BOHO WOLF, MIDDLESBROUGH | LUNCH AT BOHO ONE

I was invited recently to try some new dishes at Boho Wolf, in the Boho One building in Middlesbrough by Julie, who owns it as well as Chilli Cake in Hartlepool. I'd worked with Chilli Cake a few years ago and the food was amazing, and I was so, SO excited to go back and see what Boho Wolf had to offer.

I met up with Carli from The Teahouse in Middlesbrough for brunch and to chat about work, blogging (you can see hers here) , her house move and various other exciting projects and ideas in pipelines.. It was so good to remove myself from the confines of my office and have a real-life chat about our various work and life updates.. And any meet up which also includes food and photography is absolutely fine by me.

I've really enjoyed getting ideas and memories down here but I don't want it to just be another 'Mum Blog', and I would like it to cover much wider topics; it just so happens that my head is pretty full of routines, shopping lists and family admin these days.. Carli is so inspiring to talk to and always has a million ideas. I came away feeling like this is something I'd like to really pursue and do more of, so fingers crossed this blog carries on fitting in and I can find the time to properly keep it up.

I've also wanted to do more small business photography and I have, what I hope will be, quite an exciting idea brewing behind the scenes (watch this space.. a few of you may already know what's going on...); so visiting Boho Wolf came at exactly the right time to get my out of heavy-wedding-editing and back out into the real world and find some space for a few hours. And it was so, so worth it..

The highlights for me were the Teesside Fries, made with cheddar and béchamel (see what they did there? If you're not a Teessider, maybe not.. you either know or you don't!) and The Korean baguette, which had buttermilk fried chicken, kimchi, sriracha mayo and friend noodles. Honestly, to die for. The Hangry cheese toastie was very, very close behind.. Also anywhere that takes their coffee seriously and does a mean flat white is two-thumbs-up in my books.

It was starting to get busy as we left for Carli to show me around her new digs - it was the perfect spot for lunch and a catch up. If you're around in Middlesbrough it's well worth a visit.. I'm not ruling out heading back just for the halloumi fries I saw on the specials board..

THINK PINK | HOME OFFICE INSPIRATION

My office is a shit tip 99% of the time. There is always photography kit spilling out on the floor from different camera bags, cables and various batteries charging, paperwork, a drawer spilling receipts.. and general junk that often isn't even mine that finds its way in there. The furniture is a mix of pieces that don't fit anywhere else in our house mixed with more practical Ikea cupboards and drawers.. it's functional but in need of a little care.

Often I don't feel I can work until it's clearer, there's definitely a change in my head space when my workspace is organised. With this in mind, I've decided that when work calms down I'm going to give my magnolia junk room a mini makeover and create a space to work in that I feel calm and comfortable in. And I want it to be pink. 

I would never, ever call myself 'girly' but I do lean towards pink as a colour pretty often. To me it's soft, kitschy, uplifting, a bit retro.. but for my office I'd like to contrast a 'feminine' shade of pink with some rougher and darker industrial bits and bobs. Sort of like Grand Budapest meets factory warehouse.

I've settled on a Farrow and Ball shade called Pink Ground (cheeky tip, I've found F&B paint to be pretty rubbish quality in the past so actually took their sample booklet into B&Q and Valspar scanned it in.. and it's *so* much cheaper..) and I've also bought a wire bookshelf. Ideally I'd like a new office chair but at this point it's not essential. The pictures above show 'before' and below is me being restless for ten minutes and chucking some paint and my new book rack up to see how it's going to look..

I also need to work out what to do with my desk top as I'm pretty certain the bright yellow won't work with 'millennial pink' - I may just buy a new desk top, maybe in black or a real wood to contrast the white units in that room. I'll be back to show it all off when it's all finished.. and I *hope* like it ends up something like the vision on my head. Fingers crossed! 

TARTING UP THE HOUSE

Despite our political persuasion most of our house has ended up blue. We've lived surrounded by magnolia for nearly two years and I suddenly got the itch to just get the house sorted, decorated and generally a bit more tarted up. I waited for a La Redoute sale and ordered the rug that everyone on my instagram seems to have, above, for the living room. We painted our bedroom a slightly teal-y mid/dark blue (not too dark because our bedroom is pretty small), framed a million pictures for a bit of a gallery wall above the bed, framed some black and white pictures for the downstairs loo, which was already a dark grey, and while we were on holiday my Grandad painted our hallway, up the stairs and the landing. All in all it's still a bit rough around the edges but we're getting there! I'd love to finish my office but it's really not a priority, especially with work getting busier. Maybe this house sprucing comes in bursts of 'when I can be bothered'. If only we could hire a tidier as well as a cleaner to keep it looking half decent..!

HOLIDAY SHOP

I may have got a little carried away when shopping for the girls (and especially Sylvie..) this year.. Here are some of my favourite things I've snapped up for them (/things I wish came in my size!)

1. LOVED a newborn size of this hooded onesie for Sylvie, and thought it would be really handy to grab another in a bigger size for travelling. I've got it a size above so she can wear a sleepsuit underneath it, and imagine it'll be perfect for being on a plane next month as it's not too bulky but still warm enough when the air con is on in the cabin. (H&M)

2. Bloomers. What can I say.. just so sweet and comfy. These are jersey and I bought them in ages 6 months and also for when she's 18 months for Summer next year. They were in the sale at La Redoute, so why the hell not. (La Redoute)

3. Not quite as exciting but seemingly a brilliant little purchase - these MAM bottles can self-sterilise and are anti-colic. The bottles unscrew and can be assembled in such a way that they can be sterilised with tap water in the microwave. I bought a set of three for holiday and also to keep one in the bottle of the baby bag for emergencies. (MAM from Amazon)

4. Super soft and bright mustard yellow joggers/trousers. I\m a bit against putting little ones in denim or anything too stiff, especially when they are as young as Sylvie is, so I thought these little joggers were perfect. (La Redoute)

5. Confession - this retro seaside print is my absolute favourite. It's also on the little two piece set (7) and I also bought some t-shirts in the same print too. I love this lightweight cotton jumpsuit too. Perfect for Summer. (La Redoute)

6. A very sweet little Boden swimsuit. I do have another wetsuit swimming costume for the baby, but loved this little one too. Depending on how hot it is on holiday and next Summer, this one might be more for indoor swimming at the gym. (Boden)

7. I keep WISHING this came in my size. Have you ever seen anything so sweet? It also has a criss-cross back and buttons, and the print is absolutely beautiful. Again, I bought one for Sylvie for this Summer and one for next.. Zero regrets. (La Redoute)

8. As much as it's lovely dressing babies up in 'proper' little outfits, I thought a few soft t shirts for holiday and the Summer would be handy. I love this yellow leaf print. (La Redoute)

9. Vivienne, who is still only 7, has been begging for a bikini for over a year now. We've told her there's no chance until she's older. She then started asking for a tankini, which seemed like a good compromise, but I told her it would be one that didn't make her look too much older than her years. There were a good few on the high street that had bra tops built into them and the cut felt very grown up and it was all seeming a bit like a bad idea.. then I found this lovely nautical one from M&S and everyone was happy. (M&S)

10. Another basic t shirt, this time for Vivienne. A very sweet cactus print with yellow edging. Love this. (La Redoute)

11. It was reasonably difficult to find baby sun hats on the high street - I think I was shopping for Summer too early but we go away pretty soon.. There was this one and another set of two from H&M that would fit Sylvie's little head (most shops stocked hats from age 6 months up). It was bargainous too. (H&M)

FAVOURITE BABY PRODUCTS

It really does seem like there are so many new and brilliant baby products since I had Vivienne seven years ago. Plus last time we were expecting a baby we really didn't have much as we were students at the time, so a few years down the line it really feels like a bit of a luxury to be able to get a few things to help make our lives a bit easier (I'm all for throwing a bit of money at being lazy and getting some sleep in particular..!)

When I was pregnant there was one week where three separate Mums told me that I *had* to get a Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine (1). I didn't understand the fuss, but when I was looking at reviews online on one site there was something like 1,200 five-star reviews and 12 one-star, and people said it had completely changed bottle feeding for them. It went in the sale and we decided to go for it.. BEST DECISION EVER. Seriously, just go and buy this thing if you're bottle feeding. It makes a room-temperature bottle within about two minutes. I love this thing. We also bought the Tommee Tippee Starter Kit in the sale with steriliser, bottles, bottle warmer (useless, really..) and powder containers which was great value for money (I know it was in the sale, but it seems to be in the sale everywhere at some point).

My friend was given this sweet little fleece star-shaped blanket from Tuppence and Crumble (2) for her little boy and I loved it. You lay it in the pram and wrap it around them. On days where I was rushing to get out of the door on time (I'm looking at you, school run), I could put Sylvie in this and another blanket on top within about 30 seconds. You KNOW how difficult it is to get tiny baby arms into a cardigan or snowsuit quickly.. This thing was only about £20 and you can use it in a buggy or car seat too.

If you live near an Aldi and have a baby there's every chance you love Mamia products (3)  as much as we do. They are cheap and they work as well as if not better than other baby changing products out there. That's basically all you need to know.

At a baby massage class, one of the other Mums had this app to settle her baby and it really worked. I downloaded it on a whim and it sends Sylvie into a hypnotic state where she's drop off to sleep. It's called Sound Sleeper (4)and plays different white noises, you can set the time and even set it to 'listen' for when baby cries and it'll automatically play. I don't know why or how it works but it really does. 

We were lucky enough to be lent a Snuzpod (5) from my sister-in-law and we really love it. It's wedged in between our bed and the wall and brings Sylvie to our height but in a safe space by the bed. In the night it really makes all the difference to lean over to pop her dummy bag in or rub her tummy rather than getting up and leaning over a cot. The Sleepyhead also fits into it well.

This amazing Orla Keily print Gro Bag (6) was on sale in Mothercare and I really loved the print (we were also sick of little legs kicking cellular blankets off a few weeks in). This is a 2.5 tog, lightweight baby sleeping bag but has clever little functions like poppers under the armpits to temporarily make it smaller for tiny babies, and a velcro opening at the back and a double zip so that you can thread buggy or car seat harnesses through it and they can use it like a footmuff when travelling too. We'll definitely be making the most of this when we're away next month. (I also picked up another GroBag in a different print from TK Maxx for half the price - definitely worth keeping an eye out).

You may remember from my Paternity Leave post that our first baby bag was stolen from David's car when Sylvie was a few days old. I was especially annoyed and upset because I'd bought one that I really loved and had really looked into - the Tiba and Marl Raf Hold-All (7). I loved that this didn't look like a changing bag and didn't look too 'Mumsy'. David and I would also both use it for nights away when the baby's grown out of it. It has compartments inside, a shoulder strap, and clips onto the buggy handles so the bag hangs at waist height when you're pushing which is great for dipping into the bag here and there when you need to.

The Sleepyhead (8) is another thing I would tell every parent to get - it's another product that has really just *worked* for us. It's a baby nest that you can put into a crib, cot, co-sleep with it (not our thing, personally) and use it on it's own as a travel cot when baby is still very little. It also has handles and weighs very little so I carry it around the house with me as a safe and comfortable place to put Sylvie during the day. It also comes in a plastic travel bag so you can easily pack it for a night away and keep it clean. The only downside is how much spare covers cost for it (about £45 I think), but the Snuzpod fitted crib sheets stretch over it perfectly as an easy hack.

I wasn't aware of any of these things seven years ago, but I definitely feel everything has been made a bit easier with these things in our arsenal this time. When there's enough going on with a new baby every little thing that helps feels a bit miraculous!