30 things about me

Lately I have been so incredibly busy - I've got lots of things I want to write and lots of things I want to do to my blog, but it has been ridiculously busy. Haven't even taken my camera out in ages, and have lost my new memory card somewhere here. We are currently in the process of buying our very first home and there are so many things to do... Late at night is the only time I've got to blog and at that time my brain just does not function properly anymore. So bye bye all those elaborate plans for blog posts and photo shoots! 

Luckily I've gotten a couple of tags lately, from Mama vs. Teacher and from BattleMumm. I can let my sleep-deprived brain doze off while typing answers to short questions. So here goes! 

All pictures are from the summer of 2013 by the way - time before this blog.
 

When did you start blogging and why?

I started this blog in August 2014 and here is my first post. I've blogged before and enjoyed it as a hobby, but wanted to focus more on parenting and family lifestyle, hence Wave to Mummy was born.
 

What is your earliest childhood memory?
 Running around in a Batman masque and a cape in the housing estate with other kids.

What is your favourite tv programme of all time and why?

Quantum Leap! I used to watch it all the time as a kid, I loved it. The series is about Dr. Sam Beckett, a quantum physicist who invents a time machine, get stuck in an endless loop, jumping from life to life "to put right what once went wrong". He is helped by Al, his colleague from the future, who appears as a hologram. Does it ring a bell anyone?




 

If you could be an animal, what would you be?

I think I would be a platypus, because sometimes people think I am a bit weird. But I'm not, just uniquely awesome! My husband has also just quipped that apparently I look like a platypus with my duck-face and swim like one too... So there. A definite platypus.
 

What are your interests/hobbies?

Blogging obviously... I also love snowboarding (I did a couple of seasons), but sadly very rarely get the chance to go down a slope. I've had plenty of other hobbies too in the past, like climbing and scuba diving, which were pretty great.
 

How much time do you/can you dedicate to your blog? 
I probably spend far too much time if you asked my husband... A while back I wrote a blog post about how much time I spend blogging, and I calculated I used about 7 hours in a week. I think I probably spend more now with social media and reading blogs more, but time is definitely tight when you have a full-time career and are commuting in London... 

I wish I had loads more time to spend, I've got loads of ideas for posts, but not enough time to do them. 

 

What is your favourite food dish (pick only one dish) and say why?

Pizza - because it is so versatile. You can have all kinds of toppings, and can have it hot or cold.
 

Who do you look up to in life?
I don't really look up to anyone special. I think people are people, and everyone has some sort of admirable qualities. That said, I do find adventurers and people that do "firsts" (think Neil Armstrong etc.) quite amazing.

Are you organised or disorganised?

Organised in some matters, but disorganised in others. Overall, I am probably more disorganised than organised, but one of my goals for this year is to improve my organisation. And de-clutter, which I think would help in becoming more organised.
 

What is your favourite blog piece you have written?
My favourite is probably the one about the first babyccino - and when my baby first called me mummy in my native language. I loved the pictures I took for it too.
  
Name three things on your bucket list.

1. Swim with dolphins. 2. Go heli-skiing. 3. Eat a proper fugu meal.

Where is your favourite place you have travelled to?

It is so difficult to choose! I really enjoyed Japan, but I also have a soft spot for St. Petersburg in Russia, and Uganda was pretty amazing too.

What’s your favourite music?

I seem to go for strong female voices, such as Adele. No particular musical style is must, but good quality voice is. I also love singers such as Ed Sheeran.

What blog post have you most enjoyed writing?
I loved writing about our foray into TV-stardom as it brought back so many memories. My daughter was in Call the Midwife as a newborn - great fun!

What is your favourite season? and Why?

I like spring, and getting those flipflops out the first time in months. The nature starts to wake up and everything seems brighter and perkier after a long winter. 

What is the best present you have ever given someone?

I got me and my husband matching onesies for this Valentine's. Those were pretty awesome. 

What is the best present you have ever received?

I've had lots of nice gifts, and I guess an engagement ring doesn't really count. Any camera equipment has always been really nice to receive.

What do you like to watch on TV?

I don't really watch TV, but recently I've gotten really into Orange is the New Black, and I used to like Supernatural. I've also recently finished Sherlock (the Cumberbatch one) and I am in LOVE! Please, season four, come soon! 

So there was 17 questions for me (I deleted some of the duplicates). And to top this tag off, here are 13 random facts about myself. 

1. I have a tattoo.

2. I used to have nine piercings. Not anymore. 

3. I've lived in six countries, on three continents. 

4. I've served Pierce Brosnan and his friend. (I was a waitress in a fancy restaurant in South Kensington)

5. I drink far too much coffee.

6. I am a serious chocoholic.  If required, I could live off chocolate for the rest of my life and would not get bored.
7. I have an abnormally short tongue.
8. I can speak two languages fluently, and three other ones more or less at a basic to intermediate level.
9. I used to play violin for 10 years.
10. I am really good at making sushi (one year working in a sushi restaurant would do that...).
11. I can get down a mountain three different ways (more or less, telemark and skis down a green/blue slope and snowboard down pretty much anything). 
12. I've seen mountain gorillas, twice. 
13. I feel like this has turned into a bragging list, and it was totally not my intention!   

And if you managed to get all the way down here, here, have a gold star (*) :D

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Morning cuddles with my girl

After my maternity leave finished the moments I've spent with my little one have been few and far between. I usually leave soon after she has woken up, and come back not too long before she is going to bed.


One of the little moments we get together are our morning cuddles. I often wake up to a faint "Mummy" yelp from the little bedroom. I get up and bring her to our bed (or poke my husband up and awake to do it instead of me) as otherwise the yelps get louder and louder.

We then just relax and cuddle in bed, her between us, and in my arms. My arm wrapped around her, nose to nose, breath to breath. A bit of milk, a bit of cuddles and just lying there, waiting for the alarm clock to ring. 

It is our one little moment in the day, which is just for the two of us. Sometimes quick and hurried, a little cuddle before jumping out of the bed. Sometimes leisurely and relaxed, with both of us napping and falling asleep. It doesn't really matter how quick or how long it is, it always starts my day on a happy way. It makes my day really, our morning cuddles.

Although, to be honest, much of the time our cuddle session ends up with my eye/nose/mouth being poked and prodded and my head being slapped.  

Whilst I do love our morning cuddles, you can't call them exactly relaxing...

... especially when I fall asleep and a mini-sized WWE wrestler my toddler girl slams her body on top of me, momentarily winding me. That has actually happened.

I don't mind though, it is a small price to pay for a beautiful little cuddle.

#theordinarymoments

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Our little Pink Lady: toddler outfit

I do have to admit - when we knew we were expecting a girl we went a bit crazy with pink. I was planning on buying lots of unisex clothing, so if we ever have a boy next, we would be sorted. My husband on the other hand was very much into pink, and got all gushy over everything pink and girly. I soon was won over by all the cutesy pink things and now we have a large collection of super-girly things. 

Don't get me wrong, we do have other styles and colours for her too, but much of the time, she is a little pink lady!

Sometimes I do wonder what is going to happen if we have a boy next. I know that I would want to dress him (if he have a boy that is) into preppy boys clothes. Not pink girly frilly things. And at the same time I think it really would be smart to just use the same clothes as the older sibling, considering how much money you spend on kids clothing. Or at least, how much we've spent on them (honestly, my daughter has a bigger and better wardrobe than myself...). If we were smart, we would stop buying all this pink stuff and go for the unisex option.

And guess what my husband always says when I bring this matter up and say we shouldn't buy that many pink clothing?

He says "Our boy will look fabulous in pink!".

So I guess the pink is here to stay...

Jacket Lindex / Wellies by Hunter / Hedgehog mittens: craft market

Have you ever gone colour crazy, either with pink or blue? And what about saving that for the next one? 

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Searching for a home of ours...

The last two weeks have been pretty crazy. Lots of late nights at various engagements (school governing meetings, training, blogging engagements...) and then after that trying to sort out stuff, all kinds of stuff. 

One of the biggest things that has happened which has really made our lives take a turn for the super-busy side is that we have been looking for a property. We've had quite a few viewings, and been oh so disappointed with the ridiculously high London prices. In many cases I think the asking prices are just ridiculous. Just absolutely ridiculous.

Two weeks ago we went to view a house. My husband had already seen it, and we had a second viewing together. It wasn't perfect, but it had potential. Room to grow even, something that could be our forever-home, or at least for the next 15 to 20 years. It required modernisation, and something where we could really put our graft in, and turn it around into something lovely and to our tastes. And add value over the long run, maybe even an extension or a loft conversion.

So we made an offer. The asking price was way over our budget, so we made a low offer, and skimmed 20% off the asking price, quoting all the different things we would have to do to the house to bring it up to modern standards. Our bid was rejected. 

After a bit of to and fro through the estate agents our final bid was accepted. 15% off the asking price. Stretching us to the max, but still achievable. And we are feeling really good about it. Now we have been going around like crazy trying to scramble together the mortgage, getting building surveyors in, checking out everything we could, worrying about being gazumped, or not getting the mortgage, and imagining what we would do to the place once we move in. We have short-term plans, and long-term plans. Lots of plans!

So now, if everything goes to plan, and everything works out, we could be moving to our own home by April. Exciting! 

So this Sunday, after a crazy busy week of work and other engagements, and trying to move things along, I tried to have a moment of my own, flipping through a massive haul of interior magazines, and dreaming of my own home...

How was your weekend?

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Neon pink snowsuit: a toddler outfit for a proper winter

Brrr. Lately it has been fr-r-r-reezing. And even snowing a little bit I have heard (we in London had a smattering of snow which melted almost instantly).

While we were in a properly cold country (Finland) for a holiday we got out little one a new snowsuit. The old one she had was getting so ridiculously small I felt a bit bad seeing her walking around with it - poor girl looked like she was wearing snow shorts instead of a snowsuit. 

Her earlier snowsuit was from Columbia, and was one of those thin shell-suits that protect you well but you need to pack quite a few warm clothes underneath to make it nice and warm. I loved the coral colour which was so cute and girly.

But the old snowsuit was really small - in fact it was 9-12 months and she was already 18 months. So we really needed to get her a new one. After much deliberation we got her a Molo Kids (Polaris) snowsuit... There were a few different brand we were considering, from Reima (Pink comet)   to Ticket to Heaven (Zebra Baggie) and after way too much thinking I decided a neon bright pink snowsuit was exactly what we needed. Just because every girl needs a bit of neon pink in her life! And also, the technical qualities were top notch. And also, we most definitely would not be able to lose sight of her in case she decided to do a toddler style escape attempt...

So what do you think? Nice and bright isn't it! 

Having spent most of my childhood in snow and much of my adult life practicing various snow sports (like snowboarding, skiing, and even a tiny bit of ice climbing), and being a bit of a children's clothes enthusiast, I am pretty clued up on what to dress your kid in in snowy, icy and generally freezing cold situations. Both in terms of technical qualities and the basics of layering and what works well...

Would you be interested in a post like that sometime?

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My Monthly Roundup - My Instagram January 2015

As usual, here is my Instagram catchup for the past month. I do like IG, but sometimes feel my pictures are a bit rubbish, as most of them are from my iPhone, not my big camera. It is a fun sort of social media, and I do love seeing updates from friends and all, so I do keep up with it. Maybe I should try to post a picture a day to really get into it...

1. I wrote about my New Year's Theme on my blog, and updated it on IG as well.

2. These little berries are buckthorn, and they are real superfood material. My parents make them into juice and have it with vodka...

3. Our little one loves buckets - I don't know why, but she does. The best toy ever. This was a communal one at the park, and she cried when we left it behind.

4. This was the 10,000th picture I've taken on my big camera. Can't believe how much I've developed as a photographer in the two years I've had the camera.

5. We went to play in the park - love the picture. There is a very similar one of me and my mum, about 30 years ago.

6. A tasty Christmas dessert, with frankincense, myrrh and gold dust. Was pretty funky!

7. Fazer cafe in Finland is one of my favourite cafes... The tastiest chocolates ever!

8. Our little one got these cute little slippers as a gift - there are matching adult ones which might find their way into my closet someday soon...

9. In January I've continued my book crossing initiative (that is, I leave a book for fellow commuters, usually on Victoria line). I do wonder though, do they get picked up or chucked away by the cleaners.

10. Pompom-buddies!

11. I always feel like we are walking the dog when we get the toddler reins out...

12. Went to a leaving do - a friend is going on a long trip abroad - and we had brunch in a Hackney eatery MrBuckleys. 'Twas nice.

13. And afterwards I popped by Columbia Road flower market - been eight long years since I last visited the place!

14. London, London... Sometimes I get so tired of it and think about moving away. Other times I have a fascinating day at work, and think this city of bright lights is where the opportunities are made. I took the picture as I was walking to the tube station after work, and couldn't help but to admire the views of the city I call home.

It sort of feels like the month passed quite fast - I had lots of things to do and places to go. But anyway - linky below for your monthly roundups!

Quick introduction to "My Monthly Roundup" linky:

1. Linky will go live on 2nd of each month. 

2. Please grab my badge or link back to me if you can. Would be lovely if you could share the love and comment on other linkers too. 

3. Tweet me your entry and I will retweet. @wavetomummy and #mymonthlyroundup

4. I will pin your post to my Pinterest board "My Monthly Roundup".
5. I will comment on each post linked. 

6. Your round-up can be anything, as long as it is a roundup of the previous month. I do a round-up of what I have done, usually my Instagram or what I have been doing. But if you prefer something else, do a round-up of your crafts, achievements, best blog posts, whatever.

You can use this HTML code for the linky badge. 

<div class="Wave-to-Mummy-linky-button" style="width: 200px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="http://www.wavetomummy.com" target=”_blank”> <img src="http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/wavetomummy/Mymonthlyrounduplinkybadge_zps949ba8ed.jpg" alt="Wave to Mummy" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div>

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2015: Well-being - Forming Habits

So, the first month of my year of well-being is up now... A while back I wrote about my New Year's theme for 2015, which I decided would be well-being. And I figured little by little I would make better choices and make those little changes to my everyday life in order to continue my journey towards well-being. As quite a few of you suggested it would be nice to have regular updates of my journey to well-being I figured I'll do monthly roundups - helps to keep me on track and focused on the goal as well. 

This month I didn't have a specific theme, I just figured let's see what happens and what goes. Little by little I noticed that one thing kept cropping up and occupying my thoughts. Habits.

They say it takes about 21 days to form a new habit. Well, I don't quite believe it,  I think it takes far more effort and consistency to make a change, but that is OK as I am committed to this for the whole year. In the first month I have made some changes I think are important, and that I should keep up, and have thought about a few more changes I should make to really make this year into about well-being. 

My new well-being habits:

1. Lunch time yoga. Not a new thing this year as I started my lunch time yoga last October. It is on every Monday, and I absolutely refuse to schedule any meetings or other work stuff during my yoga hour. 

2. Gym. I signed up to the work gym last year. This year I am making sure I use it twice a week - Wednesday and Friday - even if I am really busy at work. On a few occasions I have replaced my gym session with a long walk outside if I haven't felt like going to the gym. 

3. Eating better at work.Terrible really, but quite often if I haven't taken lunch with me I go out and get Maccy D's, or maybe some sort of a mayonnaise-filled pasta salad from Tesco's, and grab a muffin for the afternoon tea time. So now I try to always make my own lunch (usually rye bread sandwiches), take fruits for snacks, and stay away from the communal snack jar at work.

4. Being more organised. This is something that I have started to do now to help me do the habits one to three - I get my lunch and breakfast ready the night before and prepare my fully-stocked gym bag for the week on Sundays.

New well-being habits for next month:

5. Getting to bed early. I have tried doing this, but not succeeding as well as I should. This I think is the key to really getting everything else in order - it is difficult to do anything well if you are tired. 

6. Weekend mummy-daughter time. We had a lovely time in the park today just the two of us, and I thought this would be nice to do every weekend. Whether it is going to the park, going for a babyccino or shopping. Will be probably nice for daddy to have some down-time too...

7. Lunch time experiences. I used to do this in the past. Once a week I'd go for a "cultural experience" during the lunch hour, either a museum, a landmark, a popular sightseeing place, or maybe a concert. I figured since I have to commute to work, I might as well try to enjoy the local sights. I haven't done this in a while but I think it would be good to resurrect this habit and get to know my Monday to Friday surroundings again. 

8. Being even more organised. It would help my busy mornings if I didn't have to desperately try to find something reasonably work-appropriate to wear amongst all my stuff... So I want to start getting my work outfits of the week ready on Sunday. Additionally doing a bit of planning for the week ahead on Sunday to see what I need to do and where to go would help smooth running of the week!

For February I think my theme should be de-cluttering... We are planning on purchasing a house and I guess you can't really start de-cluttering too early. 

Have you formed any new habits through your New Year's Resolutions? Are there any amazing habits that help you get the most out of your days?

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