Car Crash Part 1

Ok I’m 10 days’ post car crash. I’ve really thought about whether I want to talk about this as really, it’s still quite traumatic. But talking to Ben and other people has helped so writing it down is going to act as my little therapy session. My injuries were grim so if you are easily squeamish this probably isn’t the post for you. The details of what happened I can’t talk about because the police are involved so I’m just going to talk about what happened immediately after.

It didn’t occur to me immediately that I would crash. I thought I could stop in time. I had my hand on my horn while my feet were flat down on the clutch and brakes. The sound of my horn and me screaming I don’t think will ever leave my ears. It wasn’t an out of body experience it is just the vision of the car still coming closer and my scream over the noise of the horn. The impact of the air bag deploying on my hand sent intense pain through my arm and numbness followed by the most intense pins and needles through my hand. I knew I had also hit my head but the pain in my arm masked anything else. I remember screaming in pain. I remember Amber crying out to me. And the intense panic and shock of what had just happened. Feeling so vulnerable. Unable to move and unable to comfort my baby who had seen the whole thing from the back-passenger seat.

I can’t talk about the other driver so ill skip to hospital. A couple had stopped when they had seen the crash. They had called for an ambulance but the ambulance was unsure of the location so they drove me and amber in their car. I kid you not that couple are my guardian angels. The road we had been travelling on is usually deserted and that day 2 cars stopped to help. I still dread to think what would have happened if they hadn’t been on that road 1 minute behind me. When we arrived at a&e I was put on a trolley and had blocks put around my head in case I had damaged my neck or spine. people were asking me questions about my date of birth, my address then they wanted to know about amber. I was still crying. I had my eyes closed. At this point people were trying to contact my parents. The woman who had stopped in the car with her husband was carrying Amber and kept reassuring me she was near she told me amber was still here with me and she was fine not to worry. Someone came over and started talking to me and I reached out for their hand with my left hand and just held it they stayed with me whoever it was until I was moved to a bay in resus. In resuss I went to open my eyes but could only open my left. I was crying and my ears felt wet. Doctors kept asking what had happened asking where the pain was. I was calming down but kept randomly coming back to tears. A doctor then put his hand under my neck and began asking if I had pain in my neck shoulders and back I told him no. they decided to take the blocks of my head and sat me up on the bed.

Someone takes photos of my face but I can’t remember who. I can hear doctors checking Amber over and asking her to mover her head and to open her mouth. I hear her telling a nurse about her bunny and a wave of relief comes over me that she’s ok. Its then I go to wipe tears of my face and I realise I’m crying blood out of my right eye. I had realised in the car that I had a cut on my outer eyelid but the blood was also coming from my tear ducts now. I don’t remember feeling freaked or alarmed by this. My arm was still so painful that I didn’t care about anything else. They managed to ease of my coat ii had been wearing while I screamed blue murder with pain. They then asked to take my hoodie off and I begged them to cut it. After they customized my hoodie cutting off one sleeve I got the full view of my arm. My hand was bleeding but my forearm was bent in the middle and fat. They had to x-ray it which meant manipulating the position of my arm for the best view of the break. Turns out there were two breaks in it. The two bones in my forearm had both snapped so when they lovely nurses on x-ray department were picking my arm up the reason I was screaming in agony was my hand wasn’t being held up by anything. just skin attached my hand to my arm.

As soon as the x-ray pictures came back the doctors wanted to do surgery right then. Unfortunately, I didn’t plan very well as I had had lunch right before going to pick amber up so instead they had to give me local anaesthetic and gas and air to pull the bones into place to reduce nerve damage. I was told I would have surgery the following morning to put metal plates in my arm. Great! My mum then arrived thank goodness and I’m very thankful to her that her face didn’t recoil at the sight of me. I have since seen the photos that were taken when I was admitted. I looked like id been in a fight with Mike Tyson I looked horrific. I had had to leave a voicemail for Ben telling I was in hospital and he needed to call me back. I was very relieved to see her anyway. She could occupy amber while I was seen to for my eye. What first looked like a job to just put steri strips over my cut eyelid turns out it needed stitches. After a trip to get a CT scan, it then turned into an optometrist looking at my eye ball and telling me I need emergency surgery within the hour because they think my eyeball has ruptured and stitches in the eyelid would be done during theatre. Forgot to mention I was on morphine by this point so the arm was no longer an issue being in plaster cast past my elbow. Now I was facing two lots of general anaesthetic in 12 hours and one of those surgeries is on my eyeball.

Ok that’s as far as I’m going today. My eye op went well in the end. 10 stitches in my eyelid but luckily no rupture to my eye. Il have to do these posts in sections because it is way too long to fit into one. I’ve tried to make this slightly light-hearted but bare in mind this the single most traumatic experience of my life. I’m still recovering I’m still processing what happened and how life has now changed. These posts will just come as and when I’m ready to type them. I set this blog up to document the year and what a hell of a year its turning out to be!

Abi x

Early Pancake Day!

With everything going on at the moment I’ve not been on the ball. So, on Monday evening when I was sitting with Amber all snuggled I thought to myself its pancake Tuesdays tomorrow “Hey Amber do you know what day it is tomorrow pancake day!” Got myself out of the house to buy fruit and chocolate spread got everything set up. Then after the carnage sat down with tummy full of pancakes and realised that its next week 28^th of Feb not 21^st.

Never mind! Small wins in that amber and I managed to make pancakes with hardly any help (except washing up sorry Ben!) Amber could crack eggs all by herself and had much more stirring time than usual. Mummy only being able to use her left hand has perks!

I cut up fruit and set up a little pancake decorating station for her to do whatever she liked. Which turned out she just wanted to pile everything on! I tried to be a little bit more creative but that was difficult using my left hand! 

Side note – the best and easiest pancake mix ever is Krusteaz buttermilk pancake mix – amazing! Super easy, 2 scoops with 3 cups of water makes 5 large pancakes we add an egg for every scoop of mix with 2 cups of water makes extra fluffy pancakes!

Anyway, it was nice to do something normal and fun again with Amber and yummy too! Also just note that my right arm/hand is completely unusable so typing takes twice as long and then editing all of my typos as well plus fun extra my right eye is unable to focus so its taking longer for me to get my head around things bare with me!

Abi x

We do believe in Fairies!

It’s been a bit quiet on here. If you don’t follow me on Facebook, you won’t know I was in a nasty car crash on 15^th Feb. I haven’t felt up to posting much and life has been consumed by hospital trips and pain killers. I will talk about it more another time but for now here is the post that I had been due to publish that evening before the crash. A very special post about the fairies who live in our house…

My 4 year old Amber is absolutely encased in the magic of fairies currently. When I was Ambers age I remember looking for fairies in the garden, pretending they lived in the tree at the bottom of my grandparents garden, reading books about fairies and my mum making up stories about them for me.

For Amber it started at my aunty’s house. Her garden is full of flowers including some with huge petals perfect for a fairy to sit in. My aunty called Amber out to the garden and showed Amber the fairy flower explaining that fairies liked to sleep in them. Amber loved hearing about the fairies and the next time she visited the fairies had left her a little present! A mini box of smarties! Ever since the fairies have been very generous to Amber leaving her little treats to show her they are there.

For Christmas me and my mum were given fairy doors so that the fairies could visit Amber at our houses too! Amber ever since has had a fairy door in her bedroom at our house and my mums house.

Now, the fairies at mums house are very dedicated to leaving gifts for Amber. Almost always they have left her a little treat and Amber is estactic! However the fairies at our house have been slacking a little ever since they ran out of Christmas chocolate! So when they visited today while she was at school it was a very big deal when Amber discovered the white chocolate bunny in front of the fairy door! So much so that she wanted to write a letter to the fairies to say thank you.

Feeling very proud of what a polite sweet little girl Amber is blossoming into. Her imiganation is endless and her willingness to help others still gives me a lump in my throat. It’s safe to say her little letter to the fairies will be greatly appreciated and I’m sure they will be sending her a reply!
Abi x

Valentines painting

I had planned to do lots of crafty things with Amber in the run up to valentines however it all has been a bit hectic and I didn’t get organised quick enough! Resulted in my very quickly rushing through pinterest searching easy valentine’s crafts for kids and I came upon a loo roll cardboard tube. Yep! Bend it a certain way and voila a love heart. Dip it in paint and you can print onto paper. Perfect!

 Easy to bend into place but not easy to dip into paint to cover all the edges. Somehow when you bend it in the point of the top “M” shape goes further up and doesn’t touch the paper when printing. So, you don't get a full heart that joins in the middle. Amber was not impressed by it really did it a couple times and moved on.

 I prefer her to make her own paintings and art stuff anyway. I’d rather her do something completely all her own work than me tell her what to do and end up doing it myself. If she wants to paint blobs then it will proudly be pinned to my fridge! Anyway Pinterest FAIL with my love heart shaped loo roll!

Hope everyone is having a good valentine’s day. Ben is away but we were lucky that we had Sunday together so cooked dinner and he bought flowers. One day we will be able to celebrate Valentines together on the actual day. A girl can dream!

Abi x

Wedding Nightmares!

Less than 8 weeks to go till the wedding and I had my first wedding nightmare. Our wedding planning has really been plain sailing and I think we have been quite lucky. However, this weekend brought some challenges and really put a strain on things. I think the stress and frustration of the what has been happening has taken a toll on my sleeping and now its invading my dreams!

So, last night dreaming about the wedding started off very nice. It was the night before my wedding for some reason. Me my bridal party and about 30 people I went to primary school were all in my old school assembly hall. Bit odd now to look back but it was perfectly normal in the dream. We all then decided we should get some sleep and simply laid down on the cold stone floor?! Next thing it’s the morning of the wedding and we are getting ready in the back room of a pub. No idea why. Everything seems to be going to plan until I go to put my dress on and somehow it is about 5 sizes too big for me. I’m told there’s no time to take it in so I just have to hold it up myself. Next I suddenly realise that ben is probably with his groomsman drinking in the pub and I need to leave in case he sees me. Panic now thinking this is not how I wanted to look. This is not what I want ben to see and as I am quickly coming out of a back door through a car park I hear Ben laughing joking with his friends and even with my back turned I know he has now seen me. He then starts calling after me and I just run away in embarrassment.

I woke up in tears. Safe to say it wasn’t a good wakeup call! Luckily, I know I have a brilliant seamstress who will make sure my dress fits perfectly and I know I’m getting ready 40 minutes away from me and our venue is not a pub or my school assembly hall. And I also know that there are a lot worse things that can go wrong at a wedding so I’m praying these dreams don’t get worse! Regardless it left me a bit shaky. Hoping for a more pleasant sleep tonight!

Abi

Hen Do #1!

Hen do 1 of 2 is now complete! I can believe it! I spent a lot of the time looking around thinking this is for me! I’m getting married! Still hasn’t quite sunk in but a Hen do will definitely make it feel real! The reason I am having two hen dos is because I’m incredibly popular and have lots of friends ;) Basically I go to an adult dance class once a week with the same teacher who has taught me since I was 12! And everyone in that group of women now are really close we have been on a lot of ups and downs together! So, when trying to figure out how I would manage to have a Hen do with 30 of my close friends and family it cut our options rather thinly! So, when another member of group had a separate hen do just for the ladies in the dance class I hopped on board with the idea! So, Hen do #1 was with dancing ladies and we went to Bistro Live in Milton Keynes.

I went there with the same group of ladies three years ago for my 21st! Was brilliant to go back again. For anyone that doesn't know Bistro Live is a venue that will serve you a 3 course meal, live band, DJ AND lets you dance on the tables!! Its really popular for hen parties and birthdays. When you arrive you are given a menu with 3 options for starter and main and dessert is a trio of mini classics. The waiters and hosts will come around to introduce themselves and you are given a flag to wave if you need anything. We also could order alcohol either pay cash or open a tab. The cocktails were lovely and you could choose how strong you wanted them in pitchers from weak, regular and strong. There is also a guy whose only job is to serve shots!

When we got there my maid of honour Louise handed out little slips of paper for all the ladies which had sections to fill out to give advice for married life to me. It was such a nice touch and I cant wait to go through them all properly with Ben whenever he is around next! Louise also had been busy making each of us a miniature ben on a peg to have with us at all times! If you lost him you had to finish your drink as a forfit!

For my meal I chose sticky chicken to start and fish pie as my main. The sticky chicken tasted like crispy shredded chicken from the Chinese and it was really tasty. the fish pie was served with a creamy dill sauce it was amazing! the trio of mini desserts were a fudgy chocolate brownie, meringue with berries and a lemon cheese cake all were delicious. If I wasn't full enough after all that they then presented me and my friend Lesley (it was also her birthday!) with a huge cupcake! I couldn't finish it so they gave me a little box to keep it in and I let Amber have it!

After the meal the live band starts playing and you are free to get up and dance on the dance floor while plates are being cleared. A photographer also comes around to take group shots if you want them for no charge. After the band play a few songs you are given a quiz sheet and the DJ plays a clip of a song and you have to name the artist. All a bit of fun but we got a bit competitive and might have cheated using an app for a few. We still didn't win! The band then plays their full set. The two times I've been before my uncle has been the lead singer of the band so it was odd to not have him there and dare I say him and his band are better than the band that was on Saturday! With that said I was still dancing on tables! The band finished at 11 and then the DJ played until 1am. The DJ mainly plays request songs which were brilliant! Definitely my favourite part of the night!

 Me and my mum dancing on tables!

 SHOTS

I want to say a big thank you to all the ladies who came out to celebrate with me Saturday. I had a brilliant time!

And a huge Thank you to my amazing best friend and maid of honour Louise the amount of time and energy you have spent of planning all this I cant thank you enough. Saturday was everything I wanted and more! Feel so lucky to have such an amazing best friend!  I cant wait for part 2! Love you lots!

Abi x

LVL Lashes!

I had been thinking for ages, that for the wedding I was going to get eyelash extensions. My natural lashes with mascara are never quite enough for me. But piling 30 coats of mascara on was never a good look on anyone. Strip lashes are so fiddly to put on and I always manage to get the ones that look more suitable for drag queens. So, when I went for my make-up trial a couple weeks back I asked my make-up artist/beautician if I could book in for eyelash extensions for the wedding. She suggested I try LVL lashes. She explained that I had naturally long lashes that were very straight. The LVL treatment would bend the lashes upwards to lift them and tint them to make them more defined. The results last for up to 5 weeks so I decided to give them a go. The treatment felt very similar to a lash perm and tint but instead of perming the lashes to give them a full curl. LVL lashes put a bend in the lashes like when you use an eyelash curler so you see maximum length! My Beautician Candice took before and after photos for me to see the difference and I’m kicking myself for forgetting to ask her to send them to me! I’ve managed to find an old photo of me without mascara so you will get the idea of how my natural lashes look (non-existent!)

A very zoomed in picture excuse the quality and untamed eyebrows! 

And here is the after pic!

After the treatment, your lashes continue to lift for 24 hours and you are given strict instruction to not get them wet in that time. As soon as the 24 hours I put mascara on to see the full effect and here it is!

There’s no doubt it’s made a big difference to my lashes appearance. I really love how long it makes them look! I think this would be perfect for anyone who doesn’t wear a lot of make-up but wants to add something subtle and still natural looking. And if you love long lashes then this treatment is for you! For me I would love this for a holiday, when I wouldn’t be wearing less makeup or for an everyday look to give my lashes a boost. For my wedding however, I still feel like I want a bit of oomph for my lashes. I want volume as well as length to get the full lash look. So, that is my verdict on LVL lashes I’m really looking forward to getting the most use out of them on my hen do part 1 this weekend!
Abi
xxx

Needing Rescue

Yesterday was our final meeting with our registrar. It was probably the most nervous appointment I’ve been to so far because it was final. It was making final decisions and (large) final payments. With Ben not their it was all down to me. Don’t get me wrong in many ways it’s been quite good he hasn’t been around to be involved in much planning! But when the registrar was talking through what would happen in the ceremony and details of vows and readings I wanted Ben there. It felt like something he should have been involved in. I just wanted him with me. It’s doesn’t happen very often but sometimes the realisation that he is hundreds of miles away and everything is down to you can hit you like a tonne of bricks. I locked myself out of my car Monday and first thing I thought was, I really need Ben. It may sound silly but I just wanted to be rescued. Ben is my knight in shining armour who unfortunately for me isn’t always there to save me. I like to think it’s made me stronger and much more independent but reality is, sometimes It is just a bit crap. I think the quote is “I would rather spend 1 day with the perfect person, than a whole year with the wrong person”

Sorry to be a bit down and dull about things! It’s nice to have a place to vent a little! On a plus note I had LVL lashes done yesterday evening so I’ll try and do a review of them Thursday when they have fully taken and I can put mascara on again!

 Today we went to get amber new ballet shoes and tights. Amber was very excited to be getting tights instead of socks this time as all her ballet friends wear tights apparently!

I also have finally managed to write all our wedding invites! I never estimated how time consuming it would be! We made them completely from scratch which was stressful in itself, but just addressing them all and keeping track of whose have been posted whose rsvp’d it’s been a bit of a logistical nightmare! Very happy that by the end of the week I will be able to say that invites are no longer a problem for me to deal with!

 Looking forward to the rest of the week and my weekend is filled with Ben coming home, meals out, baby showers and Hen Do #1!
Abi
xxx

Finding Your Dream Dress

Looking for my wedding dress was honestly the best shopping experience I will ever have! Knowing that it will be probably the most expensive item of clothing you ever wear and that you will wear it on the most magical day of your life there’s nothing like it. Saying that it can be stressful. Basically, because it is probably going to be the most expensive thing you ever wear and you will wear it on the most magical day of your life! You want it to be perfect and that’s a lot of pressure! It took me two bridal shops and around 12 dresses before I put on “the one” I am still in love with my dress and a year after first trying it on, I have no doubt in my mind I chose the right one.

So, I’ve thought up some tips and guidance for shopping for your dress. Hopefully will make it easier, less stressful and all round pleasant experience!

Straight off the bat, I’m not even including this as a main tip. Start shopping early! Don't put it off because your wanting to loose weight before you start looking. Dresses can be altered weeks before your wedding but, they take months to initially create. I bought my dress in February 2016 and I get married April 2017. My dress wasn’t ready to see until November 2016. You need to make sure you leave enough time to find your dream dress, for it to be made and them time for it to be altered.

1.Do not book more than one appointment per day. In both bridal shops I went into, I tried on about 6 dresses. Trying on more than that I truly believe will cloud judgement. You could find yourself getting so confused and muddled by which dress you tried on with the lace you liked or had a sweetheart neckline? Plus, its not that easy getting into wedding dresses! If your more on the petite side they will use industrial size clamps to pull you into these dresses as well. its tiring standing on a posh box deciding if it’s the dress of your dreams! One appointment per day that way you have enough time to evaluate what you liked and what you want to look for at the next appointment.

2. Keep your entourage small. Has anyone seen the show “say yes to the dress” and brides come in with 10 people?! Mum, mum in law, sister, auntie, cousins, best friends, grandmas. Do those appointments ever go well? With that many people in one room you are going to have a whole lotta opinions flying round that bridal shop! Think about who you truly want there. Whose opinion do you value the most. Don’t feel like you have to invite anyone, so their feelings aren't hurt. I've spoke to too many brides recently trying to keep various family members happy and ending up miserable themselves! This is about your dress, your day, your special moment. Its what you want. In my opinion whoever you choose to bring with you is there to share the moment with you not critique your choice of dress. If it makes you happy it should make them happy! I just took my mum. It was really special just me and her time together and it wouldn’t have been the same with anyone else there. My Maid of honour Louise came to my fitting to see my dress and my other two bridesmaids will see the dress the day of the wedding!

3. Try on styles you don’t like. This sounds odd stick with me. I was dead set against mermaid dresses. I think they are beautiful but how do you walk in them? Seriously I was worried I would look like a penguin! It just put me off them massively! However, in the second bridal shop I went into, my consultant asked me just to try a couple fitted style alongside the ball gowns I was drooling over. I tried them on they looked nice but I knew instantly they weren’t for me. So, because I tried on a variety of styles not just one shape, meant I could absolutely be positive I made the right decision on the dress style I wanted. If you feel you really don’t like something just give it a go if not to reaffirm how you feel about it. Think about it, might not be your style but its still an extra 10 minutes in a wedding dress. Always a bonus and no second guessing yourself!

4. Wear your hair and make up along the lines of how you are thinking of having it on your wedding day. For both my bridal shopping appointments I wore my hair up in a bun with subtle smokey eye make up. I wasn’t sure how I wanted my hair for the day but having it up seemed more bridal at the time. By feeling more bridal in your hair and makeup you can get a better feel for how the dress will look on the day!

5. Wear appropriate underwear. I’m talking both bra and knicker department. Most dresses are supportive enough on their own to not need a bra or they can stich cups into the dress itself. However when trying on dresses they wont be custom made to your size so you made need to wear a bra still. Try and wear a nude strapless bra and nude colour knickers.

So those are my 5 tips on finding your wedding dress. One last thing from me is to just trust your gut. If you fall in love with a dress don’t second guess yourself you will know as soon as you put it on if it is the one or not. Finding my wedding dress is definitely one of the best feelings ever. Enjoy yourself and soak up every minute. I hope these are useful to anyone who is engaged and starting the search for the perfect dress. I wish you luck and hope you find your dream dress!

Abi

xxx

Surviving the Stag

So, last night I finished my dance class at 8, drove to my parent’s house, picked Amber up and drove the 40-minute drive back home. Usually I stay at my parents overnight but tonight, Ben was coming home. At 2am. And leaving again at 8:30 in the morning. If you’re asking why on earth I drove home at 9pm when my little girl, who should have been sound asleep, when all I’m gaining in the amount of time spent awake with my fiancé would be about an hour and a half? Because last month we managed to see Ben once. 48hours that’s it. So, any chance to spend any amount of time with that man needs to be grabbed by the horns because who knows when he will be home next! This weekend is slightly more intense because when Ben walked out of the door this morning he was heading off for his stag do.

I have only been told the essentials of Ben’s stag. Where they are going and the main activities for each of the two evenings – besides drinking. Really, I’m quite happy with this. I don’t want the broken-down itinerary of the weekend. Otherwise I will be looking at the time thinking oh so now he’s doing this or that. I would rather not know the gruesome details that his friends might have planned for him until after its happened! Although enjoyed this picture that was posted on Facebook earlier today!

Sooo proud to be able to say I'm marrying this man!

Add into that that Ben’s stag party are made up of his rugby team mates and his friends from work. Rugby players and military men. Both groups are no strangers to alcohol. Both will be ready to drink the other under the table. If they all make it back to their hotel rooms fully clothed and with all the possessions, they went out with I will applaud them and give them all gold stars!

Despite this I’m pretty chilled about the whole thing. Ben will only ever have one stag party (hopefully!) so I would be disappointed if it wasn’t one of the craziest weekends of his life. Go crazy and enjoy himself. With his work schedule, it’s rare for him to get to see his friends as much as he would want to.

My weekend is going to be full of wedding prep. Tonight though, Amber has gone to her grandparents for a sleepover so I’m going to chill out with a bath, hair mask and finish my book “The kind worth killing” by Peter Swanson, that I have been reading for MONTHS now! I cannot seem to finish it. I keep getting distracted by books like “Girl on the train” and “Me before you” books I needed to read before watching the films! So, that’s the goal of this evening after finishing this post. Saturday I’m meeting my photographer at our venue to discuss photos and backgrounds and a backup plan for if it rains! Then bridesmaid’s dress fittings and coffee and catch up with future sister in-law. Working Sunday morning then by the time I finish work, Ben will be home probably feeling a bit worse for wear! And I can hear all about the stag antics of the weekend before he heads off back to work at around 3pm!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Abi

xxx

Swan lake with a four year old

So, when my mum text me yesterday saying that my nana was unable to go the St Petersburg ballet production of swan lake and did I want to take amber my response was YES! I always have loved going to the theatre and have a special love of musicals. I went to see the ballet production of sleeping beauty when I was 8 and was in awe of how beautiful the dancers were the music the sets and costumes it was amazing and it has always been a goal to take Amber to see a production similar.

However, Amber is four. This performance is 155minutes long… Amber is no stranger to the theatre we have taken her to see pantomimes, Peppa pig live, ben and holly live, the Gruffalo. These were all aimed at families or at pre-school age children. Although Amber started ballet lessons back in September which she adores and she will burst into an expressive dance whenever the mood (frequently) strikes her. 155 minutes of no singing and no audience participation is never going to last the attention span of a four-year-old.

With that being said, we will be going. When opportunities like that come along fell into my lap you shouldn’t refuse! So, in preparation and with no doubt that amber will at some point want to chat, walk around and possibly get on stage and join in I have created distractions and bribes to win her over to stay seated and if not silent, quiet.

My motto with Amber has always been if it’s for a one-time occasion and it will make your life easier and keep her happy then do it. So yesterday I took amber to the shops and let her pick out whatever sweets she wanted. She picked 3 packs. And I bought them all! My plan was to put them all in a plastic container as a pick and mix box for her. Not in a plastic bag to avoid rustling! Like I said this does not happen on a regular basis. If it keeps her quiet and happy for those few hours, then that’s fine by me!

I’ll also be taking with me, my distract-pack. a stroke of genius I came up with last year. Basically, find a child’s backpack and fill it with things you know your child can independently play with, without making mess or has lots of parts to it. For amber I have a gigantic sticker book, a Peppa pig etch-a-sketch, colouring pens, a book that doesn’t need me to read it to her (she just needs to find the duck on each page) and my little pony with a hair brush.

The distract-pack stays in my car boot most of the time so if anything comes up during the week I can grab it from the car and know that amber is going to be entertained. Fingers crossed this all works! I’m keeping everything crossed that she will love it and sit in stunned silence and awe of the beautiful dancers and if not then I’ve got my back up of sugar and stickers to get me through!

Wish me luck!

Abi

xxx

**UPDATE**
Hooray! Amber was brilliant! Sat beautifully on my lap, stayed quiet and if she wanted to ask a question or comment she whispered in my ear. She occasionally gasped or said "Wow!" The whole performance was beautiful would definitely recommend to anyone in the Northamptonshire area, they are performing sleeping beauty from tomorrow until Saturday I believe. The couple in front of us said how well behaved she was. The sweets are only half empty as I realised its probably better to have to leave early due to loud talking child rather than loud vomiting child. sticker book got some action during the interval and so did the etch-a-sketch. Success all around! Very proud of my little miniature today!