Me Time

Like most mummies, I spend a lot of my time – and energy – making sure everyone around me is fed, clothed, watered, nurtured, happy, clean, comfortable, provided for… The list goes on. And like most mummies, this leaves me with very little time to look after myself.

So you can imagine my delight when I got to enjoy not only an hour to myself – but an hour enjoying a relaxing hot stone massage at that! 

I've never had a hot stone massage before – not for want of trying. The first time I had to cancel after discovering I was pregnant, the second time the spa I was at had a power cut and couldn't heat the stones! But thanks to Paula, owner of Garden Room Therapies in Ferndown, I now know that my first hot stone massage won't be my last. 

Yes, I know, having hot stones placed over your body doesn't sound like the most relaxing experience ever, but trust me. It is. The heat of the stones helps to relax the body in a short space of time, which releases tension and boosts circulation. Combined with soothing oils and colder stones, it's also good for relieving pain and reducing stress. Sounds like a winning combination to me.

Paula's therapy room is at the back of her home and as you'd expect, it's a calming space, filled with light and soft music. Paula is a multi-talented masseur and her professional qualifications are proudly displayed. She exudes a calm, confident manner that instantly puts you at ease and under her expert hands, I could feel my tensions melting away. Unfortunately parental duties meant I couldn't enjoy a full 90 minutes, but Paula was extremely accommodating, conscious of my time constraints and ensured I walked out of her house a hell of a lot less stressed than I was when I walked in.

But hot stones aren't just for stressed-out, exhausted mummies - a massage with them can also help muscular pain, rheumatic conditions, fibromyalgia, back pain and insomnia. 

And hot stones aren't the only massage Garden Room Therapies offer. Paula's hands can also work their magic with Swedish, deep tissue, pregnancy and aromatherapy massages as well as Shiatsu and Reiki. 

A 90-minute hot stone massage costs £20 – blue light workers and senior citizens can get a discount too.

To find out more, see https://www.facebook.com/shiatsubodywork

Fun at the Farm!

There's been rather a lot going on at Dorset Mummy towers so once again I find myself apologising for the lack of posts. I've certainly got more than enough to write about so when I can get back up and running regularly, the posts will come thick and fast!

But in the meantime I wanted to do a little write up on Farmer Palmer's as I've had a few fun days there lately. Back in January, FP's came up with a fantastic offer on its annual passes - if you bought one within the specified time period, it would be valid from when the park opened in early February this year until the end of the February half term next year. Ok, so it's closed from the end of December for 5 weeks or so, but for £40 (when it would normally cost me £8.75 a visit), this still seemed like an absolute bargain, especially as D2 is free being under 2.

And we've certainly been making use of it, even if the weather's been a little on the 'fresh' side. But the nice thing about having an annual pass is that you don't have to spend all day there - you can just go for a couple of hours if you like, which is exactly what we've been doing.

The nice thing about Farmer Palmer's is the variety of things to do. From bouncy castles to animals to soft play to the play park, there's enough to keep the kids entertained. And let's be honest, us adults too. I wasn't sure how much D2 would get out of some of the entertainment – she's only 16 months – but it's been a good opportunity to explore her limits and see what she's ready for and what she's not ready for. 

Pony grooming

So the cuddling of guinea pigs has been a reasonable hit, although a couple of the poor creatures have been subjected to a bit of fur-pulling (sorry…!). She's not quite ready for the feeding of animals but is happy to watch Mummy or D1 do it. Bouncy castles are a bit of a no-go – mainly because she doesn't actually know how to jump yet! The play park's a massive hit though, as is the soft play. But the nice thing is that as the year progresses, she'll progress too and we'll be able to enjoy more and more together. And as the weather gets warmer, we'll be able to spend time enjoying the outdoor space more. Hurrah!

To find out more, visit farmerpalmers.co.uk. I'll see you down there this summer!

Baaaaaaaaaa!

These piglets were just a week old when we saw them! Awwww!

Queen of the castle!

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, so we decided it was the perfect time to visit Corfe Castle. We've driven past its stunning ruins on numerous occasions so it was nice to get up close to this ancient building. And once we'd walked the half mile or so to it, we were rewarded not just with the castle, but the amazing views its position offered.


I'm not a history buff, but Corfe Castle has a rich and varied background that we all found fascinating. From siblings fighting over the throne to imprisonment to being a favourite of the rich and powerful, its seen it all.


And the view was spectacular. We could see Poole, Bournemouth, the Purbecks. I love Dorset for its coast, but the country element of our stunning county shouldn't be overlooked either.


There was enough to amuse D1, who happily followed the shield trail, did brass rubbings, clambered over stones/hills/stairs and exhausted herself (hurrah!) And she was pretty chuffed with the medal she received for her hard work too!




 

Do you wanna build a snowman? Er, no…

It seems that since Christmas most places around the country had experienced snowfall of some kind. I was hoping that we'd avoid it being so far South, so you can imagine the look on my face when my hubby told me we'd had snow this morning… 

Let me make one thing clear. I don't like snow. Actually, I don't like cold. I am NOT a winter person. I like hot weather, hot holidays, summer clothes and the feel of the sun on my face. I do not like not being able to feel my toes, wrapping up in 20 layers and not being able to get out in my garden. I think I've made my point.

So the fact that we'd had a couple of inches of snow overnight was not met with joy by me this morning. Unlike some, I was praying that the school would be open and the sun would come out and melt the snow away. (I got both my wishes, hurrah!) Sadly D1 hasn't inherited my hatred of the wet stuff and gleefully pelted me with snowballs ALL THE WAY TO SCHOOL. 

I then attempted to go somewhere 10 minutes away in the car. It took me 30 minutes. 

I'd diligently cleared ALL the snow off my vehicle, unlike some muppets who could barely see through their snow-covered windscreens. 

On the way home, my car slid across some ice. 

Then the sun came out and melted it all away.

YAY!

So much to do, so little time

Obviously I had all good intentions of blogging regularly and brilliantly when the year kicked off, and like many resolutions, it's obviously slightly waned… There just never seem to be enough hours in the day. I don't think my time management is especially poor, but I do have a little lady who likes to power nap, so unlike some mums, I don't get to enjoy a two-hour stint to get things done. If I get over 30 minutes, I count myself lucky! But what I end up doing while she's snoozing is madly trying to squeeze what I can into that time and being reluctant to start any job that's too big, because I may end up leaving it unfinished.

Somehow I managed to work four days a week, keep a household fairly in check and still find time to go out and have fun. These days I'm working sporadically in the evenings, my house looks like a bomb's hit it most of the time and I spend my evenings thinking I'll get lots achieved then find myself dozing off in front of the TV far too early.

Am I the only time-poor mum out there? And what are your tips for keeping on top of things, other than bribing the grandparents to give you some time off from time to time?! Please share! 

So that was Christmas!

The tree at Mottisfont

Wowsers, how fast did that time go? 
I hope everyone enjoyed the break. We certainly took advantage of the whole family having the time off to do a bit more exploring, not just of our beautiful county, but some neighbouring ones too.

Rather than write a HUGE post about all the things we did and places we went, I thought I'd write a series of smaller ones – easier for you all to digest!

And what better way to start than with a couple of gems in Britain's heritage crown…

Kingston Lacy/Mottisfont
We had a couple of days visiting some of the national treasures owned by the National Trust. And if anyone's got the traditional Christmas celebrations sussed, it's the NT. 

So our trip to Kingston Lacy, just outside of Wimborne, saw us meeting Santa in a shepherd's hut. I'd really fretted about where to meet the big man, but this was such a simple, stylish setting. Santa was wonderful, the girls got a small token gift and we all came away happy. But the fun didn't end there. We got to add links to what was intended to be the world's longest paper chain, play with traditional toys, stud a clementine with cloves for scenting our home, sample biscuits and wines and do some Christmas crafting. On top of all this, we then followed a 12 Days Of Christmas-themed trail around the grounds (which was lit up from dusk although we left before that time). It was cold and wintry, but that just added to the festive feeling.

Paper theatre

A trip to Mottisfont, near Romsey in Hampshire, was just as Christmassy. We'd gone to enjoy the Nutcracker Christmas exhibition, thinking it would be great for D1. And we were right. Like Kingston Lacy, Mottisfont is a beautiful estate, but this time we were able to explore both inside and outside the house. There was the most stunning Christmas tree, paper theatres, automata (that's mechanical toys to you and I) and more crafting. Festive fun aside, we also got to have fun by the river and check out the second-hand bookshop (where I got some great bargains for when I finally finish my reading list!). 

Snow geese

Sweets!

Both places felt wonderfully quaint, traditionally British and were highly enjoyable. We're looking forward to returning for some more fun in the spring/summer and seeing the gardens in all their glory!

For more about both properties, see nationaltrust.org.uk.

Hansel & Gretel

Hansel & Gretel

I love going to the theatre, it's one of the things I miss most about London, but thankfully Poole has a really amazing one with some great shows on the bill. And just like visiting Christmas lights and seeing Father Christmas is a tradition, so too is a trip to the theatre at this time of year.

Last year we watched – and loved – Lighthouse's Christmas show, The Night Before Christmas, so this year we eagerly booked tickets for Hansel and Gretel in the Studio, which is aimed at 3-8 year olds. And I'm so glad we did because it was fabulous!

We all know the story of the siblings who get abandoned in the woods and tempted by an evil witch and her gingerbread house, so I don't need to recap on that here. But what I will say is that the whole production was very cleverly done and aimed perfectly at its audience. 

Before the performance began, Hansel and Gretel (otherwise known as Sean Mulkerrin and Lauren Scott-Berry) ventured out into the audience, introducing themselves to the children and playing "I-Spy", which the kids absolutely loved. This helped to create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that lasted throughout the show as the children happily shouted directions, comments and interacted with the performers (the snowball fight at the end was particularly well received, except perhaps by poor Lauren, who got hit in the face by one!). There were elements of panto ("Oh yes there were!"), songs and audience participation (we were all pretty good at being trees, birds and squelching through bogs).

"So Hansel, do you wanna build a snowman?"

My four-year-old was mesmerised and managed to sit still for almost the whole 50-minute performance (that's another good sign, when you can hold a child's concentration for a decent stint of time). Full credit goes to Sean and Lauren for putting an audience primarily of little people at ease and for their performances – I was particularly impressed by how believable their movements were when pretending to be caught in a storm. 

The show's only on until Christmas Eve, so if you fancy going, you'll need to be quick, but Forest Forge, the company behind it (www.forestforge.co.uk), will be back at Lighthouse next year – and I'll definitely be checking out another one of its shows then.

(Pictures courtesy of Lighthouse, Poole)