"John Had Nice Day, Mummy."

It's been a tough wee week in our house. I got a text from my Mum last Thursday to say that my Papa had pneumonia and it didn't look good. A few days later on Saturday morning, he passed away. Due to his advanced Alzheimer's we knew it could well happen but having only visited him days before, it was still pretty hard to news to hear.

After that it felt like Easter kind of passed in a blur. Both Iain & I were working over the weekend so aside from a little bit of chocolate on Sunday morning before I headed to work, it was as if it was any other weekend. So by the time Tuesday rolled around & I finally had a day off with my boys, I was desperate to get out and just enjoy the day. And as always, John & David were happy to oblige!

John's been asking to feed the ducks since last summer but it's always been too cold or wet, so when the sun started to shine on Tuesday we took advantage of the weather and headed to our favourite local park, complete with a massive pond filled with ducks, geese, swans & plenty of seagulls. John was in his element feeding the ducks & geese, as well as watching the swans bickering & splashing about (although he did call them "big seagulls"). David was fascinated too, watching the birds from his buggy and insisting John gave him some bread to throw too. Both boys were on perfect behaviour (y'know, apart from the fact David now has a bite-shaped bruise on his arm from John that he gave before we headed out...) which made for a perfect afternoon after a few days of feeling stressed & overwhelmed.

Best of all, John turned to me on the way home, just as we approached out house and said, "John had nice day, Mummy." Talk about wee boys melting their Mummy's heart!

If you enjoy reading Diddle Diddle Dumpling, there's still a few days left to nominate us in this years Brilliance in Blogging Awards. It's super easy & just takes a minute and we'll love you forever if you do!

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Calm, Quiet & Portobello #BetterPlaces

My first memory of being at Portobello beach still makes me laugh when I think back to it. It was summer 2008 and having met Iain just a few weeks prior, he decided to take me on 'date' to the beach, to visit the arcades, have chips on the Promenade and relax on the beach (which quickly turned into going to the Swimming Pool as the beach wasn't as warm as we'd first hoped). At the time, Iain lived in a lovely little flat just a stones throw away from Portobello beach & it's Promenade and little did I know that a few years later, after he'd moved out of there to our first home closer to the city centre, that we'd end up back in that very flat expecting our first baby.

It's now been 3 & a half years that we've lived in Edinburgh's Seaside and during that time I've fallen head over heels for all Portobello beach & the Promenade has to offer. Back when I was counting down the days until John was born, I'd walk the length of the Prom hoping to bring on labour, thinking about how lovely it'd be to walk the route with my baby in tow. And just weeks later I was back into that routine, now pushing a buggy with a bundled up newborn, whatever the weather! In the summer, Portobello beach may be mobbed but it's still the perfect place to relax and escape the bustle of the city, with ice cream and fish & chips on offer, with the choice to sit on the sand, one of hundreds of benches, or my favourite, the beach wall. It's our favourite way to end an otherwise busy summers day.

Regardless of the weather, the two parks located right of the Prom are also a lifesaver as far as I'm concerned. Perfect for the days when the boys are being pests and we need to get out the house. Both parks are fenced in making them ideal for John (& now David!) to burn of energy whilst I have two minutes seconds respite. On days when the swings & slide are soaked, it's not game over as we've still got Tumbles, the arcade & Portobello Swimming Pool to choose from too. As for those days where I wake up and can tell straight away that we're destined for disaster, it's coats on and straight to Crumbs for breakfast. It's been a little cold for this recently but I can't wait until Spring when the mornings, when the pavements are a little less frosty - I can almost hear the mini cinnamon sugar donuts & marshmallow crepes calling!

More recently though, Portobello beach has become my escape, my place that I quite literally run away to. On the days when the boys have been anything but angels, when everything has gotten on top of me and my head feels ready to pop, it's trainers on & off I go. Before starting running last year, I'd often go for walks along the Prom, especially in the evenings when it's only runners, cyclists & dog walkers to keep you company, and aside from the occasional daft dog jumping in your way, it's the perfect way to be alone with just your thoughts. Now though, it's headphones in & one foot in front of the other. I love nothing more than running past the arcade, lit up in all its glory, right past the Victoria-esque pool & into Joppa. Then it's back again, past the new seafront apartments, along the way of the stoney beach & to the Seafield end of the Prom. My legs may ache & I may feel my pulse in my ears by the end, but one things for sure, I feel a million percent calmer and those little things I was wound up about no longer matter.

This #BetterPlaces post is in support of the Syndol Find Your Better Place campaign with BritMums. Syndol is now formulated for headaches. Visit www.syndol.co.uk for online resources with information about headaches and how to restore calm in your life.

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Siblings #8.

I love this photo. It's from a series of similar photos of David smiling at the camera & John scowling or looking in a obscure direction. This one however, despite John's face being covered, is the best of the bunch. Why? Well because it looks like David is casually sitting beside the Cookie Monster!

But really, this photo is pretty relevant to these two boys. One smiling, contented, always-chilled-out baby, who'll happily sit in front of his snap-happy Mummy for as long as she wants. One bored, distracted, not-at-all-interested toddler, who'd much rather be chasing birds or picking flowers for his little brother to eat.

Of course, I'd rather have two little boys that enthusiastically embrace their mamarazzi Mum, but I don't. And this photo captures the reality of that perfectly. (Plus there's the fact John's hat covers his pasta covered face that I didn't wipe beforehand, knowing there'd be no chance of any photos if I did! Again, reality...).

See our Siblings in...
January. // February. // March. // April. // May. // June. // July.

Until next month,

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Living Arrows 31/52.

There's some days with kids that are pretty bloody tough. Days when nothing out the ordinary happens but when the daily grind takes it's toll on all of you. Last week started off this way. John was having tantrum after tantrum, David was moaning for unbeknown reasons & I was shouting more than usual from pure frustration of the whole situation. The solution? Nursery Park.

It's a lovely wee park just around the corner from the boys nursery, one which John has recently become obsessed with. Generally, it's pretty quiet but often we'll arrive to find the nursery is already there, taking advantage of the park on their doorstep. John loves it when this happens, although he'll never stray far my side to play with the other kids. Maybe because he thinks I might leave him...? But I like to think it's because he doesn't want his little brother to be left playing on his own.

Until next week,

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Hello Summer.

Things have been a little bit quiet here on Diddle Diddle Dumpling. Life has gotten a bit mad recently and at the end of the day, I've been too exhausted to entertain the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen and instead have been trying to catch up on house work & spending some time in front of the TV with Iain. But despite not having much to say, life has been by no means quiet. In fact, lots has been going on...

Lets start with John. The all singing, all dancing, refusing to nap at all, toddler. He can now count to 10 although he's still a little young to really understand what a number is. He often disappears to play in his room where you'll then hear a chorus of, "ba-ba back sheep, shedder wool." (I know, I know - but he's only 2...) Other songs include Twinkle Twinkle, Incy Wincy Spider & the Fireman Sam theme tune.
He's also completely potty trained now, only wearing nappies at night time and he's even dry for naps. However, his naps have become non-existent of late, much to my dismay...
In typical toddler fashion, he's also starting to push boundaries - majorly! After a bit of consideration we've decided to implement "Time Out" à la Supernanny Naughty Step (we're in a flat & don't have steps). At the moment it's being used in situations such as biting, hitting, upsetting David (he's developed this high pitched screech which he uses to make David cry when he doesn't want him to do something...) & refusing to help tidy up. And so far it's been pretty positive! He has grasped the concept and even remembers certain things will lead to Time Out; like picking the neighbours flowers. (NB. These aren't our neighbours flowers - this was the park!).

Then there's David - the biggest thing in David's life right now is starting nursery! He's still doing his settling in days but so far he seems to be enjoying it. I was a little worried as despite him being the happiest, most laid back baby in existence, he's never really spent any time away from me but thankfully he's taken it in his stride.
He's now mastered the sniper crawl and gets around our house with ease but hopefully seeing the other babies at nursery crawling will be enough to be him up onto his knees. He's also loving solid food - particular favourites being nectarines, sausages, pizza & ice cream (thanks, Granny...). And he has two teeth now to help him discover even more foodie delights. David's also taken to babbling away to himself, telling some great wee stories - he particularly loves when John repeats them back to him.
Sleep however? What is 'sleep'? Naps are great for David - he has at least 3 decent ones a day but he's still up at least 3 times a night. Thankfully he settles right after a quick breastfeed but it doesn't make it any less exhausting. He have taken the plunge and pop him right into his cot & ended full-time co-sleeping. But he won't be joining John in the other room until he starts sleeping a little better.

As for me? Well, I've been feeling a little lost lately; not sure who I am, other than "Mummy". It has come at a practical time however, as I'll be heading back to the world of work in a few weeks time, meaning I can have my 'days off' from being Mum and spend some time being Amy; talking to actual adults, who don't bite & who talk about things other than Fireman Sam (because no matter how great Sam is, sometimes I've just got to talk about something else...).

To try & help with my rut I've decided to start buying myself some new pieces of clothing and I've also been trying to give my straighteners a rest & embrace my natural hair. I've discovered the Curly Girl Method and I'm slowly having some success with it, although it's still very much trial & error. My skin on the other hand is absolutely atrocious. I have horrendous cystic acne that is not only affecting my confidence in my appearance but is agony too. It's getting me so down that I've made an appointment with the doctor later this week in hopes that they'll be able to help somehow, although I'm not holding my breath as I don't think there's much hope as long as I'm breastfeeding. 
And I finally finished the Couch to 5K a couple of weeks ago! (Whoop!) I'm now aiming to run at least 5k, a minimum of least twice a week, with hopefully upping the ante once this heat wave passes. Oh and it was my birthday on Tuesday! We celebrated with a trip to the park for a picnic & to feed the ducks, camera in hand to practice some new skills I've recently learnt (more on that later...). So here we are & Hello to 24.

So now you know what's been going on with us... How're you?

Happy summertime,

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Living Arrows 29/52.

As you probably know, we live by the seaside. And living by the seaside means we probably eat more ice cream than one family really should. But ice cream has been a long time favourite of mine & John has recently started to embrace the fact we have around 10 or so various places to buy ice cream within a mile radius of our front door. Then there's David who has also developed a love of the delicious dessert, one that could rival his Mummy's; thanks to Granny introducing him to it!

But sometimes a simple 99 cone just isn't enough. Sometimes you need to head to the local Sweetie Shop come Ice Cream Parlour & indulge in a Ice Cream Sundae with all the trimmings. Even if a certain toddler then decides it's "too cold" and would rather eat the ice cream soup at the bottom of the bowl.

Happy ice cream eating,

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My Son May Give You a Stone.

If my son gives you a stone, please don't laugh. It may just seem like a stone to you but to him, it's so much more.

He is 2. He has no money to give, no words of wisdom to share & his arms can only give small hugs. But this stone; something that seems so small, insignificant & of no worth; that stone he chose just for you.

Something magical about that very stone in particular caught his eye, enough that it stopped him in his tracks, taking time out his day to pick it up, investigate it & assess whether it really was up to standard. That stone, he proudly showed his Mummy, announcing exactly who he had in mind to give it to. That stone, he gently put into his pocket & carried home with intent. That stone, he never forgot exactly who it was for.

It may seem a little strange. It may be something that makes you think, "what am I meant to do with this?". But that stone? That stone is all he has to give in the world. That stone, he carefully chose out of all the others. So please don't laugh when my son gives you a stone. Because that stone is all he has to give.

And he's chosen to give it to you.

Sending you some stone love,

Mad Week.

For more photos like these, follow us on Instagram - @amylorimer.

What do you mean it's the weekend? This week has just flown by, in a mad whirlwind of DIY, spring cleaning & preparing for friends coming to visit. It feels like I've barely had time to pee, let alone catch up on blogging, emails & tweeting. Now though, it's time to put my weary feet up & enjoy the weekend.

Despite my nesting-like behaviour (nope - most definitely not actually pregnant!!) we have managed a few moments of peace & fun throughout the week. Early Sunday morning, John & I headed to the Promenade to cheer on the Edinburgh Marathon runners and John saw his favourite Portobello sight; the tractor! Monday, Iain was off and although the day was a wash out he still treated me to a lovely lunch at Loch Fyne. The rest of the week has been quite normal, filled with toddler tantrums, David discovering new foods & lots of episodes of Fireman Sam. Yesterday afternoon however we took a break from the normal & headed down to the beach so John could choose some new stones. Kid is obsessed but it's the guaranteed way to snap him out a bad mood, which is quite frequent at the moment (molars? terrible twos? delayed sibling rivalry? who knows...)!

So there you have it. Nothing too exciting but now that the house is clean & I can stop stressing, normal service should resume!

Have a great weekend!

Swings & Sponsors.

The beginning of this week had been unusually tough. I can't quite put my finger on why. There's been no stressful events, no changes to our usual routine and despite David being up a little more than usual through the night, no real reason for me to struggle with the day-to-day. But for whatever reason, I have sturggled.

I've shouted more than once over something silly, like John barging into our bedroom whilst David sleeps. I've found that despite loving him to no end, there's been times I've thought that I don't really like my beautiful wee toddler (NB. these are in moments of extreme frustration!). I've lost my cool whilst putting David's dummy back in his mouth for the 12th-billion-time, thanks to him learning how to blow raspberries at bedtime. And tea has been turkey dinosaurs & chips on more than one occasion. It's just been one of those weeks.

So on Wednesday morning, realising it was mid-week and I was still in this 'Bad-Mummy' funk, I packed up the buggy & we headed to the park. Despite having not had breakfast myself, it had to be better than having a 2 year old scream at me again for putting the wrong episode of Fireman Sam on. And let me tell you, that breakfast-less trip to the park was so worth it, just for that magic first-time-moment of seeing John push David on the swings. It's one of those moments that I've waited for, ever since getting that little plus on a pregnancy test and it was definitely enough to snap me out of the 'Bad-Mummy' funk.

Of course, following on in true tough-week fashion, John then skint his knee & got knocked over whilst pushing David on the swings. So that was the end of that! We did try again a little later, once John's knee was all plastered up, and we had a much more successful time. I even managed to get some photos (albeit on the iPhone)! And since Wednesday, things have continued to improve.

On Friday we headed off for a wee family day in St Andrews and on the car journey there, I found out that Diddle Diddle Dumpling has made it as a finalist in the Brilliance In Blogging Awards! A HUGE thank you to everyone that took the time to vote for us. Never did I dream we'd get this far and now it's out of my hands & up to the judges to choose their winner. (Hello, lovely, lovely judges - should you read this!)

Now comes the mammoth decision as to whether I can really afford to attend, as y'know, family life is expensive & Statutory Maternity Pay is pittance. At the moment, it's looking unlikely without the help of a sponsor. So, if you're an amazing brand who would love to work in partnership with Diddle Diddle Dumpling and can help me get to Britmums Live & The Brilliance In Blogging Awards as part of the deal, then do send me a wee email!

Crossing my fingers for lovely sponsors,