I have a list as long as my arm to do this week. A friend has just had a little girl and I want to order this sweet keepsake heart, which has become my standard new baby gift! I love them as they are completely personalised and are from a little company Country Heart in Cinderford, that I have supported for years. I bought them for both my boys and they hang on their window handles in their bedrooms. They make great newborn photography props too! They sell all sorts of lovely handmade, personalised products so check out their range here.

We are surrounded by forms this week. Big boy started a new preschool last week and we have forms for settling in, forms for funding and feedback forms. All these forms are the reason this preschool is rated Oustanding by Ofsted. I don't begrudge filling in any of them because the effort and thought the Manager has put in to learning about our child is well, outstanding!

I just feel sad that he will only get 9 months of their care and attention! He even brought home a certificate for settling in well which he is immensely proud of!

We also had to update his other preschool's learning diary. Thank goodness as the original pen portraits we drew were less than flattering! My husband made him look like a monster!

We are updating our dining room at the moment and I am working on persuading my husband to buy a vintage sideboard which matches the painted table I picked up from eBay! My new obsession - painted furniture!

And finally, I have 407 photographs to edit down this week too. On Saturday I had a family photography session with a sweet family of 5, with two older cheeky chappies and one tiny baby boy. I am really pleased with them and although the tiny one was having none of a naked, curled up photo and refused to sleep, I know I have captured his newborn preciousness! This is one of my favourites.

I am an annual member of the NCT even though I never attended one of their antenatal courses. It is great to be a member though and not just so you can get into their nearly new sales before the general public!

I really enjoy reading their quarterly magazine and this Autumn's edition had some interesting facts about working mothers.

I, like 13.7% of working mothers, work from home with flexible hours.

Whilst it is has often proved very tricky to juggle two children at home and check emails and respond to calls, the benefits of having flexible hours has been immense.

From this September, small boy will be in nursery three mornings a week, to give me dedicated time to work. Not work and put on a load of washing or empty the dishwasher. Just work.

I really enjoy my job at GreenSquare and admire parents who are at home full time. I crave that independence away from the children. I don't think that makes me a bad mother, just a mother who recognises I need time for myself, for my career. I have always imagined that when the children are at school, I can ramp up my hours and enjoy all that working more brings. I don't feel they would be deprived if I kept my hours the same, but spoiling them with the fruits of my labour, is a pleasure.

If you would like to become a member click here.

We are in Spain this week and I adore a glass of the cheap cava on the roof terrace, in the warmth of the Mediterranean sun! Even the basic bottles in the big supermarkets taste delicious!

Swotting up on cava cocktails for my current crush this week!

Check out my Pinterest board for links to the recipes.

cavacrush