6.30am. The alarm clock. Already?! Snooze for 10mins. Slowly open my eyes. Even slower make my way to the kitchen. Kettle on. Bathroom.

I know, I simply feel it – something really nice and beautiful will happen. Something warming, gentle. Something to awake my spring feel, to put a smile on my face and make those little eye wrinkles tell the secret. That I am a mum, a working mum, a 24/7 busy mum.

Coffee, boiling water in the coffee pot. While waiting, I make breakfast for my 3-year old. It’s homemade porridge with banana and honey. Love it. Why can’t I find some time in the morning to have breakfast with my child? I love her! I’d love to spend more time with her. Plus, I love porridge. She – not so much, but it’s ok, it’s healthy and will give her the energy to face her day, her active play at the nursery. Nursery from 8am till 6pm. She is the first child to be dropped in and the last one to be picked up. What can I do, I am a busy working mum! The guilt of not spending enough time with my little girl has grabbed my heart already. You blame me, I know, but I’ve been blaming myself for longer. Much longer.

Still… something nice will happen. I can smell it. I can touch it. It’s bright and sunny, it’s like fresh morning feeling. I almost sense the warming cuddle of the morning sunshine, caramelised colour, the smell of vanilla pods…

Dress, make-up – ok, ready to go. I’m on the street now, walking… er… almost flying – I’m running late again and the nursery school seems to be si far away in the morning. I realise – it’s spring already. Passing by the neighbours’ houses on the street, I breathe the fresh feeling coming from their gardens, those lovely little daffodils perhaps. Just suddenly I see the whole pink-white rows of blossom trees on the street – isn’t it beautiful? I slow down a bit. I want to breathe this beauty and keep it in me. Keep it for longer. Much longer. Crossing the road, a warm wind brings some special fragrance – the smell of vanilla pods. I look around – is it just me? I get closer to the bushes and flowers, I get down my nose and smell each one of them, searching to the one bringing the special vanilla smell. Can’t find it. But the vanilla smell is still there – somewhere in the air, in the wind – warming, beautiful, nice. I feel nice. I am a happy mum now. I smile and my little girl smiles back at me. It’s going to be a beautiful day today! Nice and warm. Because… something nice has happened!

Share/Bookmark

We flew back to London on a Saturday afternoon. I couldn’t stop giving her cuddles and kissing her happy little face. Wea are back home and now I amd looking at her reaction – there are plenty of new toys waiting for her on the floor. What she gets her attention though is the big box in the lobby. “What’s that, mummy?”, she asked. “This is your new pushchair, sunshine, a very special gift from a lovely lady”. Her eyes are wide open; she gets even more excited! “Let’s open it, mummy!”

The buggy in the box is the new Stokke Xplory in a trendy green colour. It’s easy to assemble, so she jumps into it and we are ready to explore the word. Or at least the nearest park from a very special point of view – that of the trendy Stokke Explory with its reversible seat! What does it mean? She now “face the world”, but having the adjustable seat options means a little baby can face you rather than away from you. This encourages eye contact and feelings of safety, security and unity: it’s the most comfortable position for a baby.

The unique height-adjustability of the Stokke Xplory promotes interactivity and encourages the so important eye contact between mother and child. Even better, the stroller’s seat position can be altered with a few simple clicks – good for her, simple and just great for me!

My little girl looks so excited; she can’t get enough of her new stroller! And she also seems to be very comfortable, which is unusual for her to stay still for a long time! There are a few sitting positions to ease things: 3 positions facing parents: sleep, rest and active, and then 2 facing forward: rest and active. How great is that?! The last buggy she had didn’t allow her to sleep comfy – something she would love on a warm sunny afternoon. So the new Stokke Xplory would be our new friend for long summer walks in the park. Although even getting fresh and cooler now, she still doesn’t want to jump off her new stroller and I can see why: it’s trendy design and at the same time it’s seating shape is like a cuddle from a loving mother to her.

There is another feature which brings extra comfort for my little sunshine: the adjustable seat depth and as well as footrest! This stroller is fitted with a removable seat insert to accommodate the smallest kids. The reduced depth that the insert creates makes for a seating position designed for the shortest of legs, and offers a flatter back position for when your baby is resting or sleeping. My daughter is still quite skinny, so that’s just perfect for her!

Then, as she gains in height and (hopefully) weight, I can remove the insert so that the depth of the seat corresponds to the length of her legs. This way, one size really does fit all, which makes Stokke Xplory a good money-saving choice, too!

I would take it with us next summer when we go abroad (and the pavements are not always sleek). The two-wheel function makes it easy to stroll on rough and uneven surfaces (on the beach, on pebbles etc.) Also the swiveling wheels helps it to manoeuvre in tight spaces.

Personally what I love most is…guess what! That’s right – the shopping bag! It’s got expandable mesh pocket inside plus it brings the weight of my always endless shopping down to ground level which makes the stroller even more stable.

I absolutely love it! My only issue with it is where do I keep the enormous packaging box. My little girl has an idea: why not use it as a “princess house”, start painting and decorating it, so she then plays inside all day? – Love the idea. And afterwards I can recycle it safely – easy to do, good for the Earth!

Share/Bookmark

We’ll be tweeting about our challenges when travelling with kids, how to make the travel even more exciting for the children, so it can be enjoyable and less stressful for the parents. Most importantly, let’s talk about how to make our trips safe for the kids and the whole family!

Join us to share your travel stories, to get some great road safety tips, or just to have fun, chat to other parents and WIN great prizes from Graco!

How to join our #kidstravelsafe party?

1. Log-in to your Twitter account (or create one if you don’t have an account yet)
2. Type#kidstravelsafe in the “Search” field on “Home” tab. Click on “Save this search” so it’s easy for you to find it
3. Click on your #kidstravelsafe saved search on 27^th June, Sunday, at 9pm GMT and join the party!
4. Follow us on Twitter: @greenkiddie and @GracoBaby_UK

When I ask a question, tweet the answer to me and make sure you always include the hash-tag #kidstravelsafe.

We’ll be giving away three beautiful and comfy Graco changing bags. The Graco Sporty Bag comes complete with changing mat and messy bag. It features – handy pockets, includes plastic changing mat, nappy wipes box and leak proof bag, insulated pockets and is machine washable.

Don’t miss it and tell your friends to join in, too!Let’s prove we care about our kids’ safety!

Child Safety Week is the Child Accident Prevention Trust’s flagship community education campaign. It aims to raise awareness of the number of accidents that seriously injure or kill children and how to prevent them.

Get Ready for the Road Ahead with Graco! Make your smart car-seat selection and learn how to make your trip better for the whole family!

Share/Bookmark

I will tell you how my precious little girl makes every day Mother’s day for me.

She makes me smile, even when I am angry

She makes me feel proud of her – even if she hasn’t climbed a mountain

She says “I love you, mummy” and I am trying to hide my tears of joy

She makes a mess every day during mealtimes

She likes to have all my attention, 24/7

Sometimes she is feeling poorly and feeling safety when feeling me around her only

Sometimes she falls down and wants mummy to kiss her and take off her pain

Sometimes she may have a temper tantrum and I need to be there for her

One day she might get in trouble and I will be still there for her – to help, to talk, to listen

One day she will become a young lady and my sleepless nights will come back again – this time not due to baby cry but worrying if she is alright

One day she will have a boyfriend and I will start feeling scared and experiencing the “empty nest” syndrome. I will know she would soon leave home and will have a family on her own. I will feel lonely and also happy for her at the same time…

One day I will be spending my Sunday evening with her little ones, reading them stories and feeling like heaven of being their granny. My daughter will be smiling at us, remembering the times she’s been sitting on my knees and holding my hand.

Always I’ll be giving her all my love, expecting nothing in return. And she will always make my day feel like being Mother’s day!

Whatever she does, I love her! And on Mother’s day I want to thank her for being my little girl and for making me the happiest mum in the world!

Share/Bookmark