Here’s the new Julian Bowen Barcelona Pine bunk bed we’ve ordered for Bradley (and me!). Bradley’s already bagged the top bunk but I am allowed to sleep on the bottom, and he’ll let Rudy climb up the ladder if he wants to (how kind).

The bunk includes two sprung mattresses and costs £274.99 + £29.99 courier from classy-furnishings on ebay. I’ve been searching online forever looking for something stylish, sturdy, boyish (available in white for little Princesses) and a match with Bradley’s current furniture. This one ticks all the boxes and I’m looking forward to meeting the “helpful but heavily pregnant delivery men” according to one happy buyer on ebay!

I was going to pay extra for upgraded mattresses as you don’t get a second back, but was advised these are top quality sprung and not foam filled, cost £30 and retail at £70 each normally. The next grade mattress was £50 and apparantley exactley the same mattress but with a fancy beading around the trim – who cares they’ll be a sheet on it!

When I was doing my research on this particular model I read somewhere (not with this seller) it wasn’t recommended for under age six. Bradley’s 4.5 but I’ll take the risk – he’s sensible enough to know he’ll get hurt if he jumps off the top bunk or doesn’t use the ladder properly, and manufacturers are always trying to cover themselves!

FULL DESCRIPTION:
The Julian Bowen Barcelona Bunk Bed is a solid pine bunk bed that comes in two beautiful finishes and combines a classic design with a contemporary edge.

Built from a high quality solid pine, this bunk bed has an exceptionally sturdy and solid build with solid wooden slats under each of the beds for additional support to the mattresses. The well built wooden fitted ladders add to the safety of this bunk bed, making it easy and safe to get up and down from the top bunk.

It has a shaker style appearance with simple clean lines that makes this bunk bed timeless and versatile in its appearance. The design of the Julian Bowen Barcelona Bunk Bed also adds to the safety aspect with a solid wooden guard rail across the sides and high spindled head and foot ends. This traditional design is complemented with a beautiful finish and contemporary clean lines.

Whether there are two children sharing a bedroom or you want an extra bed for sleepovers, the Julian Bowen Barcelona Bunk Bed is an excellent space saving bed in smaller bedrooms. Even better is that you can also split this bunk bed into two individual single beds.

The Julian Bowen Barcelona Bunk Bed has tall and thick legs that provide some empty space under the bottom bunk, which can be turned into a useful additional storage area, always a great idea in any child’s bedroom.

Suitable for all types of bedrooms from young to older children, and at home in modern and more period bedrooms, the Julian Bowen Barcelona Bunk Bed will suit any bedroom style and decor.

The Julian Bowen Barcelona Bunk Bed is available in antique pine and white.

Did I say dinosaurs in a tin? I actually meant lodged in my neck and entwined in my hair this morning! Rudy came into our bed at 7am (quite reasonable time really), then suddenly announced he was going to fetch a book and came back armed with a handful of ELC minature plastic dino’s (minus the tin) and a “Hello Dudley” book by Sam Lloyd. He arranged the dinosaurs on my pillow using my long hair as blanket for them (well, that’s what it felt like) then began to enquire what each one was. I wouldn’t mind, but my eyes were still adjusting in the half light and the names for each are microscopically small underneath. “Don’t worry Mummy” he said when I told him it wasn’t light enough to read the names but it felt a bit like a Triceratops “I’ll put the light on!” Mine and two other voices (big brother & Daddy) chorused “Nooooo, it’s too bright!”

The dino’s in a tin are great but I don’t think they sell them at ELC anymore, although I did see some diggers in a tin from ELC at Mothercare this morning! The “Hello Dudley” book by Sam Ford is cool! A purple pointy mouthed monster (your hand is it’s head) and you have to put your best monster voice on. I am always shocked at the bathroom page in the book where Dudley is getting ready for bed and the illustrator has drawn something not very nice in the toilet bowl that you wish Dudley had flushed away before you turned the page! Cy did a fab Dudley this morning – I always have a good giggle when it’s not me doing the voice!

I love how toddlers just pass you random toys and you take them on auto-pilot then five minutes later look down at your hands and think, what am I doing holding this dinosaur? or how did this Power Ranger end up in my hand?

Balfour Beatty Power Networks is working in partnership with Derby City Council to replace street lighting for a safer and more pleasant environment.

It can’t have been more than one-year ago our previous street light was moved from our driveway to our neighbours on the left, I don’t know why it moved as we never reported any fault but in any case I was pleased about this as it was limiting car access onto our driveway since we had removed the bush it was in front of to block pave.

I was aware of Balfour Beatty’s LightingDerby contract, but was a bit apprehensive when a couple of days ago I saw the new street lamp had jumped at least 15 feet starboard now exactly on the boundary line between my property and my elderly neighbours. I was thinking she would be grateful for the extra light on her driveway and I was hoping we would be saved by the black out blinds in our bedroom.

My word those things are bright! The street lamp is positioned perfectly so the light can sneak down the thin gap at the side of the blind and flood our room. I’ve had terrible nights sleeps for the last two nights – the last thing you need when you are already gauranteed at least one disturbance from two little ones. I couldn’t sleep for ages, it was so frustrating and ended up with the duvet over my head to block the light! A friend did tell me that it might be possible to get a back-plate on the street light to limit back-light, so I need to enquire. Either that, an eye mask or preferably some new much wider (hotel thick) black out curtains. I wonder…

On the safety side for night walkers, I have noticed considerable increased lighting around a few of our roads locally, but I would still rather sleep in the dark.

I did something a bit devious earlier, but it was funny! Cy had taken Rudy to Morrisons and when they got back being valentines day tomorrow I asked him if Daddy had bought Mummy some flowers from the shop?
“Yes!” Rudy said excitedly looking round for them (stowed in the car overnight I’ll bet!)
“Let me give Mummy the flowers Daddy!”
Cy and I burst out laughing at my cheekyness!

It’s a bit early in the year to be writing about Christmas, but it’s such a magical time for children and they cherish the memories for a long time! So much so this morning in between mouthfulls of cherios and completely out of the blue, Rudy started saying “I want Christmas out!” Huh? What is my 2.5 year old talking about? “I want to hang things on the tree and put the star on top!” he continued. Bless him. I don’t know what made him think about Christmas but he certainly loved it and that’s such a rewarding thing as a parent!

Yesterday I opened Bradley’s School bag and there was a lovely hand-made Valentines card inside. I got all emotional thinking this is why I had children – the love they show you is unconditional! I said to Bradley I’d seen something in his bag that I shouldn’t have and it was such a lovely thought, perhaps he should hide it from me.

“It’s for Valentines day Mummy” Bradley replied “and it’s not for you, it’s for Monkey”.

Gutted

I am seriously going to buy this bunk bed we keep saying we are buying for Bradley’s room! Either that, or a Super-Super-Super King-Size to accommodate the whole family! Two nights ago at 12.30am Bradley wakes me up by trying to dive over my legs into the middle of our bed, only landing on my knee caps instead. Then at 4am, Rudy’s trying to scramble over me to get into the middle (do I look like a cushion?) – only Bradley’s already there and there isn’t a millimetre spare! So I ushered Rudy out the room quickly before everyone wakes up and we get into Bradley’s single bed. In the morning Cy pops his head round the door sounding a bit panicked asking if Rudy was with me. Why does my husband always sleep through all the disturbances!? I definately chose the wrong side to sleep by the door! Cy said he didn’t even know I’d gone and was suprised to see Bradley in my place! I figured with the bunk bed scenario, I could sleep in the bottom bunk every now and then and the boys could go and get into the double bed without disturbing me. A full night’s sleep for me (& probably still Cy) – perfect!

9 hours later and the water’s back on! What a joke. 2 phone calls to Severn Trent from me, 3 from them to me. Granted, the two young Enterprise engineers were very polite and apologetic and got to work straight away dismantling my kitchen looking for the main stopcock. It wasn’t under the kitchen sink and of course being me I couldn’t remember where Dad had told me it was after he’d fitted the kitchen a couple of years back. Seeing the kickboards lying around the kitchen prompted a quick call to Dad and I quickly discovered it was still in the same place where he’d told me 2 years ago (outside toilet). Literally 5 minutes later we had water! I quickly did a tap check round the house to make sure and the men were on their way.

I started to rinse the plates ready to load into the dishwasher and horrors or horrors the dishwasher door wouldn’t open properly! The kickboards weren’t lined back up correctly so I dashed outside to catch them in their van. Luckily the recent stereotyping I’ve cast on white van men always sitting in their van for 5 minutes after a finished job (drinking, smoking, phoning or paperwork filling) was true to form. Anyway, I knocked lightly on the window and the guy nearest to me (phone in hand!) jumped out his skin – I was desperatly trying to stifle my laughter but it was difficult being the only time I’d felt like laughing all day. The other guy followed me back inside to re-adjust the kickboard – job done.

I don’t think I’ll ever take for granted having water again and I will be writing a complaint letter to Severn Trent Water/Enterprise contractors as my day off has been ruined having been stuck in all day!

I’m not happy… it’s my day off and I planned to say in for the morning with Rudy, and my sister & baby and my friend with her new born. So I get a knock on the door at 10am from Enterprise (sub-contracted out from Severn Trent), the water will be off for 10 minutes they’re fixing a minor leak. No problem. An hour later, men in van smoking away, I go outside and ask if they’ve finished as there’s still no water. They look at each other a bit surprised and say they’re waiting for someone to tarmac the hole in! Not yet mate, the water’s still off! 30 minutes later, having asked me 5 times if the water’s on – no it’s not. They call a plumber, he’ll be with me ASAP. It’s now 2:00pm, 4 hours later! My friend had to leave early as she couldn’t make her baby’s milk up and my sister and I are spitting feathers for a cup of tea! I’d like to be able to wash my hands properly after making a smelly fish salad for lunch instead of using a baby wipe, and to scrub my hands properly after toilet duties with the toddler! Please get the water on, baby wipes are no substitue for proper hygiene!
Now waiting 30 minutes for a call back. I want to go out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Usually there’s all sorts of superheros wandering around our household. We’ve had Superman, Buzz Lightyear, Spiderman and even Optimus Prime (leader of the autobot transformers for anyone who doesn’t know!). Bradley’s been playing the WII Indiana Jones lego game a lot recently, so it was no suprise when yesterday morning he announced he was going to be Indiana and fled to the dressing up bag in the hallway with Rudy in tow. This was going to be interesting I thought… we don’t own an Indi costume, let alone two! Anway, the boys’ were inspired and on a mission! Two cow-boy hats later, plastic watches and other ‘explorer’ gear in place they were ready for their next crusade!