Edinburgh Trip

Teddy and the 3 Bears visit Edinburgh 

While it seems like a month ago now, it was only the weekend  before last that we visited Edingburgh and had a brilliant time. The dreaded flu did follow Daddy bear over and hit me at one point but we'll just sneeze breeze past that part!

 Getting there....

We got the early morning (6.40) flight from Dublin. Ever the optimist, we fitted all our 'stuff' into just 2 pieces of hand luggage! Thanks to Granny for the much more compact red case (and for packing it!)


When we arrived in Edinburgh we had the whole day ahead of us which was brilliant.We were really lucky to have my sister and her boyfriend pick us up at the airport. They had hired a car seat and we were very happy campers to see it fitted correctly and ready for Baby Bear. Once we were all strapped in, our hand luggage in the boot, we were ready to see the sights of Edinburgh! As we drove back to my sisters apartment we were given a whistle stop tour of the city. Baby bear fell fast asleep in the back, only waking when the car stopped. My sister is a Home Economics teacher and the breakfast spread she put up for us was to die for! Freshly baked breads, cereals, fruits, selection of milks and juice and the the good fry up. AND then there was DESERT! The nicest dairy free chocolate cake we have EVER tasted was presented to Baby Bear and I on account of our birthday's that past week. We stuffed our faces! Im licking my lips as i type! It was delish! (I have posted the recipe she used under dairy free cooking on the homepage).

Breakfast

THE cake!

The sights......

We saw loads and our days were jam packed. If we had to pick, our top three it is:

Daddy Bears pick: (written by Daddy Bear): climbing up to Arthurs Seat is definitely a must see, a 360 degree view of Edinburgh is worth the struggle up with a very tired and cranky baby bear who we carried in the buggy three quarters of the way up. The buggy was soon hidden in the bushes and  we continued on with Baby Bear on my shoulders but we finally got there and Baby bear was soon happy as David produced a bag of Jelly tots. In the end Arthur seat was well worth the struggle for a beautiful view of an even more beautiful city.

Mommy Bears pick: Afternoon Tea at the Balmoral! It was a birthday treat with my sister and it was pure luxury and relaxation. The service, the food, the teas, the atmopshere, the bagpiper, the harp player, the take home tea samples....it was all heaven. I will def be back! I would really reccomend this for any ladies travelling to Edinburgh.

Baby Bears pick: "The museum with the animals and the playground" We went to the National Museum of Scotland and it really was  a highlight! Granted Baby Bear was asleep for the first hour, so got the 'boring stuff' out of the way then but there is LOADS of kids to see. There is a whole floor of life size animals, a space exploration area and a super kids area. Baby Bear loved partaking in a archaeological dig (kiddie version), exploring wildlife and matching artifacts. The playground of course was a favourite! Anything outdoors is a winner!

 Homeward Bound....

Having arrived at the airport with enough time to grab a coffee and juice we sat and tucked into the last piece of THE cake and it was delish! We found that sucking on a lollypop (or 2!) was a real success to prevent ear pain on the way over, so we thought it would work just aswell for the flight home. Having stocked up at the airport we were ready for the homeward flight. Once all buckled in, lollypops at the ready the plane began to move, we were not yet the air when Baby Bear fell fast asleep. Baby Bear slept happily until landing, Mommy Bear and Daddy Bear relaxed, had a little snooze and woke in time to be ready for landing. A very satisfactory flight to end a super weekend break, and Teddy had a great time too! 

 Thanks for the super hospitality Johanna and David x 

All in all, Edinburgh is a brilliant place to visit, lots to do for all ages in all weather. If going this time of year, do wrap up and be prepared for walking and outdoors! We're already looking up flights for a return trip!

Edinburgh, we will be back!

     

                    See you soon Auntie Johanna xx

3 years a Mom x

3 years a Mom.....

This month marked Baby Bear's 3rd birthday and so my 3rd year of being a mom. Looking back over the last three years there are many moments that still bring a smile to my face, some that bring tears to my eyes, and a few that send chills down my back, most through just make be burt out laughing. I have loved the last three years and could not imagine what else in the world Id be doing If Baby Bear wasn't around. 

Kate Winslet said “Having children just puts the whole world into perspective. Everything else just disappears.” And so it does, for all the right reasons. But what I didn't know would disappear was my name and my identity. 

My first Birthday as a Mom! (still in hospital!) 

It's a common cliche that becoming a mom is a life changing event. However its also a complete change of identity that I wasn't prepared for. New friends I've made, new places I've been, new classes I've joined, new shops, restaurant's, cafe's  etc that we been to as a family in the last few years, I've been 'the Mom', the mother. As my birthday falls 2 days after baby Bear's it wasn't a long wait for my first 'mother' card. That first time is was a great novelty, however by my first 'Mother's Day' in March that year, it had hit me that I am now another person, 'the mother'. And one day may even be 'the Mother -In- Law!!!!

I did struggle with the double identity. I was unsure who I was, or who i was supposed to be, how I should act or what was ok to say or do. Should I now stay in more, or be seen in different places. It was all a worry to me.  In all honestly it wasn't until Baby bear reached the 2 1/2 yr stage that it all finally clicked with me. I don't need to me mom one hour and me the next. I don't always need to introduce myself saying who's mom I am first, I certainly don't need to be wearing more 'mom appropriate' clothes, and I definitely don't need to be a different person. I have stopped segmenting my life and now I am comfortable with me as me. Just the one package that fits all occasions, and its lots more fun. I get my personality show, and take it or leave it but thats me. I think it's much more fun and less stress. 

Gilda Radne described Motherhood as: "the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary–it’s an act of infinite optimism.” But it's also great fun, adventurous, loving and gives meaning to life......and I love it.  

I've absolutely no idea if Im doing it right or wrong, but Daddy Bear and I have thus far managed to keep ourselves and Baby Bear alive! That's got to be a good thing! At the end of the day, us Mom's don't need to be comparing ourselves to others, as long as we are each enjoying family life to the full, try to keep healthy and active, love unconditionally, learn to laugh at ourselves, give big squeezy hugs and very now and then reward ourselves, then in my opinion were all doing great.

 Cheers Moms! 

Proudly signing off as,

Mommy Bear x

Toddler Travels....visiting Edinburgh

Toddler Travels........Visiting Edinburgh

This weekend Daddy Bear, Mommy Bear and Baby Bear are flying from Dublin to Edinburgh to spend a few days with my sister and her boyfriend. We've never been to Edinburgh before so we are very excited about it. Well hopefully we'll make it! Ireland rarely gets snow, so when we do it's a BIG deal! Fingers crossed! Actually It's double fingers crossed that Daddy Bear's Passport arrives before we leave! I no, I no: men! So...if we get going at all, here is a glimps of how it will (hopefully) be.

Things to bring...

 Baby Bear got lots of super presents for Christmas and also for his Birthday that will come in really handy for this trip.  He is dying to get a use out of his suitcase!

It will be a tight squeeze but hopefully we'll manage to fit most of Baby Bear's clothes into his Olaf suitcase. Optimistic? Possibly!

 The Kurio tablet will be great for the flight. We have it ready with a mixture of games, puzzles, colouring, reading and episodes of his his favourite programs. We are hoping to pick up a pair of child friendly head phones at the airport if we can.

Receiving this airport set as a birthday present was a great start to the week. Baby Bear dosn''t remember being on a plane before and is now very excited. The plane in this set will easily fit into my handbag so can be brought along to play with.

Things to Do...

We have no major itenary for this trip, which is nice. We plan to just enjoy spending time with my sister and her boyfriend and the sights they show us. Daddy Bear is a big Harry Potter fan so is looking forward to walking around the old town and visiting the cafe where J.K Rowling sat, wrote and created the fairytale. Mommy Bear is looking forward to strolling around, eating cake, drinking coffee and enjoying the weekend away. Baby Bear will be more than happy finding a playground to run around, getting loads of attention from his auntie, and racing to the top to see the castle. 

Any suggestions or tips for our trip are as always very welcome.. I will post letting you know how it goes.....if it even happens! 

Hope your enjoying our blog, thanks for reading,

Mommy Bear x

 r

Birthday Party Prep!

BiRthDay pReP! 

Baby Bear turns 3 next Monday and so we are celebrating his birthday this weekend. I actually cannot believe he will be 3. I know people say it all the time, but God time really does fly! Birthday's were always a really special day when I was growing up. There would be weeks of preparation, making of list of guests, food to get, baking to be done, games we could play, what we would wear etc. My parents had and still have a way of making us feel really special on the day of our birthday. This is something both Daddy Bear and I want for our son. So when the Christmas decorations came down on Monday (all bar the crib) it was straight into preparing for Baby Bear's 3rd Birthday!

The Present

While shopping for Christmas presents we came across lots of gifts we wanted to get, but held ourselves back, saying we'll get it for his birthday! Can we recall what theses were? Not at all! So we got our thinking caps on. We both wanted to get him something for outside. And cue the BEST presents I ever (well to date!) came across! 

1. The Radio Flyer Tricycle 

I LOVE it! For all the obvious reasons. However, Baby Bear already has a Tri cycle and a Balance Bike. Is there really need for another? As much as I really wanted to say yes, sensible Daddy Bear, with a nudge from my sister drew the line and this is off the list :( 

 2. The Radio Flyer wagon.

It's class! I can picture it now, Baby Bear pulling it along through the woods gathering sticks, stones and little treasures he finds with Teddy sitting on top! We could get the seat and canopy attachments and little brother or sister could be pulled along by Baby Bear on their little adventures! Ah reality check! There is no baby brother or sister on the horizon (not yet), how often do we really go to the woods, our current garden is much too small and realistically it would be left out in the rain most of the year! So....it's off the list :( :(

 Cue.....THE present!

A beanbag! And to be fair I LOVE the one we have chosen. I ordered it through rucomfybeanbags.ie and they were super helpful to deal with. It is an indoor/outdoor large size beanbag with wipe clean material. I think Baby Bear will love it too. It's needed, it's practical, it's fun and it's on the way to our house! yipee!

 Next up the Theme! 

Fireman Sam...of course! A fun loving, fire fighting, adventure seeking preschooler such as ours loves fireman sam and all the crew of Pontypandy! Woodies do a super range of party supplies in their 'party zone', its all available online. The selection is massive! Unfortunately the delivery time is very slow so panic set in! Luckily Woodies stores stock a good range of the products and I was able to get everything bar the cups in our local Woodies DIY store. 

 Lastly ...The Cake

A friend of mine who usually makes all Baby Bears cakes is unavailable for this weekend.As Baby Bear can only eat Dairy Free I was a little nervous choosing another baker. Thankfully I was recommended Lisa @ Crumbz Cakes. So far so good, she has emailed me some ideas and asked great questions to get a good sense of us, who we are feeding and what Baby Bear likes. I liked both the ideas below, so Lisa will combine both into a dairy free chocolate Fireman Sam 3rd Birthday cake! Hopefully it will be yummy and no trace of a cow in sight!  

So there you go, that's all the prep done for the big bash this weekend. I exaggerate, it's not going to be a big bash. We are brining one friend and 2 cousins to an indoor play centre and then back home for a party, some games (over on my pinterest board) and of course a slice of cake! There will be some family members coming but nothing major. Hopefully it will be a day where Baby Bear has lots of fun and feels very special the whole day long.  

Would love to hear what birthday traditions you have, party games you suggest or tips on dealing with a 3rd old! eek!!

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.

Love Mommy Bear x

You can stay up to date with the party preparations through our other pages too:

Email

teddyandthe3bears@gmail.com

Youtube

teddy and 3 bears

http://youtu.be/8CgsgWa75mA

Instagram

@teddyandthe3bears

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Teddyandthe3bears

Welcome

Hello 

Welcome to our blog and thanks for stopping by. 

This is a blog about the ordinary adventures of the ordinary lives of Mommy Bear (thats me!) Daddy Bear and Baby Bear with teddy in tow!

A little about us.......

*Living in Cork, Ireland *

*Mommy Bear from Cork *

*Daddy Bear from Kilkenny *

* Baby Bear....yet to choose his stripes! *

Were a young couple, trying (probably failing) to be trendy, fun and spontaneous. Baby bear is hilarious and a "clever clogs" (his words). Teddy is our loyal friend, Baby Bear's confidant and thrill seeking side kick. 

We love : the beach, famers markets, sports esp GAA, days out, crafting, imagination play, picnics, cooking, baking, fashion, musical theatre, shopping, home ware , date nights, the playground, books, and much much more. 

We have some vlogs done from summer 2014 and thought it was great craic so heres a blog that will accompany those vlogs, or visa versa! You know yourself! 

We are PR friendly and very happy to review any products/services/days out/etc ...

Hope you enjoy reading, watching and following our adventures. 

Would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

xxx

Email

teddyandthe3bears@gmail.com

Youtube

teddy and 3 bears

http://youtu.be/8CgsgWa75mA

Instagram

@teddyandthe3bears

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/Teddyandthe3bears