WHAT I WORE, WHAT MUMMY WORE

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I've often heard my mummy telling her friends how difficult she finds it to say "no" to people. At such times my jaw literally hits the floor and drool flows freely from my mouth as I try to count on the few digits God gave me, the number of "no's" I endure on a daily basis. Climbing up the stair gate to jump over? No Judah! Emptying the cutlery drawer onto the kitchen floor to make music with the awaiting pots and pans? No Judah! Eating a mushroom I've found in the grass? No Judah! Ok fine, just let me clean the loo with your toothbrush...that's a no then. Humph. Seems to come easy by my reckoning!

I'll just join the ducks in the river...... "NO JUDAH!!!!"

I'll just scoot down these steps then... "NO JUDAH!!!"

But this week I was witness to an event unlike any other in my 2 short years. There we were relaxing in the house after mummy completed her chores (she's on a new daily cleaning fad - let's see how long it lasts...) when mummy spotted a ladder leaning against the wall next door. Ladder...hmm..she thought. Next thing she jumped up. "It's the window cleaner! We need to get dressed and outta here Judah!"

You see, mummy had all but blown her remaining budget for the month after failing to amend her online groceries shop and getting two of everything. Window cleaning was a luxury she wasn't eager to stretch herself for now. Not when it was raining anyway...

Woohoo, no fence to scale this time! "NO JUDAH!!!"

Just thought I'd sneak through a hole in the bottom fence and pay the neighbours a visit.... "NO JUDAH!!!!"

She didn't want to tell the guy no though. She felt bad. So she decided to do a runner. That way he wouldn't clean the windows because she wasn't home. I've never seen her dress so efficiently and clothe me with such military timing. We flew out of the front door undetected and mummy felt triumphant. She drove to my sisters school. we killed time listening to some classical music to calm mum down as she searched for a comb or anything resembling such in the car. Yes her hair was a tangled mess. She found an Afro comb which was a godsend under the circumstances. She found a way to make it work. We picked MH and drove home confident the window man was gone. And indeed he was, not a ladder in sight.

Mummy opened the front door triumphantly only to spot a white envelope on the floor. She hoped in vain it was a winning cheque from postcode lottery, but ofcourse it wasn't. A lovely stamp across the front emblazoned with the cleaning company's name confirmed her worst fears. Inside was a lovely invoice for the window cleaning letting her know that payment would be gratefully received.

I'll just check myself out whilst you take your selfie #photobomb!........"NO JUDAH!!!"

I've found the perfect spot to watch TV from.... "NO JUDAH!!!!"

Moral of the story: just say no. Mummy is now training herself to say no by picturing me standing atop my high chair about to perform a stunt each time she needs to say no. She's calling it picture-your-toddler-doing-something-dumb-and-just-say-no therapy. We are working on a patent and courses should be available online and hopefully we'll be able to whittle down the competing publishers by using the method and have a book out in time for Christmas.

Right, I'm off to try something new. Gotta give mummy fresh material & all that.

Ciao,

Judah

welcome to may - even though we are fast hurtling towards the middle of the month! the last couple of weeks sped by and are now a mere blur in our memories. or rather mummy's memory! my memory is sharp - i'm only 4! nothing escapes me, mummy however is another kettle of fish entirely. she's nicknamed herself Dori from Finding Nemo. daddy always says if her head wasn't attached to her body she'd forget where she left that too!

may has been good so far. it has brought with it the sun - and for that we can only rejoice! bank holiday monday was a bit drab but by today, we were positively sweltering in the high 20s centigrade! so what have we been up to? well, in the spirit of getting out & about a bit more, mummy bought this amazing picnic blanket (her words, not mine!). she is in love and believes it shall increase her desire to go out & about. because it is pretty. and she likes pretty things. she got it from Great Little Trading Company after missing out on last year's edition that she loved so much but procrastinated on till they sold out. This year she wasted no time as soon as they had one of the 20% off everything days! she loves it because it's a good size, has waterproof backing, rolls up into a bag with carry handles, and is just so pretty! oh, and it's lovely to sleep on in the sun. #fact.

we went to a food festival on bank holiday monday and forgot the blanket at home! what a clever blanket - fulfilling it's purpose without even having to be present! mummy pretty much starved herself that morning in anticipation of a bbq'd burger or some other such bbq style meal. unfortunately for her, there was not a burger stall in sight. just all kinds of street food, whose prices were polar opposite to the container sizes. the food was tasty but as mummy had come prepared for a carb fest, she left needing to top up at home.

judah's been continuing to provide amusement as is his custom! mummy took us to the park to feed the ducks after a classmate's birthday party. (i tell you, the sun brings out a different side to my mummy! normally she can't wait to get home and bemoan how her social life consists solely of my social life. not so now - these days her optimism knows no bounds - i love you sun!) back to the park - we fed the ducks quite fine, but judah was keener to be at one with the river thames. "not on my watch!", said mummy - as she quickly took a picture, then rescued him from the fence. #priorities!
again, blanket wasn't really required as we just had a bag of crisps and rather dry bread. bread for the ducks, crisps for mummy to fuel up & keep up with judah!

oh dear, what's he up to now???

that's right - about to scoot down some steps...

today after church we were back in the same gardens, enjoying a lovely picnic lunch. judah wasn't as keen on the old ducks - more interested in going after people's water bottles and chasing unsuspecting kids. oh, and crying for my scooter each time he saw me on the move. mummy has promised she's getting him his own now. le blanket was definitely in full use today and i must admit it is pretty! "it looks like it has giant cupcake sprinkles!" i exclaimed.

now we want to keep the dream alive! we want to hit as many gardens and beaches as we can over the next few months with our picnic blanket! any suggestions?? we'd love to hear from you as i'm worried mummy will wind up just sleeping on the blanket in the back garden and call it a summer!

morayo-hope

xoxo

There's a strange noise - it's far away but insistent. It's coming closer. My throat. I think I'm choking. There's something digging in. I catch a whiff of something. It stinks. The noise is close now - I catch it. "Mummy! It's morning!".

My throat , why can't I talk - oh, it's an elbow happily nuzzled in that soft spot, digging deeper.

"Mummy!" Oh, there's that smell. It's her. And him. In my nose, literally.

"I need breakfast! Wake up mummy!"

I still can't open my eyes. I reach over for my phone - it can't be 7. I manage to force one eye open - it's 5:47am. What day is it? Is it Monday? Did I sleep through the weekend?

"Cmon mummy!"

"No!" I mutter, "go back to bed! It's still night time!"

"No it isn't! I can see the light. Is it time for me to put on my ballet shoes? Remember I have to dance!"

Damn you British summer time! The sunlight sure knows when to come up but the heat clearly doesn't!

I remove the offending elbow from my throat for the umpteenth time and like a Boomerang it returns. "Judah!"

No use, he's fast asleep. Like gone. Mouth wide open, facing me and emitting toxic fumes in the process. I thought baby & toddler breath was meant to be sweet. Another lie from the baby magazine centrefolds.

"Mummy! Ok daddy! Daddy, come downstairs with me!"

"No."

And he's the morning one.

I lie still. I remember a time. A time when I didn't know time on a Saturday. When being ready for anything before midday was a chore. The time of the Saturday morning lie in. The days when I'd clean the house late on Friday night so I could wake up super late and enjoy the breeze blowing through the whole place. Yes those days. I speak to Saturday Morning Lie In.

I apologise to her. I apologise for not fully appreciating all that she was, for now - she is no more. I look through the album of our time together, from childhood till 24th June 2011 when she had a sudden and untimely death. I was told time is a great healer, but the pain of her passing appears to be getting stronger with time. On days like today I feel it the most.

I clamber out of bed, one eye still stubbornly sealed shut, whilst a bright eyed and bushy tailed Morayo-Hope springs into action. Down the stairs she runs, shouting out her breakfast request. Once upon a time my boob was the breakfast (or silencer as I called it).

As I sit in the car park waiting for her to finish her dance / theatre class, I wonder if I should switch my eulogy and direct it at Saturday as a whole. Because I'm going to have all of 3 hours to do something non kid related before we race across town to a birthday party.

Oh. Judah starts nursery in September.

Forget it.

RIP WEEKEND.

It was good while it lasted.

**images from Sunday about to tuck into some Nandos! Yum!**

"Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream? Everybody comes here; this is Hollywood, land of dreams. Some dreams come true, some don't; but keep on dreamin' - this is Hollywood. Always time to dream, so keep on dreamin'." (The Happy Man, Pretty Woman)

remember that line from pretty woman? mummy loves it! don't worry i've never watched it - but apparently one of my aunts did when she was my age as a chaperone to another one of my aunts who was on a hot date! but i digress... mummy is a dreamer. boy can she dream, and fantasise...yep, she sure can do that.

as last year came to a close, she was again sitting and looking at herself wondering where her year had gone. what about those dreams she had had for the year? where did it all go so wrong? well, she did manage to buy the house with daddy, and that was a big one. but business wise, it just wasn't quite what she'd hoped. as she sat there at her pity party; ice-cream in one hand, popcorn in the other and a handy bridget jones screening about to start on ITV, her phone pinged to life. it was a message from one of her university friends' inviting her to attend a vision board session. the goal? to help her put her dreams in one place & make plans to bring them to reality. mummy jumped at the chance and spent the rest of the night humming "Get outta my dreams, get into my car!", and swinging her hips from side to side.

the day arrived and mummy journeyed to london full of expectation and ready to get her life in order. she needed this. heck, we needed this. the smell of popcorn in our house was getting annoying - and i'm a kid. she says Tomi, the event host, created an amazing atmosphere with some lovely music softly playing in the background, and just the right number of participants there, including my aunty lola! it was a happy coincidence to find each other at the same event! in that room, mummy felt she could make anything happen. she was focused and magazines were being ripped with reckless abandon to create boards that reflected each person's dream for their lives. they were encouraged to choose both pictures and words and paste them onto their boards. mummy had done something similar before, but not like this. there was something about being in an environment with like-minded people that made her feel less like a failure and alone, and more like part of a group of people that were not willing to just be satisfied with the status quo. having the vision board in front of her everyday is a constant reminder of who she can actually be & the life she wants to live. also, hearing others speak of their frustrations, plans and vision really got her motivated. one of the best motivators was learning that Tomi herself got to where she is via this very route.

mummy's vision board all framed and ready for her study gallery wall

the most painful thing for my mum was realising she just isn't much fun anymore. (was she ever though? hmmm...i'll check with that uni aunty...). in her head she rides bikes, goes for walks in the country, loves to swim, plays tennis, takes baths with us and goes for days out in fun places. but in reality she's cleaning the house / cleaning someone / cleaning the house / doing groceries / cleaning the house / ironing; and dreaming about those fun things. as were some of the mums at the workshop. so top of the agenda was to have more fun and do the things she loves. when i'm 16 and free to leave home, i'll tell you the truth about how it panned out in 2016. or you could follow this blog and see for yourself....feel free to comment any time you feel you haven't seen a post about us doing something fun! mummy thoroughly recommends this vision board workshop to anyone feeling lost in the maze of dreams vs reality. the next one isn't far away - 12th march 2016. go for it, i plead on behalf of your kids / future kids!

morayo-hope

xoxo

**this is a genuine review of my experience at this event. i have not been paid to write this post, nor was i paid to attend the event / publicise future events. i would happily disclose if i had been cos that that would mean i had arrived! free clothes, free events, free cars.....holler! did i type that? **

it's been a while since i've seen mummy as excited as she was last night. outfits were hurriedly put together, changing bags packed, dad summoned to bring the mega pram down from the attic where he was hoping it'd be stuck till the return of our Lord and Saviour, and us enticed to our beds with the promise of"something exciting happening tomorrow!". outfit pictures were even taken and posted on instagram - it's been a while since that happened i'll tell you!

so what was happening today? daddy took the day off & they said it was a surprise for me! daddy moaned about the mega pram. he asked about the cheap little buggy. mummy said it's now in zim. hmm.i didn't think we could do a quick detour on our way to london so mega pram was coming. mummy did a quick back flip with a triple axl somersault. she also got to paint her nails in the car because daddy was driving - hmmm...who was going to be at this place? she went so far as to do her make-up. GAME ON. excitement was now at fever pitch!

we parked our car at a place called perivale and jumped on the tube. but not before mummy and daddy huffed and puffed with the pram up 3 flights of stairs. mummy avoided eye contact with daddy as she imagined how much easier that fold up buggy would've been. she consoled herself by thinking of a) how happy the woman she gave that buggy to was & b) how all this exercise was keeping her nice and warm on this otherwise cold day! yes, this was good!

next stop was oxford circus! are we in oxford? is there a circus? oh, we are now headed to picadilly circus...whoa, these are the fastest crosscountry trains ever! i can't wait to get to this circus! but not before more huffing and puffing and eye contact avoidance. finally at the circus...

but there are no clowns, no tent, no animals, just the biggest crowd of people. maybe they are all looking for the circus too. disappointing times! "Shaftesbury Avenue!" says dad and we continue to move in a circle...on the spot. maybe thats why it's called a circus...everyone is holding maps, chatting in different languages, smiling sheepishly as they bump into eachother and trying to look like this is their hood. uh huh. "Google maps!", says mum but dad has found it & off we go!

RAINFOREST CAFE! I was so excited! we were greeted and taken down to the restaurant area - but not before I eyed up a cute pink teddy. mummy excitedly brought it down for me (she loves a memento). then she saw £20 and put it back. a teenage boy was eyeing up a £35 tshirt behind us & his mum advised him to keep his money in his pocket. she called him poppet. not sure he approved.

we had a fantastic meal, seated next to 2 very obliging elephants. one of them let me touch his ear - he did turn and look at me which scared me a little.

we all managed to eat something we loved which was great = i had macaroni cheese, daddy a burger & fries, mummy sea bass & mash and judah ham & cheese pasta. i don't know what mummy was expecting but she kept exclaiming how good the food was! it sure was yummy. the whole restaurant is done up like a rainforest. at first i thought we really were in the rainforest. i'm still not decided because i don't think those elephants can live in a restaurant. hmm.

mummy had had grand plans of exploring london a little more with us but the thought of those steps waiting for us was enough to get her back on daddys one way street...but not before i spotted this weird looking policeman! i just had to mimic him!

i was fast asleep by the time we got home. i'm still asleep actually. i bet you're wondering how i'm writing this article? a true lady never gives away her secrets!

what i wore:

dress: designed by my best friend's mummy! we love it so much and have been waiting for an opportunity to wear it. she's busy designing her first full collection - we can't wait! follow her on instagram - @bouncyboots

coat: laredoute given to me by the same awesome lady!

tights: tinycottons (last season) nothing similar

boots: zarakids (last season) nothing similar

what mummy wore

i'll make it painless - all zara, all last season, all bought in the sale online & not available anymore.

morayo-hope

xoxo

earlier this year, mummy was tasked with finding a cake maker for her friend's baby shower. she found someone she loves and agreed on a cake. unfortunately a week to the shower, mummy found out there had been a miscommunication which meant she now had to find a new cake maker. she couldn't find anyone at such short notice! she had to make the cake. enter Youtube! Mummy watched every video on how to make ruffle cakes and bought the necessary gadgets. By the day of the shower, a zombie-mode mummy clutched her handiwork and delivered it in one piece to the venue. she had never been so proud of herself!

having triumphed at ruffles, mummy now felt invincible. she decided to bake my birthday cake! as it was a fairy party, it was only fitting that she should bake a fairy princess cake! back to youtube university she went and with some keen guidance & on-the-day help from my aunty Tsungi, (herself a baker), this was the cake she made!

having begun to garner a neat little reputation for herself from sharing the above cakes enthusiastically on her facebook profile, mummy was asked to bake another baby shower cake. she couldn't say no to this request! she already had very clear ideas of the kind of cake she wanted to make. her inspiration was as below:

on the day, all the cakes were baked & ready to be iced & decorated. it was a blissfully hot day and mummy hummed away to herself as she rolled out the fondant icing. she placed the icing onto the cake the way a seasoned professional would & began to smooth it. the fondant was having none of it & began to....wrinkle up.... for lack of a better word. mummy removed it & started again. same thing happened. then she thought, ok - it has to be ruffles then. happily she rolled out the fondant and cut out her strips. she stuck them on and they flopped about - a bit like an orangutan's boobs. she knew what to do & held them up with cocktail sticks. but soon, the cake resembled a hedgehog & as she removed the sticks, visible holes remained. back to square one. mummy finally cottoned on to the fact that fondant & heat are lifelong enemies and a fan was brought in. she started again and finally the cake below was the result of that steep learning curve!

the good thing is that no deaths were reported as a result of anyone eating these cakes. mummy feels she's well on her way to martha stewart status (minus jail term) - and is now attempting an even more challenging 4th bake! we are looking forward to seeing how this goes. it'll be fondant iced, lets hope this indian summer doesn't last till christmas!

morayo-hope

xoxo

**images of the 3 inspiration cakes are from pinterest & google searches. the work is not my mummy's own.**

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