September Sunshine

They say a change is as good as a rest. So when we had a week booked as annual leave in September, and decided that we couldn’t afford to go away for all or part of it, Mr and Mrs Lighty were determined to make the most of these rare family days off together and…

To Travel with your Child is to Live

“To travel is to live”, so the famous Hans Christian Anderson quote goes. And for many a year, Mr and Mrs Lighty have lived to travel. Seeing new places and experiencing new cultures enriches the soul and refills your spirit in a way that nothing else can. But as we’ve just discovered, seeing the world…

How to Outlet Shop with a Toddler in 15 Annoying Steps

You may recall that there’s already an All Things Spliced post with a very similar name to this one. You may also be wondering, therefore, why I put myself through this, time and again. Well aside, from creating great blog material (obviously), shopping’s just one of those things, isn’t it? Just one of those necessities,…

Beaches and Birthdays

Does anyone else have weekends that are jam packed? Event upon event upon event? Well last weekend was one of those weekends for the Lightys. In fact, last Saturday was a big first for Baby Lighty: it was his first trip to the beach! Technically, he has had a couple of trips to the coast…

Shut Up and Drive

Without meaning to sound big headed or smug, it’s a fact that Mrs Lighty passed her driving theory test with full marks and her driving practical test first time. And I can say that without sounding big headed or smug when I follow it up with this next statement: I absolutely hate driving. Like with…

You’re Only One Once…

Earlier on this week, we celebrated Baby Lighty’s first birthday, hurrah! I know that he won’t remember it as he gets older (although as an aside, Mrs Lighty’s earliest memory is from her first birthday party!) and I did wonder if we were going a big over the top with our celebratory plans, but it…

Motherhood: Who Needs an Endurance Race?!

A few months back, when one of Baby Lighty’s Godparents asked her if she’d like to take part in a local endurance and obstacle race, there was only one resounding answer: Nope, nope, no, no, no and more no. There wasn’t even any pretence of “oh well, you know, someone has to look after Baby…

How to Party like a Mum

The big 3-0, a rite of passage for anyone. A big 3-0 birthday party with a baby? A rite of passage for any new mother. I must admit that other than Sister in Law Lighty’s 30th birthday trip to Centerparcs, we haven’t been to a 30th birthday celebration for a while. Quite frankly, Mr and…

First Dates

In the 7 months since Baby Lighty’s arrival, Mr Lighty and I have been out as a couple a total of… zero times. So as I sat and started to write this post on the train into London yesterday, without a Baby Lighty attached to me in the sling and with a Mr Lighty by…

10 Things Every New Parent looks Forward to at Christmas

Christmas is a coming, and I’m sure there are many new mummies out there that have been looking forward to the myriad of things that  baby’s first Christmas brings. There are things that I’ve been looking forward to since I found out I was pregnant not long before Christmas last year, and things that I’ve been…