princess is six

at Biscarrosse, France

This sweet little girl turned six yesterday! We took her and the rest of the family for a walk to the Aquadrome, her favourite place. Princess is our first love and has a very special place in our hearts since we brought her home at 8 weeks old. She is ever so gentle, loves her walks and cuddling up to us on the couch. 

We love you very much P! xoxo

thank you for watching me grow

This year has flown by so quickly, it wasn't that long ago Milou turned two and started attending school. She loves it and has made quite a few friends. 

I always look forward to dropping her off to see the excitement on her face and how she can't wait to tell me what she has done that day when I return to pick her up.

The teachers at Milou's school have all done a wonderful job of helping Milou settling in and learning so much for the past few months. As a thank you, we made them some little gifts.

"thank you for watching me grow! Milou xo"

my little sunshine

beautifully captured by my huzbun

The tan will fade but my love for you will last forever. xo

playing dress up

What to do when it is a cold Winter day and you have a sick child? We played dress up and had a little fun photo shoot at home. This was taken on the first day of Chinese New Year. I would have liked to take them to check out the lion dance at our regular Chinese restaurant. Milou loved the lion dance when she saw it in Malaysia during our trip last year. I am sure little guy would love it too, maybe next year. 

3 today!

Our gorgeous boy is 3 today! It seems like Duke was only a puppy not so long ago. He has done a fair share of terrorising around the house but he has also brought lots of fun and enjoyment to the whole family. He is Milou's first best friend and always has so much love for us all. 

Happy Birthday big fluff ball! We love you Duke! xo

happy father's day

To the best daddy in the world, who makes our life an exciting and beautiful one. 

We love you very much!  xoxo

world book day

It was a real surprise for Milou to have her whole family joined her at school. James volunteered to read a story on the World Book Day. We thought choosing one of her favourite books, The Shark in the Dark would be most appropriate. 

I made her a shark outfit so she could dress as the character from the book. Little cheeky madam enjoyed dressing up and got into her character during the story; whilst Marceau was really content and enjoyed being surrounded by so many kids. 

James did a great job at story telling, even the teachers were engrossed the whole time!

tree climbing

On the very last day of adventure for Milou and Lucy, they spent it at a local park climbing trees. They both had a great time and shared many wonderful memories, till this day Milou still talks about it. 

happy mother's day

I am forever in debt to my mother for who I am today. Her gifts of strength, support and endless love are priceless and I hope to be able to pass them to Milou and Marceau as they are growing up. 

Happy Mother's Day to the best mummy in the world and all the mums out there. 

我爱你,妈咪! xoxo

baking fun

Milou and I love to bake and thought it would be fun to get Lucy to join us too. We baked some gluten free coconut, walnut and banana muffins for lunch. They are daddy's favourite.

We couldn't resist using Lucy as our little model on the scale so I could show Milou how to use it. Overall, it was a fun and successful baking session. We didn't even have to do the cleaning up afterwards as daddy offered his service in exchange for some muffins. 

Happy days!

lucy the ladybird

Milou brought home a little bug buddy from nursery to spend a few days with us. Lucy, the ladybird got to join us at Mother's Day lunch with the family. Here's her sitting quietly whilst waiting for Milou and her cousins to play with her. More pictures coming soon of Milou's adventure with Lucy.

birthday wish

Pregnant with Marceau at 39 weeks and 2 days | Photo by James

It is my birthday month and I am asking my friends and family to please support this great charity, The Little Princess Trust instead of sending me presents.

The Little Princess Trust dedicates in providing specialist real hair wigs for boys and girls who lost their hair through cancer treatment or other conditions such as alopecia. More information is available on their website

For those who know me well, I am not a fan of the hairdresser. The last time I had a cut was 14 months ago. So I am taking the plunge and will have over 12 inches of my hair cut off at the end of April for children who need it for a wig. I am hoping to raise £350 as that is how much it costs the charity to buy a wig. Please help me to give more!

Here's the link: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/FionaEng

 Thank you! Fe xo 

100 days old

Today we spent the day playing, cuddling and giggling

My heart was full watching you so peaceful in your sleep

Today is your first hundred day milestone

I will always be there when you are learning your way in the world

Mummy loves you lil man xo

bookworms

My two cute lil bookworms. Marceau loves books just like his big sister. 

cousins

These two were so cute together. It was like watching the mini me and my sister when we were younger. I wish we live nearer to each other so we could have regular play dates. 

homemade gifts

I love nothing more than giving homemade gifts that both warm the heart and belly. Here is the Balsamic Fig and Red Onion chutney I made last Christmas.

it's been a while!

Time disappears rather quickly when it involves a husband, two kids and two dogs. 

It the last four weeks, both M+M have been sick on and off; my iMac hard drive failed on me and has just been replaced so I am very behind with my posts. On the positive note, my iMac is now running much faster and the kids are on the mend. 

We had a small quiet celebration to welcome the Chinese New Year a couple weeks ago. I couldn't resist doing a mini photo session of the kids at home. Looking forward to sharing the pictures with you.

tim burton

It was a rare opportunity a couple years ago that I was in Paris for an overnight trip to meet up with my bff. After saying goodbye to her, I had a few hours to kill before my return journey to London on the Eurostar.

I was jumping with joy when I discovered the Tim Burton exhibition was on display at the La Cinematheque Francaise. It took an hour and half to queue for ticket so I could get a glimpse into the eccentric director's mind. You know what, it was well worth it!

The dark but romantic fairy tale of Edward Scissorhands introduced me to Tim Burton and Johnny Deep as a child, I have been a fan ever since. What was your first Tim Burton's film? 

the return of some greenery

Taken at Twin Lakes caravan site in Souméras, France 

I look forward to the return of some greenery to the surroundings soon. Everything looks a bit more exciting with some vibrant colours.

birthday cake

A birthday is not complete without a cake! Milou enjoyed blowing out candles for the first time. It was hard stopping her eating the cake during the mini photo session. 

PS: I will share the recipe the burnt sugar cake with maple syrup cream cheese frosting soon. It is simple to make and super yummy too!