as I reached out to give him a hug - he turned to his daddy and gave him a big kiss.... yes, more mummy jealousy.

I'm hoping he'll wait until I am on maternity leave before he starts to crawl, not realistic though as he will be 13 months. Guess I need to dust down the camcorder and get hubby to start filming these momentous occasions for mummy to watch whilst crying into tissues.

My baby is growing... and I'm missing it all.

Holiday baby bag ....

"We're all going on a summer holiday".... ok, not summer but that's the song that comes to mind when I think of my holidays next week. The three of us are flying to Morocco for two weeks in the sun and will be travelling over 2000kms in that time visiting family.

Although Aamir travelled with me when he was 9 weeks old to Morocco - he was only small and didn't need much in the way of clothing or entertaining. Fast forward 8 months and things are very different. We shall be travelling with Ryanair who provide no baggage allowance for infants so somehow I need to cram all my things, plus Aamir's into 15kgs or pay £50 for a second bag. I also lose my 10kgs hand luggage allowance as I will be needing a changing bag and the contents will be near enough, it not more, than 10kgs.

I've tried to be organised and already paid a courier over £60 to transport the bulky items such as nappies, wipes, milk... the general baby essentials. Now, for the baby bag... what do I take for a 3 hour flight plus transfer time? My list consists of....

· 3 change of clothes - Aamir drinks a lot and therefore tends to leak a lot too.
· 3 bottles plus milk as we shall be leaving the house at lunchtime and will not reach 'home' until at least 9pm
· 6 nappies
· 2 dummies
· Two food tubs, plus 3 dessert tubs
· A light blanket

I think this should be more than enough, although the biggest problem will be to try and keep him entertained and to sleep on our laps. He HATES being held and will wriggle and squirm so I am really anxious about how he is going to be on the plane. Thank God his dad is now travelling with us because travelling at 24 weeks pregnant plus a 10 month old wasn't really one my best ideas. He only likes two big toys when we are out - they have to come too, and there is no way they will fit into his bag, and I will definitely be over our allowance. It's a nightmare. Ryanair are very strict with baggage allowance and tell you to put everything into your hand luggage, including your purse so I think my little Ben 10 will need to leave his toys at home on this occasion.

I'm still looking for a compact,
lightweight, preferably reclining stroller that I can fold quickly when using public transport. I've been told the Quinny Jazz would be suitable for my needs... if any mummy bloggers can make some suggestions, I would be most grateful.

Diary of a desperate shopper

What a lovely long weekend.....

It's never quite long enough though is it? Rushing around doing all those chores you don't get to do thanks to working full time. But, I still had managed to squeeze some time in for some much needed shopping of maternity clothes for my holiday in 2 weeks time. I also have a wedding to attend and need two very nice, smart and comfortable outfits so thought I would use this weekend to buy what I need.

I love shopping - that is, I used to before children/prams came into my life. I'm normally fast, I know what I want and don't waste time browsing so going to Oxford Street, I thought 'I'm sure to find all the things I need'.

On Saturday, hubby and Aamir came with me (we drove and parked in Edgware Road - free parking) and started at Marble Arch in the most obvious shop...

Mothercare:

Heading downstairs, there looked to be a good amount of clothing available, but on closer inspection I really wasn't impressed. I'm going to a wedding and need a nice and comfy outfit, but apart from that - I also like to dress smart and most of the clothes were jeans or t-shirts. The things I did think were 'ok' were far too pricey to spend money on considering I'm only going to be wearing them for the next 3 months and I wouldn't spend near £30 on a pair of black work trousers which were not flattering and the quality really didn't justify the cost.

I left, still hopeful of finding what I was looking for.

We went into Next (Marble Arch) to buy a few holiday bits for Aamir. The children's section is located on the ground floor, and they have a lift at the back of the store. I kid you not when I say that I had to push a pram through clothes which were displayed in the aisles and was knocking things in my path, and I had to find my through ladies trying on shoes as the lifts were at the back of the shoe section. Finally, reaching the children's section at the back I couldn't even get my (single) pram though the small aisle in the baby section. If I wanted to look at the clothes, I had to leave my pram in the corner (un attended as hubby was browsing the men section). I decided it really wasn't worth the hassle or the danger of leaving my unattended baby in a very busy store!

The next few shops had NOTHING for Maternity wear ... Next, M&S, New Look, H&M - these are all stores I would expect to stock at least a range of maternity wear given their location and especially the fact that it is the number one street shoppers head to. I was tired, my back was hurting and I was dejected. I'd spent 6 hours walking the length of Oxford Street and the biggest high street chains all said 'we stock our items online'. In M&S I was incensed even further when pointed to the 'baby changing area' and met at the door by a member of staff who told me the facility could only take one baby at a time and that was the only room/toilet available. Walking in, she was right - there was only one baby changing mat and that was in use! I needed the toilet and was stuck - where do I leave my baby? The toilet was barely able to cope with a very pregnant woman. The kind lady saw me struggling and pushed her pram in front of the changing door so that nobody could enter (she commented that if I left the toilet door open and someone came in, everyone outside the door could see me). We were rather perplexed as to how a large store could only offer one measly changing area (?).

After M&S, I waddled into Debenhams, wandering from floor to floor in search of their maternity range, and was soon guided to a VERY small area in the corner... I've seen far better clothing in a charity shop! I was appalled. Seriously? Do they think pregnant mothers JUST wear jeans and t-shirts? Do we not take pride in ourselves? Are we not worthy of wearing trendy, smart clothes JUST because we are 'with child'? . I quite literally had tears in my eyes by this point. I had purchased absolutely nothing. I was aching from head to foot, and my back was in agony from all the walking. I left empty handed and very upset.

I refused to walk all the way to Regent's Street H&M store, so we returned the car, and left feeling rather unimpressed with these all of these high street shops!!!

On Sunday, still needing maternity clothes and bits for Aamir we went shopping in Watford - Dorothy Perkins and New Look are the only stores which do maternity items, albeit t-shirts and jeans again.

Shopping weekend... EPIC FAIL!!

I really would like to know what the reason is for them no longer stocking items for pregnant women! If any body can provide me with the answer, please feel free to leave a comment, or you can follow/tweet me @Mrs_Maroc or email at aamirakanben10@hotmail.co.uk.

I was however, lucky enough to find a really nice company online who have a range of maternity clothing. Some items are rather pricey, but they did have a couple of things in their 'Outlet' section and I purchased this dress (see picture), I'm wearing it at work today and I've had lovely comments. The material is lycra but it's so comfortable, and yesterday, I wore it to my niece' birthday party and accessorised it with a belt and it really looked nice/trendy/flattering... it only cost £10 and was a bargain.

Quality: 9/10
Price: 10/10
Speed of delivery : 8/10 (within 3 days, as promised)

Check out 'Crave' at http://www.cravematernity.co.uk/?gclid=CN-Nt-fK8K8CFaImtAodagNRWw.

I will definitely be doing some more shopping from their website.

BAD pregnant mummy

Well, it took me 18 months to successfully secure employment. I've had a lot of time off as my son keeps having recurrent breathing difficulties which have been put down to bronchiolitis or asthma (too early to diagnose the latter). When I told work I was pregnant, I was extremely nervous, and told my 'health care provider' and we agreed I would attend mw checks as standard. Imagine my surprise when I was sent stroppy letters to tell me I had missed consultant appointments and when I telephoned to enquire why I need to see a consultant - no body could tell me.

After going round in circles, I was given a date to see the consultant at St Albans hospital - but the day before, my son was taken into hospital, and was admitted overnight... my priority was my son and so it skipped my mind about the appointment.

Anyway, long story short - I had a phone call with one of the midwives at the hospital and explained my situation and she was very understanding and booked me in to see the consultant - this is due to my BMI being 35. We rescheduled to 8th May.

On Friday afternoon (27th April), my dear mother telephones me at work to tell me she has just had an annoyed midwife arrive on the doorstep to ask why I was not attending appointments? why had I cancelled? that it was highly irresponsible not to attend these appointments, and that I was putting myself AND my baby at risk. She also went on to tell her I had very important injections to have (this is my anti D). My poor mother was beside herself with worry and also angry at me (yes, although I am 35 she still likes to think of me as her 'baby'), I spent ages reassuring her that my anti D was on 27th June, and that everything was ok, there was no urgent reason for me to see the consultant other than be monitored about my weight.

I was so angry. How dare she come to the house when a private phone call would have been sufficient? AND why would you tell any person that opens the door to you my whole scenario about appointments/anti D... .or even that I am pregnant?? What if I hadn't told my family? There are loads of 'what ifs' I can list and given all the hype about data protection, patient privacy - looks like an epic fail on this occasion.

She left me an appointment letter for 8th May marked URGENT and went on her way leaving my mum very worried, and me, annoyed!

I'm not sure how I deal with this to be honest, I don't know her name as she was good enough to omit writing it on the letter so I cannot even rant at her. I've not met MY midwife yet as that will happen this week (GP saw me previously).

Oh, forgot to say - she told my mum that if I had time to go to work, then I had time to see the consultant and that I had a legal right to attend appointments! Yes, I know this, but after a lot of time off/being in my probation period/and given that I need this job... as long as I am being cared for my by GP regularly... surely that's ok? My BP is fine - I went to the out of hours midwife service, and it was 120/80 - she said I was low risk for pre-eclampsia, my sugars are fine... so why the panic? After all, I saw the consultant all the way from my pregnancy with Ben 10.... didn't do him any favours when it came to the labour - despite his heart rate dropping during scan checks.

RANT OVER>>>> SECRET WIDWIFE - I will catch up with you and when I do, you may wish to cover your ears.

I'm happy to EAT

I've just enjoyed a mushroom pie with mash and gravy from EAT and it is divine. It was gone in a matter of minutes and was just what the baby ordered.

Yes, a bit pricey but so worth it for a monday treat and I think this will become a permanent fixture to my Mondays.

Did I mention - I loved it? I want to lick the empty box which has a few bits left (I blame the hormones).

Yummy yummy!! Highly recommend this lovely lunch if you're ever wondering what to have!

My promise to you.

Dear Ben 10,

I promise never to forget...

..... the first time I knew I was pregnant.

..... seeing you kick your little legs on the monitor and hearing your wonderful heartbeat.

..... feeling your first kicks.

..... the first time I held you in my arms.

..... our cuddles every night.

..... the first time you smiled.

..... the touch of your hands on my face as you try to fall asleep.

..... your first smile.

..... seeing you with your first tooth.

..... the first time you said mamma..... and babba.

..... your excited look when I walk into a room.

..... how you loved the first time you played in your jumperoo.

..... everything about YOU!!!

I love you, you are the best thing that ever happened to me and I love you more than life itself.

Lots of love,

Mummy - and Gwen 11

Counting down to the arrival of Gwen 11

On Monday I had my anomaly scan. I was little nervous - the usual worries went through my head 'is the baby ok, is it healthy'?. My mum, my husband and Ben 10 came along and as I lay on the couch a delightful image appeared on screen - a happy heartbeat and little arms waving to me. I gushed with pride and was so happy to see my little bean had developing well.

I was confirmed as 20 weeks and the sonographer was happy that there 'are no concerns' with the growth.

On my way to work I spent the next hour looking at the scan picture and wondering if it was team blue or pink (my hospital have a policy of not disclosing). I have a desire to know this time what flavour my baby is. Being Team Yellow was exciting when I was carrying Ben 10 and everyone was convinced it was a girl - myself included (we were wrong) but this time I would like to know but the cost of a 3d scan is more than I can afford.

The scan picture is identical to Ben 10's when he was 20 weeks. My little boy is ADORABLE and so gorgeous I can't wait to have another that looks the same - of course he WOULD be good looking as he takes after his mummy hehe.

I don't feel too big, I have put on weight... I dare not get on the scales as I know I am now classed as 'obese' and have been instructed I must see the consultant as my bmi is over 35 and I am high risk in pregnancy - medical teams really know how to cheer women up! Maybe they should try telling Gwen 11 that he/she cannot have any treats - it's not like I enjoy the chocolates and cakes... is it?

I'm still in my normal trousers as I bought size 20 before I fell pregnant and they still fit, although not comfortable in pregnancy, but I still haven't found any maternity ones suitable for work that I can try on in the shop rather than having to purchase them online.

My colleagues know I am pregnant and all fussed over the scan picture which was lovely. I'm starting to think about when I'll stop working for maternity leave, and I think that if I can, I will continue until the point my waters break! I need the money and I haven't been in this job long enough to receive maternity pay from them so the longer I work, the better it is. I'm planning to be off for three months, and return to work in the New Year - IF I can!

I'm hoping that this time around I will be able to breastfeed successfully. I wasn't offered much help at the hospital and by the time I can home with Ben 10, I had mastitis and was suffering horribly. My supply wasn't great and Ben 10 was constantly hungry. I gave up when my supply dried up after the death of my father (Ben 10 was 10 weeks old) and it was actually a huge relief to be able to bottle feed, and have the freedom to leave him with family, not have him permanently attached to my breast thanks to hunger, not to have the pressure of family and friends telling me I wasn't holding him right - that I wasn't eating correctly and just constantly judging me on the fact my son wasn't breastfeeding exclusively. There were many times I would cry and beat myself up emotionally about not doing it when family would compare me to their daughters and how great they had done. So, this time, I'm doing it my way. I will try to breastfeed - if it happens... GREAT, if not, then I'm not going to put myself under unnecessary pressure. Ben 10 was much more content and happy when I he moved the formula and that's all that matters... a happy baby.

Bump picture: 20 weeks + 2 days.

Scan no 1: Gwen 11

Scan no 2: Ben 10

Thank you tfl

Two months of sitting on the floor on my bag and coat on my journey to work, has come to an end. Thanks to tfl I am now being offered seats on buses and trains by fellow passengers who see my wearing the 'baby on board' badge that was kindly given to me by the lady at Chancery Lane ticket office. These badges are free and I was told about them by the florist near where I work.

If you're pregnant, or know a family member or friend who is and uses public transport - get them a badge from your local underground station. So glad I have mine, thank you tfl !!

Struck of the proverbial Christmas card list

Off my Christmas card list

Sadly, it appears that there are companies out there who think it is ok to take our money in return for a service that they fail to provide. Normally, I am a very patient person who understands that admin errors can occur and having worked for a major retailer, I am well accustomed to the wheels that are in place to ensure that such errors are corrected immediately and that the customer does not continue to suffer loss. Unfortunately, there are also companies where said wheels have become rusty and perhaps ceased to function, and in such cases a well needed spray of WD40 may well be the best way forward - or indeed the scrap heap!

It has been 20 months since ROYAL AIR MAROC failed to take my reservation, for a ticket to Morocco, correctly and due to their admin error I was a) unable to fly, b) unable to attend my cousin's wedding, c) unable to make it to my own signing of my marriage certificate in Morocco d) unable to use the ticket for any future bookings. As you would, I made contact and after ALOT of telephone calls at my expense, I was finally acknowledged and informed a refund would be in my account of two tickets at £360 each within 3 weeks. It has been 20 months, many phone calls, many letters, many emails and yet this refund is nowhere to be seen. Since this started I have had ONE call from Royal Air Maroc asking for the booking reference after they were informed I would be taking legal action and would in fact be claiming compensation for loss of expenses, and that I would be charging them interest on the money which I would have earned from my bank had I not made the transaction. I have heard no more since I emailed the reference number despite emailing a further 3 times. It looks like I shall be travelling down the legal route - but will be using a different airline to make that journey.

My advice, be careful when using Royal Air Maroc, I was a loyal customer for many, many years as were my family despite the hike in prices, and hit & miss customer service but now I am avoiding at all costs. After conversations, I am not alone in my quest to claim my money for services not received, I live in hope that my refund won't be too much longer.


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My father passed away in September 2011, and my mum was feeling rather low. As a 'Groupon' subscriber (which I love by the way) I came across an offer to purchase a faux leather double bed from 'Gadgets and products' for £69 plus £20 delivery. In a bid to cheer my mother up, I made the purchase, and claimed my product as per the instructions through G&P in December 2011. During a telephone call to the company I was informed that the bed would arrive in 14 days, and we set about decorating the room and purchasing a new mattress (she had a king size) ready for the arrival of the base. 14 days arrived and departed, with no sign of the bed. I made contact through email and received no response as they were closed during the 'holidays'. When they reopened I called again and was advised that their delivery driver had let them down and that the bed would arrive in 28 days. It is now FOUR months since that conversation, and FIVE months since I purchased the bed. I stuck with it in hope that the bed would arrive, after all, we are out of pocket already with the mattress we had purchased - which is now propped up in the hall way awaiting it's base - and thought that 'surely it couldn't take this long for a bed to arrive'.

My emails are not responded to UNLESS I send an email which threatens legal action... even informing them I would write a Blog about my terrible experience of their company failed to gain a reaction. I requested a refund (on 4th April) and was informed their finance department would make contact, on 14th April I made contact again to question when they would contact me, I am yet to receive any reply!!

They fail to respond to me accurately and I am continuously unsuccessful in obtaining a response to my voicemail messages and emails.

I can't help but wonder 'what kind of company this is'.... certainly not a professional one by any standard.

I know that £89 is not an enormous amount of money to lose, but I paid for a service in good faith which I have failed to receive, and the fact it was bought for my mother to cheer her up makes it even more annoying, not to mention the money we lost on the mattress which she cannot use.

It takes moments to respond to a customer and CORRECTLY advise them what the situation is with their purchase, regardless of whether I have made contact - this should be a standard process to ensure customer satisfaction. I would not recommend for any purchases to be made from this company, and certainly not accept their word in view of my experience.

This is the company website http://www.gadgetsandproducts.co.uk/ and I would again recommend they are avoided at all costs.

Without prejudice against Groupon.

One pregnant lady, one bump... and a bad food establishment Take 2

After a day of shopping my husband nagged me into going for something to eat and treating my mum in the process. He LOVES Pizza Hut and in fairness our local one in Watford, is very good, although we have to queue for a long time for a table. We were in Ealing so popped in.

What looked like a ghost town with only one table on our side with a party of children, we were taken to our seat. I asked for a high chair, and soon after, the menus were literally plonked on the table. I looked down to see DIRTY cutlery (had my phoned been charged, I would have taken a photo).

We waited for 15 minutes and in that time, not one person took our drinks order. I waved to the waitress and she came over like she was running for her train, barely maintaining eye contact with me. Asking her about the £5 per pizza deal, she told me it was a weekday only offer (it was Saturday), she then rushed off, returning moments later with a leaflet about the offer... again this was plonked in front of me and she almost ran off to another table who had just arrived. As we sat there dismayed, I could feel my hormones raging and so menu in hand, I walked (ok waddled) to the counter and spoke to her colleague about ordering and the service I had just had, she explained it was not her section and that the girl would be with me shortly. The girl at this point had heard my complaints and was telling me that she had to tell 'that table that we had run out of pepperoni'.

Returning to my table, it was now almost 30 minutes and still no order for food or drinks had been taken. At this point, even her colleague was annoyed, and came to me saying 'I don't know where she has disappeared to' and took our order for 3 pizzas, and salads.

We were presented with our salad bowls, and our cutlery was replaced when I pointed out they were filthy (food still stuck on them).

I have seen better salad in a pig's dinner. The pots were empty, there was small selection which was horrible looking, the sweet corn looked dry, the coleslaw had bits of lettuce in them... it was revolting.

I took a few bits of cucumber and tomatoes (I was paying £5 for this) and returned to my table.

Needless to say we didn't go back for second helpings of the salad!

When the pizzas arrived they looked dry and they tasted horrible.. my husband who loves Pizza Hut even commented to say it was tasteless (veggie) and dry. We were offered no extra parmesan, I was still awaiting the high chair and had to ask again and the was actually tempted to just walk out.

Seeing I had finished my drink, I wasn't offered a refill, the dirties had not been taken away and the potato wedges came on a dinner plate with a bit of parsley thrown, yes, thrown on top.

We didn't manage to finish our delightful pizzas (can you detect the sarcasm?) and again after trying to catch her eye, I had to shout to the waitress to bring my bill. We were not offered any drinks, any desserts, no dirty plates were cleared away... it was a massive let down.

When the bill arrived (£31) I couldn't believe I had just spent that money - which was supposed to be a treat, on something so horrible.

Pizza Hut have gone down massively based on this experience and although we loved our Watford branch, just thinking about Ealing makes my stomach turn, and then I get angry that I didn't refuse to pay the bill.

Will we return to Pizza Hut... not in a hurry!

Definition of vegetarian ... According to Dominoes pizza

As a Muslim I eat vegetarian unless my local establishments are providing halal meals.. which generally most are starting to do.

A couple of months ago, I was craving Dominoes pizza and as my sister, and her children were with me I thought that I would treat them too. I telephone ahead, spoke to one of the staff and made my order for two large vegetarian supreme pizzas... I was even careful to ask 'are the chicken pizzas halal' and 'do your sauces contain alcohol'? to which he replied 'No' to both and told me the vegetarian supreme contained 'no meat'. I was instructed they would be ready in 15 minutes, so myself and my husband drove the 2miles to the local establishment to collect our pizzas. Arriving at the counter, I was charged for the two and another member of staff came to the counter and was speaking to the chap behind the till. Obvious I was Muslim *I wear a scarf*, the 2nd chap asked me 'are you Muslim?', after my answer he progressed to tell me that the pizzas are not halal

Me: 'ah yes, I know that, the man I spoke with on the phone told me they are not halal so I have ordered the veggie'

Staff member: 'yes, but the vegetarian are not halal'

At which point I was very confused and went on to ask

Me: 'errm, do they contain meat, or alcohol (voice becoming a little impatient), the man I spoke with told me that they contain no alcohol'

Staff member: 'that's right, but, we cut the veg, and the pizzas with the same knives we use to cut our meat/chicken'

Me: 'Are you serious?'

Staff member: 'yes. we do not use different knives'

You can imagine my fury and dismay at how in this day and age it could be possible for a food establishment to be allowed to do things like this? Are there no checks? are they not fully informed of what is VEGETARIAN and the requirements to use different knives & boards?

I demanded a refund, gave a piece of my mind and left.

After approx. 7 years of purchasing pizzas from this place, I am questioning if I have ever eaten a vegetarian meal from them?

I've taken to informing all vegetarians that I know in hope that they don't encounter the same issues I did. I telephoned a few days later and asked the same question, I was told that they are vegetarian but on probing about knives I was given the same information as before - same knife is used.

Moral of this: for me to never allow a penny of my money to purchase a Dominoes pizza, for everyone else... check!!

Sorry Dominoes, this is the end of our relationship.

Big foot.... and the bump

Gone are the days when I could happily slip on a sexy pair of shoes and head out of the house feeling 10 feet tall thanks to the heels!

Pregnancy has not only taken it's toll on my breasts and tummy but also every other part of my anatomy has suffered too... the latest being my feet.

Why do 'they' fail to tell you all this when you first fall pregnant? I really could have done with a little list of 'what you will no longer have' handed to me in preparation rather than the big hugs, smiles and congratulations.

As I sit here typing, my feet are throbbing in agony whilst I maintain a smile and walk happily around the office in my shiny new shoes which I recently treated myself to. I tried them on in the shop and my old, trusty size 5 feet were gone. I tried on a 7 but they were too big, so I opted for the feel good factor and bought a 6. I've had great comments on my shoes today 'lovely', 'different', 'pretty' and I just want to reply 'UNCOMFORTABLE'! When nobody is looking I walk like I've got Ben 10's shoes on, I've got sores on the back and sides of my feet and just want to cry but in the spirit of looking 'pretty' I will persevere.

I never thought my feet would grow, after all I'm 35 and no longer a toddler needing to head of to Clarkes to be measured. My mum told me with a smile, ''its because you are pregnant'' - that comment did not help me at all.

I know I am pregnant, I know that for the joy of life I have lost my figure, and my sanity but did my feet really need to follow suit?

They're not swollen, or puffy... they've just GROWN lengthwise and I no longer have a foot size.

Am I the only one who is WEIRD or are there others suffering the same? God, I hope so!

I look forward to the day that shops offer a pretty selection of shoes for expectant mothers but until then I think I need to resort to slippers under my desk.

1 pregnant lady, 1 baby ... and a car park space

Every time I go shopping I dread the thought of parking. Squeezed up against another car, holding the sides so as not to scrape it.

I love going shopping but the parking is really too much of headache.

Westfields

Could not see any spaces available for 'parent & child' and each time, I'm charged between £5 to £15 to park in their car park but they fail to provide adequate amounts of spaces for people with children. I struggled to get out my car - squeezing sideways between my car and that to my right, I moved down the car - tried to open the door, only to find that I was against a pillar, so I returned to my seat, reversed and looked to see if I could find another space. After driving around for about 5 minutes, I found that all spaces were pretty much the same. I had two options; leave my son in the car whilst I go off to do my shopping for the next 3 hours, or take him out of the car BEFORE I park! Whoever designed the centre obviously wasn't a parent... or pregnant!! It's the same story every time I am there, if my husband is with me - he takes Aamir out before I drive into the space, if he's not, then I have to struggle...with a bump and a baby! Is it worth the hassle? No, it's really not.  

Mummy rating 2/10

Maltings, St Albans

Pretty much the same story..... but worse! I even asked if I could park in the disabled bay as I was struggling and was told 'no'. Given this is where I do my shopping on a Saturday, and where I have to park if I'm going to the bank - it's not ideal that every week I have to endure the same issues. The parking space is barely big enough for a person of a small frame to get through, never mind trying to squeeze your baby out of the small gap. I've lost count of the times I have hit his head on the door frame trying to take him out of his seat because I can just about get him out.

Then comes the next bit.... the doors are heavy - metal, fire door heavy. Unless I'm lucky enough to meet a kind person coming through who will hold the door for me... I'm stuffed. I can barely fit the pushchair through the door, my bag on the handle gets knocked ... I've even had a vase break (10mins after I bought it in TKMaxx) because the door came back on my pram and hit it. Honestly, it's a chore getting out of the car park into the centre but going back in ... that takes the biscuit. Somehow, I have to find a way to PULL the door, AND push the pram whilst doing both simultaneously.

I have to wonder, 'have they done it on purpose perhaps to put parents with small children off coming to do their shopping'?

Mummy rating 1/10

Galleria, Hatfield

As I drove into the car park my first thought was if I would find a parent & baby space. Ever hopeful, there were none available BUT unlike St Albans... at least they were provided. Still had a slightly difficult time getting Aamir out of the car seat but at least not as bad as the first two. Mummy rating 3/10

Harlequin, Watford

I was lucky enough to find a space for parent & baby and I was over the moon. No trying to suck myself thin, no banging of heads.. or cars (oops)...so Harlequin... you get 8/10 (Star rating).

Think it's time to leave the car keys at home and take the bus or shop only at Watford,

Graze Box

My office has gone Graze Box crazy, so I thought I'd see what the hype was about. All I've heard over the past week is how they great they are and especially as for healthy eating if you want to be good. Armed with a token to get my first box free I logged on to the website expecting to see glorious choices that I could choose from.

I scrolled down the list 'nuts, fruit & nut, flapjacks' etc. Was I gripped with excitement? 'No'... quite the opposite, I had a face on my which spoke volumes and was asked by a colleague if I was ok... I wasn't! The names were great and entertaining, but the choices were limited and boring.

Who would pay £3.79 for a box of dry, boring snacks? I was put off and not enticed one bit but I was still going to continue with my order so that I could at least say I'd given it a try.... but I would be cancelling as soon as the box hit my desk! After all... it's FREE!

When the box came I was disappointed to say the least. There was barely enough to feed my 10month old. It was dry, boring... and dare I say it... NASTY!

Sorry Graze Box but I am so glad it was for free as I would have been quite annoyed to have paid money from purse for this. It's a great idea..., but it's just not for me, nor did the other PAs think it was for them either. We decided it was more for those who had a good amount of disposable income and buy into this kind of thing but for a lowly PA... I'll be sticking to my fresh fruit or a bag of nuts which will last me a lot longer than a day.

Do pregnant mums not wear smart trousers??

Well, this is my first time blogging and wow, I like it so far (all one sentence of it).  Feels good to have somewhere to write my thoughts on babies, pregnancy... oh, i should mention - I'm mummy to little Aamir (aka Ben 10) and have another due in September, work, transport, maternity clothes, baby products... you name it, I have thoughts on it.

At the moment I'm on the search for good, but cheap maternity work trousers... can I find them - not in my local shops (8mile radius).  New Look, Dorothy Perkins, Next, M&S have all decided they would not sell Maternity clothes in store and can only buy them online.  So apart from not being able to try before I buy, I have to pay postage for the priviledge, and then off to the post office to return them. Hmm, not my ideal shopping experience.  Thankfully, my local H&M has come to the rescue!! But, no smart trousers. So, I bought a pair of casual slouch jeans which I wore for the first time a few days ago.  Very nice, and well worth the £15 I spent on them.  So comfy, and alot of people commented on how nice they were and surprised to know that they are maternity.  They had a sale on and I picked up some great bargains for £7 (reduced from £30) and again, the best purchase for my large frame and growing bump! H&M get the thumbs up from me but my hunt for work trousers continues..............