This might be the last year our big boy Sammy calls his father Dada. In September he will walk through the school gates and Dada will probably become a distant memory! So we made our own special present for his birthday. We adore this book my sister in law gave to the boys. Why I Love My Daddy. The idea is it's children in their own words. So we sat down, scrolled through our photo library and found some corkers. I had some sweet woodland paper and although I nearly threw the printer out of my office window at midnight and there are a couple of smudges, it turned out beautifully. Laminated and everything.

Why We Love Our Dada

Why We Love Our Dada

Why We Love Our Dada

Why We Love Our Dada

Why We Love Our Dada

Why We Love Our Dada

I bought him a new amp for his guitar so we went musical for the decorations this year! The boys helped stack the cake - it was awesome!

Dada's Birthday

I raided the local charity shop for sheet music to use as bunting (hand stamped by Sammy), wrapping paper and a pile of old records made a great gift tag, cake stand, door wreath and hanging decorations. I used some luggage tags and printed off some letters to make a manly garland for the lounge and adorned the fire place with his presents.

Record Cake Stand

Manly Bunting

Sheet Music Gift Wrap

Dada's Birthday

Dada Birthday Hamper

Dada's Birthday

Dada Birthday Gift - Record Tag

Manly Bunting

Dada's Birthday

Dada's Birthday

Dada's Birthday Record Door SIgn

And what did he play for the boys? Well he got the score to the Disney Cars soundtrack - Life is a Highway up on the iPad! They loved it!

I hope they have his musical abilities as it is such a skill to read music.

Dada's Birthday

Dada's Birthday

It is often the case when a sibling comes along, that the nursery is updated and the elder child gets to have a big kid room. We spent several weeks talking to Sammy about his big boy room and involving him in where his precious things would fit into the new bigger room.

Actually Sammy was making way for a home office but the principles still apply and might be more useful for soon to be parents of two!

I used some of his colouring paper to mark out on the floor the different pieces of furniture so I could play around with the layout to maximise the space. It took several shift arounds for us to agree on what worked best. Thank goodness we weren't lugging the actual furniture around!

He has a wonderful nautical inspired space with all his possessions he has had since birth. Unfortunately, ever since he moved rooms, his sleep pattern has been dreadfully disrupted. I can count on one hand the number of full nights sleep he has had in his own bed. (We didn't change the cot bed, just moved it from one room to another.)

I would be grateful for any hints or tips anyone has to share on how to help soothe his night terrors. I am all for leaving them to cry it out but with a younger one in the room next door, we take the quick easy option and scoot him in our bed so as not to wake Ollie.

Anything except move him back! I didn't realise just how distracting it was working downstairs until I had a dedicated office!

There is something about fairy lights that makes everything just that little more magical isn't there? I found this miniature old dresser in a shop in Southbourne and before I had even asked the price, I said I would have it! Luckily it was very reasonable!

I wanted to use it as a photography prop but it is actually quite heavy to lug around and the sliding glass door could be easily broken in transit, so it has been sitting pretty, but quietly in the dining room waiting for a new purpose.

On New Year's Eve it came to life! Our new mini bar!

I found two large cider jars for £1 in the local charity shop which I want to use for pink and blue lemonade at my sister's baby shower but make great light holders either side of the dresser.

I draped some bright white fairy lights over the top of the glass shelves (smashing one of my champagne saucers in the process - luckily not my Granny's) and then set about filling up my little bar.

The thing about cocktail ingredients is that you always have to buy too much and it seems really expensive. I would only ever drink a few combinations so I don't see the point in having a fully stocked bar that never gets used.

Here are my Mini Bar Must Haves:

• A measure - If you want to enjoy an evening of cocktails you need to measure the spirits or you'll all be drunk by 9pm and you won't enjoy the whole evening
• A strainer - my husband loved mojitos but I don't like all the bits
• A twisted spoon with a flat end - use this to make layers. Pour a liquor like Creme de Cassis at the bottom and then cava on top to create a pink pool. We did this for our Jubilee cocktails
• Monin sugar syrup - use it in your cocktails or to rim your glasses
• Angostura bitters
• Brown sugar cubes - put one in the bottom of a brandy or whiskey based cocktail to take the sting out of the spirit
• Paper Straws - because they make everything you drink look nicer!

Optional extras:

• Lemons, limes, clementines sliced and frozen
• Tin of sliced peaches in juice
• Ice cubes made from coffee - try them in a glass of Baileys - delicious
• Pomegranate seeds
• Grenadine
• Candy Floss - fill your glass then pour over a glass of Prosecco, a treat for your eyes and your lips
• Rock Candy.

Spirits to I like to have in stock; Vodka, Brandy, Whiskey, Schnapps, Baileys. Cava and Prosecco. Champagne is lovely, but in a cocktail not worth an extra £15-£20!

Do you have a cupboard somewhere with bottles that have gotten dusty?!

Dust them off and try our New Year's Eve cocktail menu!