12 Signs You Are Beginning To Think About The 'C' Word

1. You suddenly acquire a whole host of catalogues in your house. Which are read more than any book your kids own. They get ripped up, fought over, stuck on to various bits of tatty paper. You roll your eyes over each and every "can we have this Mummy?". Mentally totalling a grand each of gifts they "NEEEEEDDDDD".

2. You start to dread the ads in between kids TV programmes. Each one bringing something more ridiculous that your child HAS to have (I'll never forget the Unicorn Fingerling search of 2017).

3. You become obsessed with getting a bargain. Any 342 you're there. Any 'get £10 off when you spend four bazillion pounds offer' makes you squeal with joy. You aim to save so much money this year. THIS WILL BE YOUR YEAR! It will basically be a free Christmas. Ahem.

4. You want to smash yourself in the face when you realise you bought a toy that you could have got for £2 cheaper in another shop (I'm looking at you Spiderman Web Gloves. B*stards).

Calorie Free

Mummy 'Me Time' At McDonald's

As a family one of our favourite treats is a cheeky little McDonald's. Whilst I usually take the children along with me for a visit, recently I was asked to go the McDonald's in Star City to check out some of the things available that can make my life a bit easier as a Mum. I will be honest the thought of grabbing my lap top and indulging in a vanilla milkshake and fries that I didn't have to share was too much of a pull to say no. Especially as now you can get them delivered to your table. Happy days.

12 Things I Would Tell My Pre-Child Self

1. Sleep when you can. Lie in, go to bed early, have naps. Sometimes spend the whole day in bed. Sleeping. And if you think "oh I better get up now!". Don't. Sleep. And then sleep some more.

2. Rather than seeing going to a supermarket as a boring chore. Treat every visit like an adventure. Peruse the clothes, run your fingers through the DVDs. Stand at the magazine racks and breathe in the fact that no one is screaming for a Peppa Pig £5.99 issue that is worth 50p. If that.

3. If friends ask you for an impromptu drink? Go. If someone asks you go to go the cinema? On a Sunday afternoon? Make sure you attend. And eat every piece of pick n mix with glee #nosharing.

Sleep when you can

Stephen Smashes Dinnertime With Soup!

One of my favourite winter meals to have with the kiddos is Heinz soup. It's an absolute classic so I was really excited when they wanted to work with us on an AD for their new Eat Well Soups, which are jam-packed full of wholesome ingredients. The only issue was that they wanted someone to cook. Either Stephen or I needed to try and come up with an equally healthy and wholesome vegetarian meal which would rival the soup. And the other one could just pop the soup in the microwave and serve it to the kids. We flipped a coin. I lost. And set about trying to find something that would equal their Tomato and Cannellini Bean Soup in both taste and goodness. Which proved impossible.

For Those Days Where You Kinda Hate Me A Bit

Most of the time the kids and I are a gang. My seven year is my best friend and we laugh together over cute sloth pyjamas and sing Ariana Grande at the top of our voices. My five year old is my little mate. We cuddle each night as he goes to sleep and the first thing he does in the morning is crawl into bed with me. But sometimes. Ever so often. My children don't like me. It might be because I shouted or wouldn't let them have their own way. Other times it comes like a bolt out of the blue and they break my heart and make me cry.

It doesn't really tell you that in the baby books does it. You know that being a Mum is proper knackering. That weaning can be a bit of a ball ache and potty training is terrible but nothing prepares you for when they are old enough to not always look at you in complete awe. Than rather than you sniffing their little heads you are faced with a slammed door or worse an eye roll. After years of trying to kill each other my two have a new favourite trick which is laughing when I tell them off. Whispering to each other and giggling behind my back.