Saturday evening saw me take out my favourite lady, my Mum, for a night at the opera-Opera North's 'The Marriage of Figaro' to be precise for a spot of culture in a spotty dress!
Sleep-deprivation isn't just for parents of newborns, I'm still waiting for my 5 year old, Oliver to sleep through the night, every night. Really.
Both he and Alexander are light sleepers like their Mama and both will usually wake up at least once a night if not more. Good times.
...And it's not just us who are suffering, the majority of parents I've asked recently, seem to be too. It appears we are all relentlessly searching for the holy grail of consistent sleep-argh remember the full 8 hours pre-kids. It's but a distant memory for myself and so many.
Ava Brown is an author and mother of two children, 16 year old Chardonae Elizabeth and 3 year old Mikhel Kai. As well as her focus on the writing, she also works tirelessly as a speaker, coach and trainer.
The Jamaican born author's book 'Bamboo & Fern', recounts her story of growing up in one of the poorest areas of Jamaica, going from a 'country girl to a corporate queen' from selling mangoes to an MBA and finding global success.
Before I knew I was expecting a boy when pregnant with my first child, Oliver, I dreamt of a little sailor-suited and booted baby son, one I hoped would look just like my husband, Peter. That's love for you, huh?!
Welcome to my new monthly feature-Who's The Daddy!
A huge fan of blogs penned by fathers, I wanted to showcase the rich, insightful and damn right captivating male bloggers who share their point of view on all things parenting and beyond, right here on my blog, once a month with a guest post from each contributor.
I'll be tweeting about it using the hashtag #whosthedaddy too if you want to get involved!
To brighten up this Monday, I have an exciting competition for all your Shaun the Sheep fans out there-this Sunday (25 January 2015) you could be walking the red carpet with your family at the the world premier of Shaun the Sheep Movie.
On Saturday, my eldest son, my floppy haired, bright eyed Oliver turned 5. I actually can't believe I'm typing this out-5, it sounds so, well grown up.
Although I was born in Leeds and we've now lived in Leeds for nearly 4 years after many years in London, we are still discovering new happy-making places in this beautiful part of the world for all the family.
