I was tagged by the beautiful Louise at Birds and Lilies to complete ‘The Mummy Tag’ so you can find out a little (or a lot!) more about me.

1. Are you a Stay at Home Mum or a Working Mum?

Both! My main job is working from home, doing my blogging and my freelance writing, but at the moment, I also have a part-time job at Harrison’s school. I’m working as a teaching assistant, just for fifteen hours a week. I kind of wanted to test the waters a little bit and find out how I felt about working in schools again. As much as I enjoy it, I have realised that for now, I want to carry on working for myself so I can be at home with the kids. My contract ends at the end of the school year, so will be back to full-time blogging and writing.

2. Would you have it any other way?

Nope! I made a good decision to go back to work on a part-time, temporary contract to find out how I felt about going out to work. It’s meant I haven’t tied myself to something for too long, and it’s also meant I can carry on doing what I really love – writing. I’m looking forward to being able to work exclusively for myself again, setting my own hours and being at home with the kids.

3. Do you co-sleep?

We didn’t with Harrison – he slept pretty well in his Moses basket and cot. We didn’t intend to with Alex, but after a few weeks we ended up packing his cot away! He was breastfed until he was 22 months and woke every couple of hours or so for feeds, which was an absolute killer. Having him in bed with us made it slightly less torturous and meant we all got a little bit of sleep! When Ben came along, we were determined that he would go in the cot. That lasted all of about four weeks of sleepless nights until we gave in and made the decision to safely co-sleep. 18 months on, he still sleeps in our bed but we are hoping to move him into a toddler bed in the summer.

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?

Muslins! Seriously, I had them everywhere. They were great for mopping up milky dribble, sick, snot and using as a lightweight blanket. I still have lots now and use them regularly.

5. How many kids do you plan on having?

Three. It’s a nice number to have. Not too many that I feel over stretched, but enough that they keep me on my toes! I know that I’ve definitely had enough babies now…I see newborns and even though I love to have a cuddle, I’m more than happy to hand them back to their parents without feeling the slightest bit broody!

6. Date nights? How often do you have them?

Very, very rarely. In fact, in the past 18 months, we have had two, and both were for restaurant reviews!

7. Your child’s favourite show?

At the moment, Paw Patrol and Blaze and the Monster Machines. They do prefer watching movies, their favorite being any super hero ones!

8. Name one thing you brought before you had the baby and never ended up using?

I don’t think we really had anything. We only used the baby bath for their first bath so that was probably the least used item, but I think we were pretty sensible and only bought absolute necessities.

 9. Your child’s favourite food?

Chocolate and crisps. Healthy eh?

10. How many cars does your family have?

Just one, a fifteen year old Vauxhall Zafira but it’s our lifeline. It’s perfect sized for us!

11. Weight gain, before pregnancy, during, after and now?

I’m a lot bigger than I was pre- Harrison. I lost quite a lot of weight after having Alex but piled it all back on with Benjamin and still not lost it!

12. Dream holiday with your kids?

Good old Cornwall! We had many, many fantastic family holidays there as kids, and I can’t wait to take the kids there.  As much as I love the sunshine and going abroad, I don’t think you can beat the British seaside!

13. Dream holiday without your kids?

Not really a holiday, but a mini break to Paris. Graham and I went twice befoe having the kids and loved it. One day we will go back!

14. How has your life changed since having kids?

Completely! Every single part of my life has changed…mostly for the better!

15. Finish the sentence “It makes heart melt when…”

all three boys are sitting playing together or cuddled up on the sofa reading to each other.

16. Where do you shop for your kids?

I really like Tesco and George clothes, but they do have a lot of stuff from Marks and Spencers as well.

17. Favourite make-up and skincare products?

I’ve only just really started thinking about and using skincare (I know, I know!). I love the Instanatural range of moistuirsers and I love their toner. I’m also a big fan of the Body Shop Vitamin E range.

In terms of makeup, I love MAC stuff but can’t afford it, so I generally stick to brands such as Rimmel and Seventeen. I can’t live without my primer now, or BB cream. As long as I’ve got those on and a bright lipstick I feel human and ready to face the world.

18. Huggies or Pampers?

Neither, although out of the two we found Pampers better. We mostly used Tesco own brand nappies or Aldi Mamia nappies.

19. Have you always wanted kids?

Nope Even when I met Graham kids were absolutely not on the agenda. It wasn’t until I was 21 or 22 that I decided I wanted them.

20. Best part of being a mum?

Watching them grow up and develop into beautiful, thoughtful, clever little boys.

I’m tagging the following people if they would like to do this:

Rachel at Blogging Mummy, Lindsay at Newcastle Family Life, Laura at Laura’s Lovely Blog and Kim from Northumberland Mam.