My twin boys have just turned one! When you first have a baby everyone tells you how quickly they will grow up and how fast the time will fly….. at the time, I didn’t believe them and no doubt during the long sleepless nights, I was begging for this to happen! But, now they’ve finally reached this key milestone, I’m gobsmacked that we’ve got here so quick!!
Turning one, is a cause for celebration for many reasons, not just that your tiny baby (or babies in my case) has grown up, but the fact that we can now say bye bye to the things that made early baby life so difficult. Such as the sterilizer and bottles, so glad this has finally gone, no longer do I have to hear the cries of hungry babies at night while waiting for their bottles to sterilize on time and it’s one less bulky item we have to take to grandma’s house!
Hello cow’s milk, are we glad to see you, especially when my boys were going through a box of Aptamil milk every three days, my purse strings can finally relax. Also, since turning one the boys have slept through every night (yes I’m now a very smug mum) gone are my dark bags and a new, fresh faced me has arrived! So when your little ones hit this magic number, get out the jelly and ice cream and crack open the champers, because you’ve made it!!
Here is a little shout out to those that have recently helped make being a mum a little easier, firstly Anywayup Cups. If you don’t have one of these cups for your child, I recommend you go out and buy one!
The lovely people at Anywayup heard about the disasters I was having with cups that claim they are ‘non spill’ when they clearly are not. The worst offender, is the Tommee Tippee Explore Cup, it comes with a removable valve that is meant to ensure that the water stays in the cup. However, if your toddler is anything like my two, who like to throw their cups around, you’ll know that this removable valve is useless and will pop out on all the wrong occasions. Think nice clean outfit, just about to leave the house for an event which we are already late for (due to explosive nappies, trantums and packing everything in the car but the kitchen sink) the boys want a drink, pop goes the value and you’ve got two soggy toddlers on your hands!
Anywayup kindly sent me two of their green, original leak proof, classic cups, to put to the ultimate test and after a month of been thrown round my kitchen (with a stone floor) these cool, retro looking cups have put up a tough fight. I can confirm they really live up to their name. Due to the clever but simple technology in the Anywayup Cups, there is not a separate valve in these cups, just two parts, the lid and the actual cup, so there is no messing around when it comes to filling/cleaning these cups. Check them out at http://www.anywayup.com/
Secondly IKEA, now I can’t be a glamorous lady that lunches in fabulous places everyday, so when I was stuck in the hustle and bustle of a busy IKEA store during a playroom planning melt down, I loved my visit to the haven that is the IKEA café. Cheap food, clean highchairs, baby cutlery, disposable bibs, heating facilities, mum chill out/feeding areas and free food for babies (not forgetting the free crèche they offer) this café has it all for families…ooooo imagine a world where all shops introduced something like this and staff in places like Harvey Nics smiled when they saw your buggy coming and liked watching your toddler trying to take the latest Mulberry Handbag off the manikin!
Lastly, a HUGE thank you to the Kids Clubhouse in Horsforth for hosting my boys first birthday party, this is such a fantastic soft play venue for all ages, with lovely staff, we can certainly recommend it for anyone who’s looking for a party venue in the Leeds area. http://www.kids-clubhouse.co.uk/
Here is the latest Ladies & Babies That Lunch restaurant review:
The Roundhay Foxhttp://www.vintageinn.co.uk/theroundhayfoxleeds/
Roundhay, Leeds
Occasion: Day out with three friends and four babies (yes we were outnumbered by babies)
Day & Time: Tuesday 12.00 noon
The Roundhay Fox tends to be regular haunt for anyone who visits the popular Roundhay Park, this vintage inn is normally packed outside in the summer months with people having a refreshing drink in the sunshine and full inside in the colder months with those looking for a hearty, winter lunch.
After a busy morning at Tropical World, and a planned picnic in the park getting rained off we thought we’d best opt for plan B which was lunch at the Roundhay Fox.
When we arrived, it was very quiet, so we had the pick of the tables, we opted for a large round table, big enough to fit four high chairs round and with two buggies and my bus (aka the double buggy) we needed to ensure we had lots of space. Luckily there was lots of it.
There were a selection of wooden highchairs to choose from, which came with and without trays and found some suited the older babies in the group better than the younger ones who were slipping down in their seats, but after some switching around (musical highchairs) this was fine. There was an extensive menu for the kids, but as we had already packed a picnic, we let them munch away on their pack ups while we chose and ordered from the menu of home comforts and lunch bites.
With four babies, we fortunately only had two trips to the baby changing rooms; at a squeeze I could fit my double buggy into the changing room to take both my boys at once, bonus! The changing room wasn’t the best or worst I’ve seen before, but it was clean. The changing unit was located on the wall which had to be pulled down and the strap was broken on this – very annoying!!
It was also inconveniently located over the toilet, not great when you have a wriggler toddler to change; we almost lost a shoe down it! Embarrassingly, my friend almost got a black eye from the changing table as it is very quick to swing down off the wall. As I was second in the changing room I knew to look out for this, so watch out mummies, this changing table is out to get us!
While we were there, The Roundhay Fox started to get busier and was obviously very popular with people visiting the area and it’s easy to see why….comfy, country pub feel and a large, reasonably priced menu to choose from. Our food arrived quite quickly, but not all at the same time. The food was nice and so was the price.
Leaving the restaurant with almost a black eye and the unnoticed mushed cheese sandwich on my leg (thanks boys!) we agreed it was nice for lunch with friends and family but probably not for a special occasion.
Service 3/5
Baby Facilities 3/5
Space for Buggy 4/5
Food for adults 4/5
Food for Children – N/A as we brought our own this time
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