Tag: london

Booni! We’re Back!

LagosMumLeave a comment

I loved being in London. But I missed Booni terribly. I knew he was fine – LagosDad took him to playgroup and spent a lot of time with him – as did my MIL.

I just couldn’t wait to get back home. I was willing the plane to fly faster. I was willing for the 6 hours flying time to go by quicker. I was willing our luggage to hurry up. I just wanted to see Booni.

Vins was quite indifferent about it all. Until we got home. Then he got excited! He went running up the stairs. Rolo (the dog, who was more excited than anyone) following and me racing behind them.

Vins went slamming into their bedroom and shouted, ‘BOOOONI!’ and then the dog started barking. And the nanny exclaimed, ‘You’re back!’ And Booni… Booni got the fright of his life with all that noise. He burst into tears and wouldn’t stop crying!

He cried and he cried. He looked at me and he cried. I went near him and he cried.

I also wanted to cry! I wanted a cuddle!

He was soon ok with Vins – he was happy to go to him and give him a cuddle. But he was still wary of me. I was so disappointed. He’d forgotten me! How does that happen? How can my child forget me after two weeks? Or was he angry with me? Did he think he’d been abandoned?

I decided to sit in his room and mind my own business. I ignored him and played on my phone. It took him over an hour before he finally came to me. And now he’s back to his usual self.

Phew.

Personal Stylist

LagosMumLeave a comment

Remember when I made that Personal Shopping appointment at House of Fraser last year? I was quite pleased with my purchases. Remember?

Well… It took a while for me to settle back down in Lagos – get the children sorted, etc. So it was a while until LagosDad and I were ready to start going out in the evenings. By this time, some of the clothes were too big and I just couldn’t wear some of the other stuff. What I mean is, I looked at them and thought, ‘What was I thinking?’ ‘People will laugh at me if I wear this, it’s so not me!’ and ‘Why on Earth did I buy this?’

I’ve worn most of it. At least once. Some more. But they really are hanging off me now. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve not exactly lost loads of weight, but those clothes are too big.

Over Easter I bought new jeans and cropped jeans/pants when I was in Dubai. They were great for a while – but they’re also big now. Again, I’ve not lost a whole lot of weight – but I have lost some since I did the Clean 9.

When I knew I was going to London, I decided to make an appointment with a personal shopper again. After a lot of internal debate (I’m just like that), I decided to go with Debenhams rather than with House of Fraser. More because, like I said, the guy from House of Fraser didn’t ‘get’ me.

I checked when my sister would be free (God bless her) to look after Vins and then made my appointment online. I went for the two hour General Update appointment. I didn’t know if I’d need a whole two hours, but figured it would be best to book that type of appointment just in case.

I met Valentina when I arrived and she showed me into a private dressing area. She asked if I’d ever ‘done this type of thing’ before and I told her about my experience the year before. She said that what she did was a little different. She didn’t just go and get a whole bunch of clothes in your size and make you try them on. She took shape, size, lifestyle, colours that suited, etc. into consideration.

She asked what I needed, what styles and colours I liked and disliked. She knew immediately what size I was wearing and then asked me what she could do for me. I told her that I needed help. And desperately! She said I was very well dressed (yay!), but that the style of top I was wearing wasn’t what really suited me. I told her that I wear that style to cover my stomach. However, she said I have a ‘wonderful hourglass figure’ and I had to show it. Oh. Ok then.

She left me for about twenty to thirty minutes to go and get a whole lot of clothes.

First – the jeans… I bought two pairs of jeans. Both amazing. And… Not expensive! I tried on a whole lot of tops and trousers and dresses. While I wasn’t thrilled with the sight of my stomach protruding in some of them, I knew that I’d be doing the Clean 9 again in a couple of weeks! And, I have to say, when I tried on a couple of the dresses, I actually said, ‘Wow!’ when I saw myself.

She told me not to look at all the sizes she’d picked up. But of course I couldn’t help myself. I had to ask her why some of the sizes were one or two sizes down from what I normally wear. As it turns out, she knows the store, the brands and the clothes really well. She knew instinctively what would fit and what wouldn’t.

Valentina helped me ‘wear’ the clothes properly. She told me how to put things together. What not to wear together and what kind of shoes to wear with each thing. And the best part was, she was friendly and chatty.

I was in heaven. And I was feeling good about myself. That’s always a bonus.

Once I tried everything on, I had to decide what I was going to take. I moved all the ‘Nos’ onto another railing. I looked at the ‘Yes’ rail and told her it was too much. She said she’d ring it all up, see how much it came to and then I could decide. I agreed.

The total was too much. I removed several items and cut my total by £200.

And I felt better. So I bought everything else!

If you’re thinking of making an appointment with a personal shopper, I really recommend Valentina. She did mention that she wouldn’t be at Debenhams (Oxford Street) for much longer, and I don’t know where she’s going, but she will be freelancing. Call her – she knows her stuff.

*This is not a sponsored post.

 

 

K Fusion by L’Kerabelle

LagosMum4 Comments

While I was in London, I went to my hairdresser, Sam – at Le Beautique Spa.

Last summer he was telling me about this keratin treatment that he does and how amazing it is. I planned to do it before I came back to Lagos in November, but just didn’t have the time.

I mentioned in my previous post that it was such a pleasure to go to a ‘proper’ salon again. I haven’t been to my hairdresser in Lagos for quite a long time – mostly because we haven’t really gone out much lately, but also because… Well… he’s a bit of a twat. I went to get my highlights done just before Christmas and I came home looking like a bloody tiger. My hair was orange! Apart from that (and I can’t remember if I’ve written about this before), one of the last times I went there, we were talking about how many years he’d been doing my hair. I told him that I’d been going to his salon for nine years. He said, ‘Wow! And you were so hot then. Look at you now!’ See? Twat.

I did keratin treatment with him (my hairdresser in Lagos) about two years ago. I did no research. I didn’t read any reviews or find out about any products that I needed or anything. I mentioned to Sam that my hairdresser here had said I didn’t need any special shampoo or conditioner, and he was quite taken aback. Also, I lost a lot of hair.

Anyway, so when I went to get my hair cut last Monday, Sam brought up the K Fusion by L’Kerabelle again. And I kind of really wanted to do it. He had leaflets about it in the salon and answered all the questions I fired at him. After checking when my sister was free to chill with Vins for a few hours, I made my appointment.

I went for my appointment on Thursday and went through the whole process – I can’t even begin to tell you what he did. He explained each part of the treatment as he did it – but I can’t remember it all. You can click the link above for more information!

On Saturday afternoon (before going to the airport) I went back for my first post-treatment wash and blow dry. I couldn’t believe how soft my hair was! And how easy it was to blow dry! It was amazing! But the true test would be when I washed it myself once I was back in Lagos… I washed my hair on Monday (yes, I need special shampoo and conditioner). Sam told me not to use conditioner for my first couple of washes. Again, it felt so soft – I couldn’t believe it. I combed it through and left it to dry. I looked in the mirror after a while and was amazed. The waves were there… But NO FRIZZ!

Perfect!

20150803_180756

 

 

London With Vins

LagosMum3 Comments

So as you know, Vins and I went to London for a couple of weeks.

We left on a Sunday – both of us excited. But I was sad to leave Booni as well. Vins was amazing on the flight. He only threw up once (at the end). Thank goodness for Kwells Kids!

We got our luggage, our minicab and checked into our hotel. It was his first time staying in a hotel and he spent the first few hours saying, “Mama, this hotel isn’t very good, is it? They don’t even have a kitchen!”

My sister was arriving on the Friday and I knew that I’d want to spend some time with her – shopping and whatnot. So I tried to make the first few days extra special for Vins.

On Monday morning we ran a few errands – picked up a passport application form, did passport pictures, bought a SIM card, topped up my Oyster Card, etc. He was super excited to have lunch at McDonalds (as was I!) and then he insisted that we go to Mothercare to buy his and Booni’s new pyjamas *face palm*

After spending what seemed like days in Mothercare (I usually love going there – but it’s a different story with Vins in tow. And I hate it when the sales are on and everything’s strewn around the place) – all because he couldn’t decide on which dinosaur pyjamas he liked best (we bought both in the end), we went to Geox so he could choose his new sandals. I don’t know why – but he takes so bloody long to make a decision!

We went back to the hotel – he watched CBeebies and I started filling out the passport application form. And we had dinner at Pizza Express. It is actually a blessing that Vins eats spaghetti and pizza now. It really made life a lot easier for me!

The next day we went for an early Chinese lunch and then went to London Zoo. He loved it. And we walked A LOT! I hadn’t been there in years – at least 11, maybe more. I found it a little disappointing. It didn’t seem as big as it used to. And there didn’t seem to be as many animals either? But we had a good time together, anyway. I think his favourite part was the ice cream at the end *smh*

Wednesday was his passport appointment and I took him to the Harrods Toy Kingdom after that. It was, in hindsight, a mistake – but he hadn’t been there and I wanted him to see it. Well… He cried because I wouldn’t buy him a £50 guitar. And then he cried because I wouldn’t buy him an £80 children’s camera. However, I did get him the Transformer he’s been wanting. And a PAW Patrol book thingy. I also got him one of those remote control cars that goes up the walls and stuff (but I told him it was for someone else and I’ll give it to him for his birthday). I got Booni a birthday present from there and I got myself a new jigsaw puzzle. Nightmare. Anyway – at least this way I wouldn’t have to do Hamley’s. Right?

I spent most of Wednesday evening deciding on what we should do on Thursday. In the end I decided to take him to Chessington World of Adventures. He troubled me a bit – but on the whole, we had a really good time. We didn’t get back to the hotel until after 9 pm that night and we were both exhausted! He went straight to sleep – but I had to pack! We were checking out on Friday morning and moving into my sister’s room after she arrived at lunchtime.

Vins really was very good for those first few days. We spent time together and did a lot of fun things. Unfortunately, once the weekend came round, he changed! I just couldn’t understand why he was playing up all of a sudden – having more tantrums, etc. Then I realised – he was used to it being just me and him. He had my undivided attention. And then when my sister arrived – I was suddenly distracted. And he didn’t like it!

Anyway – my sister arrived. She had her own stuff going on – so Vins and I were still spending time together. Lots and lots of time. I was beginning to feel a bit suffocated!

On Saturday evening Vins and I met with LagosDad’s brother and family. Vins gets along with his cousins and chacha (father’s brother) and chachi (father’s brother’s wife). It’s amazing – he’s so reserved with so many people; and although he doesn’t know them very well – he’s totally comfortable! I won’t tell you about one of his cousins or about Vins throwing up at the table at ASK…

I had booked tickets for Dinosaur Zoo for the Sunday – it was brilliant! If you have a kid interested in dinosaurs – go see this! Vins was a bit scared – but it really was good. I won’t talk about the tantrum that happened afterwards (all because he wanted popcorn but the kiosk was closed)!

We spent the rest of the afternoon on Oxford Street.

On Monday afternoon I got my haircut. It was such a pleasure to go to Sam at Le Beautique Spa again! And yes, Vins came with me. He was very good, actually.

I’d booked tickets to go and see The Gruffalo for the following day and I (and Vins) were quite excited! In the afternoon I had an appointment at Debenhams (more on that later) and my sister took Vins to the park. She brought him to me a couple of hours later before she went out for the evening. We ran a couple more errands and then went home.

We went to Croxley on Wednesday – to visit Vins’ cousins. Actually – we ran errands in the morning and went to them in the afternoon. The kids played in the garden and my sister-in-law and I were able to catch up in peace!

My hairdresser, Sam, had convinced me to do keratin treatment – so that’s what I was doing for three hours on Thursday afternoon (more info to come) while Vins went to the Natural History Museum with my sister. In some ways I felt as though I was wasting time sitting there for three hours and not doing anything – but I was also so happy. It was the first time I was just sitting down and doing nothing. And without a child!

Poor Vins – on Friday he spent the day with me – going to House of Fraser, Debenhams and Marks & Spencer to get all the VAT forms sorted. We also had to pick up a few other things along the way!

We were leaving on Saturday evening, but of course there were things I’d forgotten – like shirts for my FIL, and the cooking sauces my MIL wanted. So we rushed out again on Saturday morning to get those sorted.

And that was it. I tried to make it as much fun as possible for Vins.

Two weeks went by in a blink of an eye!

(You can see photos on Instagram – lagosmum)

 

Can’t Wait

LagosMumLeave a comment

Going back home in 3 days and I can’t wait!
I’ve enjoyed being in London and spending time with Vins (more on that soon), but it’s been rather full – on.
I still have stuff to do here – there’s never enough time to shop and do other people’s errands!
And of course I can’t wait to see my Booni Boo 🙂

Two Weeks

LagosMum2 Comments

Today is Wednesday. And on Sunday Vins and I are off to London for two weeks.

Yes, just the two of us. For two weeks.

He needs a new passport and apparently you can’t renew British passports over here any more. I didn’t dig too deeply to find out more information, because hey – who doesn’t want to go to London?

The thing is… I’m leaving Booni behind. Not on his own, obviously – LagosDad will be here. The nanny will be here. And my in laws will be here. So I know he’ll be very well taken care of. But I’m still worrying. What if he’s lonely? What if he misses us? What if he thinks I’ve abandoned him? LagosDad has promised to take him to playgroup at least twice a week – so at least he’ll be getting out a little.

I’ve left Vin before – once when he was 15 months and once when he was 21 months. Each time I only went for a week. And that was pretty hard. While I loved being in London, and I loved being on my own, I had the feeling that something was missing. Like a part of me was missing.

London with Vins will be…. exciting interesting. I’m used to having either LagosDad, or the nanny or my mum around to help out. So this is a first for both of us. My sister will arrive four days after us – so she’ll be there to help! And also, thank God he’s decided he likes spaghetti and pizza now – so we have a couple more meal options!

I am so excited to get out of here and escape for a couple of weeks – but now that it’s all confirmed, the nerves have set in. What if Booni’s lonely? What if he misses us? What if he thinks I’ve abandoned him? (I know, I’ve said all this already) And… What if he forgets me??

 

 

A Day Out

LagosMum10 Comments

I’ve been feeling so guilty about not spending any time with V (and about all the negative attention he’s been getting) that I decided to take him out yesterday. Luckily my mum is still here and was able to watch Baby V for the day.

I collected him from nursery and took him out to lunch on the High Street.

Lunch on the High Street

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the bus from St John’s Wood, went down Baker Street, Oxford Street, Regent Street and got off at Piccadilly Circus and walked through Leicester Square.  Leicester Square has become such a dump! Or has it always been that way? Maybe I was too young/drunk to notice?

We walked past Cafe de Paris…

Cafe

 

 

 

 

 

Ahhh… The (very hazy) memories! I hate to think about how much money I spent on disgusting Bazooka Joe shots!

Anyway, we finally reached our destination…

London Transport Museum

 

 

 

 

I hadn’t been to Covent Garden in years. I forgot how much I loved going there. I was desperate to wander around, but V was having none of it!

V was in heaven. He was surrounded by buses!

Bus

 

 

 

 

 

 

And their wheels!

WHEELS

 

 

 

 

 

 

And he got to ‘drive’. He couldn’t ask for more!

20141002_143112 Driving

Summer School

LagosMum4 Comments

I had decided before coming to London that V would have to attend some sort of summer school/camp – at least in the mornings. He generally has better days when he’s in some kind of routine.
Many of the places I found were sports or drama camps and I really didn’t feel that they would suit V.
A friend recommended a place in May or June. I checked it out and got in touch with the head. This seemed like a good place for V. The head sent me the enrolment forms, but I never got round to filling them in. *embarrassed face*
V was super busy when LagosDad was here. They went to the Zoo, the aquarium, the Natural History Museum, Hamleys and were generally just out and about.
Once LagosDad left, it was up to me to entertain V. I managed the park a few times. Usually I leave that to our nanny. I took him to LegoLand one day with a whole bunch of friends. He loved it – but it took me two days to recover! We joined the library and basically ran errands together. V never complained. He loves going on the bus, buying ice cream and helping me sort out baby things. But I felt bad for him.
I had tried getting in touch with the head from the summer school again, but my emails and phone calls went unanswered. I subsequently found out that she had travelled and new students couldn’t be enrolled until she was back.
She got back last week, I went round there and V started on Monday. Hooray!
School is from 9am to 1pm. And he settled really well. No tears or anything.
However… There has to be one, right?
Instead of sending a snack to school with him, the children are given fruit at about 10 or 11 am. This is an excellent practice. But V will not eat fruit. He is a very, very poor eater. So he didn’t have snack. And he refused lunch. So when I picked him up, one of the teachers said he hadn’t eaten anything and they couldn’t give him his own snack as it wouldn’t be fair on the other children. I completely agreed with her.
On Tuesday he nibbled a bit of apple. But still wouldn’t eat lunch. He won’t eat pizza or pasta or sandwiches or fish fingers or any vegetables.
On Wednesday they suggested I collect him at 12pm instead of 1pm as he was just watching the others eat and was getting hungry!
I’ve been feeling bad for him, as he’s so hungry when I pick him up, but I also think it may be the only way he’s going to learn to eat new things.
The fact that he actually puts apple in his mouth, and eats a bit of it, is shocking!
Ideally, I’d like to enrol him at this nursery until half-term or even a bit longer – it depends on when we go back to Lagos – but what to do about this eating thing? He won’t even try the lunches (which means he misses out on dessert).

Here I Am!

LagosMum9 Comments

Hooray! We made it! We’re in London!

We’ve been here about ten days and have just been busy sorting out the flat – getting towels, an iron, hangers, a kettle, etc…  And of course the TV and Internet!

V is loving going to the park every day, feeding the ducks and playing in the playground.

I forgot how much I love London in the summer.  Although I am a hot and sweaty mess!

I am trying to be extra organised. I have been buying clothes for baby and V (school uniforms included) in bigger sizes for LagosDad to take back with him. And I’ve even ordered baby’s crib and a new mattress for the cot in Lagos.

I know I don’t have to do it all now, but I need to feel as though I’m doing *something* to organise myself. Plus the sales are on and it is the perfect time to buy summer clothes!

V has been doing a little shopping with me. He is very happy to come and choose things for the baby (as long as there’s something in it for him).

In fact, the other day we were wandering around John Lewis (he likes to call it, “the shop where you buy your bras”), and we were looking at the all the teddies. He said, “Mama, I think my baby brother would love to have this cuddly bear. I’m going to buy this bear to put in his cot.” A lady was walking past at this time and she stopped to listen to our conversation, with one hand over her heart.  A few seconds later he said, “Mama, you don’t worry about the baby ok? Don’t worry about anything because when the baby cries me and yaya (the nanny) will feed him his dudu (milk). Ok? You don’t worry.”

He really is growing up so fast.

Anyway, am off.

More soon!

Where I Am…

LagosMum11 Comments

Ok, so here’s where I am with things…

The first thing I had to do was book-in with my previous ob/gyn.  I booked-in late, but he is squeezing me in.  That was a huge relief!  We still have to pay the extortionate hospital deposit, and I’m hoping that will be done this week.

The second thing I had to do was find an apartment.  I emailed many agents about dozens of flats.  Zoopla is my new favourite website.  I got some leads.  Some didn’t even bother replying.  Finding a short-let during the summer, in central London and in our budget proved to be a bit challenging.  Especially since we were looking for a three bedroom/two bathroom place.

I found one place which was perfect for us (the living area seems a bit small from the pictures, but it will have to do).  The agent and I were in touch for the longest time.  She wanted all sorts of details, which was fine.  And then when we confirmed that we wanted the place, the amount of paperwork we had to produce was ridiculous.  I’m not sure if it’s because we’re overseas, or if that’s what’s usually done.  While this was going on, I was also in touch with another agent regarding a second place.  The price was the same, but it seemed bigger and was in another area which I would have been happy to stay in.  According to the agent, the landlord of that flat wanted to know if we could pay six months’ rent up front.  No.  Well then, did we have a UK guarantor?  Yes.  What was his job/role/company, etc?  Told him.  Did he/she make circa 100,000 GBP/year?  Was this landlord mental?  Could we send them bank statements?  Yes, we could.  In the end I stopped communicating with them.  Not because I didn’t want that flat, but I got so fed up.  If you have a list of questions, can you please send them to me all at once?  Instead of asking me one, waiting for me to answer (all via email) and then sending me another?  Ridiculous.

Anyway, so the first place is confirmed.  The only thing is, there’s no TV, Internet, bedding, tumble dryer.  We’ll have to organise all this once we get there.  Is it possible to get WiFi without a landline?  And is it the norm to not have all this included?  Or does it just depend on the individual landlord?

The third thing on my list was the nanny’s visa.  She has come to Dubai with us.  And she’s even come to Bali.  When we go to Dubai, the travel agent organises her visa for us and when we went to Bali, she got a visa on arrival.  Getting a UK visa was a whole new ball game for us.  Again, the paperwork we needed was excessive.  The online application was looooong!  And it wasn’t cheap either.  We submitted everything and she had her appointment for her biometrics etc on 7th May.  It took two hours to submit all the paperwork and process everything.  They told her it would take 15 working days.  We waited and waited to hear.  It was after 21 working days that we got the text message that the passport was ready for collection.  And…  She got her visa!  Hurrah!

I’ve also organised all the ‘baby stuff’ I need to take with us.  Baby bottles (new), baby blankets (some new), baby clothes (very few, V’s old ones), etc.  I’ve just shoved it all in an empty cupboard for now.

I’ve ordered all the freight from the UK – Pampers – sizes 3 and 4, new light fittings for the children’s rooms, new bed for V, formula for baby, dog treats (not for baby), toiletries (for baby).

I’ve moved all the furniture round, so that all the baby furniture that was in V’s room is now in the playroom (now the nursery) and so that all the toys that were in the playroom are now all in V’s room.  I’ll probably put the children in the same room eventually, but not just yet.

I’ve peeled all the animal stickers off V’s walls so that LagosDad can have the room painted before we come back.  I thought V would be a little upset to see the stickers go, but he wasn’t.  I guess this is just another sign that he’s growing up!  He actually helped me to peel some of them off.  We worked together and chatted.  I mentioned to him that Papa was going to paint the room before we came back.

A couple of days ago we were talking about leaving and how we all had to pack, etc. and I said something about LagosDad coming with us.  V said, ‘I don’t think Papa should come with us to London.’  Oh?  Poor LagosDad.  He’d be upset to hear that V doesn’t want him around.  I replied, ‘Oh?  But why not?’  V responded, ‘Don’t you remember Mama?  Papa has to paint my room!’

So, we’re nearly there.  We leave in 10 days.  But I haven’t booked flights yet.

I better get on that.