MUMMY TO THE MAX

This is  another new feature on my blog which will make a appearance once a month. Turn Back Thursday is about things which I remember from my childhood which is now part of Maxwell's life or things I used when I was Maxwell's age. This week my product for Turn Back Thursday is a Little Tikes mountain hill.

2013 had its ups and downs but we made it... We made it with memories, joyful memories which will never be replaced. This post is full of happiness, proud moment, magical moments and a few breathe taking moments.


2013 saw Maxwell turn into a loving, bright, fun one year old. Maxwell accomplished so many things in 2013 and met many targets. Maxwell learnt to walk, talk, wave, cuddle, kiss and be the most funniest little affectionate boy I could wish for in this world. Maxwell made me proud. Maxwell learnt to say no, learnt to throw balls at peoples head and he learnt to refuse to eat foods. As a new mother there were many times I wanted to give up with my patience being tested however I learnt to overcome these problems as Maxwell did and it has moulded him into the bubbly 2 year old I am blessed with now.


2013 taught me many new things about myself. It taught me I could go out and not have a anxiety attack if someone dared look at me, it taught me to be the best mother I could be to Maxwell even if I got things wrong and it taught me that the negative thoughts people have on "young" parents is wrong. I am a 22 year old mother. I do my best, I get things wrong, you learn from the wrong and make it right. I work hard for my son, as does his Dad and we provide the best care, love and attention we can to Maxwell. I look after Maxwell 90% of the time by myself. Ben works night shifts meaning he sleeps in the day. Me and Max have a very close bond and I am thrilled to have taught Maxwell so much in life.

2013 taught me to respect my family. Family do not come and go, family stick whenever times get tough.  I have learnt my Mum and Dad will always be there, they are just one call away and I have learnt that my sister is just down the road if I need any help or a chat. I have learnt mine and Ben relationship is strong and I know that the love for my family is never ending. Family are important and through my teenage life I think I took them for granted however times change and people change and I am proud to have them in my life now. Me and my sister went on many day trips, including the farm, the Big Reunion and to the zoo. My parents took us to the farm, spent magical days together helping care for Max and went on trips shopping with them. Me and Ben spent days together, went out for meals and had many days where we smiled.


2013 taught me that I can do anything if I set my mind to it and I can stick to things. One of my most proudest things I have archived in life is this blog. I have met so many new people, had so many new experiences and it has helped me form and create so many memories. It has given me chances to improve my life and has opened up many opportunities which have all benefited Maxwell. I have been to Britmums, been to events in London and down south and I have been able to try many new things which I may not have been able to afford thanks the the generosity of company's.


After reading a few blogs last night I found out that Lloyds Bank are running a competition to win an Ipad Mini. In order to enter, you must create a blog post on Moments That Mattered in 2013. This is my entry to the competition. I hope you have enjoyed reading as much as I have creating the memories and reliving them in this post.

This week has been hard, my wonderful Nan sadly passed away on Wednesday night. She had been ill for a little time however our whole family, hoped and prayed she would get better. She was strong and had gone through a lot of problems with her health, she always battled on well however finally she slipped away from us.

Everyone says there grandparents are the best, but I have never met anyone like my Nan. She leaves behind a husband, a husband who she was married to for over 60 years and adored, 2 children, 8 grandchildren and 2 great grand children all who she cared about and loved very much. We are all truly blessed to have had her in our lives and we are all blessed to have spent part of our lives growing up with her.

She was a loyal lady who was loved and cared about not only by our family but by friends. She would go out of her way to help anyone she could possibly help and she always made sure she thought about others before her own needs. I personally do not believe that she had a selfish bone in her body. If you ever needed anyone, she was only a phone call away.

As hard as it is to except she has gone, I am blessed with many memories of her. I had her in my life for 22 years and in those 22 years she made some real impacts on me. Maxwell had her in his life for 2 years and although he may not remember her when he grows up, I am going to make sure he grows up knowing about her and why she was so amazing to us all. I am so glad my Nan actually got to meet Maxwell.

The best memories I have of my Nan are:

Her getting me into jigsaw puzzles - As a child I used to love doing jigsaw puzzles, I still do now however I barely have enough time to do them. She was the one who taught me to separate all the bits and turn them the right way up before doing the puzzle, she was the one who taught me to be the expert jigsaw puzzler I am now.

Her kindness:  Christmas 2013 when she was not so poorly, I sent her a plant... wishing her to get well. Sadly she was allergic to the plant and rang my mum up to explain that the plant was now outside and if I came round not to be offended. I doubt I would have noticed but she was never one to try and upset anyone. She was always very thoughtful.

Staying at my Nan and Grandads house : As a child I sometimes got to stay with my Nan and Grandad. They treated me like a little princess and I would enjoy lovely dinners as well as trips to the park near there house. I always remember going down the slide and I have very happy memories spending time with them. They also took me to Morrison's for lunch and I relate any Morrison trips to them as this was the only place they shopped at for so many years.

Dogs: My Nan and Grandad have always been huge fans of dogs, I remember once when they went on holiday we looked after there dog who was called Ben. He was a lovely dog and ate a lot of sugar puffs, he was a lot of fun. Maxwell's first experience meeting a dog was also at my Nan's, she was looking after my cousins dog. I remember Maxwell screaming and running after the dog in excitement. I loved watching the joy on his face.

Although my Nan is sadly not on this earth any more, I like to think she is looking down on us all and is guiding us on the right paths of life. I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for being part of my life Nan, thank you for being you. I love you and will miss you.

To finish off the year I thought I would finish the end of the year on a high and write down 5 of my most happiest, memorable moments of this year which have happened to Mummy To The Max.  I hope you have enjoyed reading our blog and you are looking forward to sharing some new memories with us in 2014.


Being sponsored to go to Britmums by Silentnight and working with Silentnight in 2013 - This year I was amazed when I was given the opportunity to go to Britmums. Being quite a new blogger and not as established as others around me I was so happy to be picked. I had such an amazing time there and I learnt so many new things not to mention I made some fantastic blogging friends that I now talk to every day! Silentnight have continued to support me this year and I am looking forward to working with them in 2014.



Being picked as Tomy Official  Blogger - This year I was surprised to have the opportunity with Maxwell to become a Tomy Official  Blogger. Maxwell has had a opportunity not many children his age have had and I truly want to thank Tomy for all there support and help they have given us, not to mention the parcels we have gone on to receive from them.

1. Maxwell has learnt his first words
2. Maxwell enjoyed going to a party
3. Maxwell has been spoilt
4. Maxwell is excited to be moving
5. Maxwell is eating a wider range of foods

As many of our readers know we are the final moving process and we will soon be moving into our new home. Over the last few days we have been out shopping and we have been looking around for things which will put a unique spin onto our new home.


A month ago I was lucky enough to be sent a Snapbox canvas to review. The quality was fantastic and since having it we have had it on the hallway wall, however when we move it will take pride of place in our lounge. I love canvas prints as they are wonderful at keeping and sharing memories.

Snapbox is now giving Mummy To The Max readers not 1 but 2 chances to win one of their beautiful canvases. All you have to do is simply fill in the easy entry rafflecopter below.

Good Luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

I love making memories but most of all I enjoy keeping memories. Since Maxwell was born I have kept a lot of his baby things which I can not bare to part with however they were sat in a draw as I had no where special to keep them. This all changed when Treat Republic recently sent us a lovely wooden keepsake box to keep all Maxwell's baby memory's in.
When the box arrived I was extremely impressed by the quality. The box was well made and had a smooth finish. There were no rough edges, no sharp corners and the acon design looked beautiful. The box had a easy to use clip clasp opening which ensures all the items in the box are safely kept. The box is a good size and I found I was able to put a lot of items in it.

You can find more about Treat Republic on their website, Facebook and Twitter.

I am not the most amazing photographer but I love to capture as many memories as I can of Maxwell. Every photo I take, I want to be able to look back and remember why I took that photo. I use my mobile to take a lot of my photos and I often share my pictures on Facebook and on my blog however I very rarely print the photos off, meaning that over the last few years I have managed to loose a lot of them.


We were recently sent a voucher code to treat ourselves to a canvas from SnapBox. SnapBox is the photo keepsake that every photo deserves. SnapBox allows you to bring your stories to life.


I popped over to the SnapBox site and found it was really easy to use. I simply downloaded my picture from my computer and uploaded it to the site. I was then able to choose weather to edit the picture or not. I decided to change it to black and white. I was then able to choose a size I wanted my picture and I was then able to place my order.

I opted for the largest, 25 x 33cm which would usually cost £34.99.
I have never purchased a canvas print before so I didn't really know what to expect but I have to say that I'm very impressed! The quality all around is good. The picture is clear and it does not look like a cheap print. The print comes with a black wooden frame and you are able to have the frame
free-standing on the mantelpiece or you are able to hang it on a wall as it has the fixtures to enable you to do this. The frame is a massive plus in my book.


The canvas was reasonably priced and the quality was high however the only thing I would change about SnapBox is that they make larger prints. I would like to make a photo of Maxwell a feature point in my house however the picture we got is simply not large enough to let us do this and this is the largest size they do.
You are able to find out more information over on Snapbox's website.