DIARY OF A MUM
MY TOP FINDS
@JAKKIDOODLES
LOVE necklace, £50, smellthecactus.com
MY STAR PRODUCT I had a Silver Elwood gifted to me four years ago when I had Riley and it was literally a godsend. Not only does it look cool as hell, it’s so practical and even an insulated compartment for a bottle of milk (or mini bottle of prosecco!). This pastel pink number is a definite must for me… LOVE! Tiba and Marl Elwood Bag, £140, tibaandmarl.com
DIARY OF A MUM
Trish McAvoy Instant Eye Lift, £40, trishmcevoy.com
PART 2
Her husband’s latest tour sees Jakki, her daughter Riley and the growing bump en route to Paris for a French family weekend to remember eing married to a professional musician – as you can imagine – means he’s on the road a lot. Most recently he has been away on the Stereophonics’ European tour. We thought it’d be a great opportunity for a family mini-break. Riley – our three year old – has never been to Paris, so we decided it would be a timely opportunity to take her! And with my baby bump growing fast, I figured it’s now or never… or at least for 2020 anyway. Eurostar makes travel a whole lot easier with a little lady in tow. We set off early Sunday morning, feeling smug about our impressive packing. We pre-planned outfits for each day, made an immense packed lunch for the journey, and remembered all the usual tech devices, headwear and activity bag. Paris adventure– here we come! As suspected, the Eurostar journey was gorgeous, pain free and comfortable. And with our M&S picnic, this was fine dining at its best! We arrived at the wonderful Hyatt Paris Madeleine later that day and Riley was delighted to be welcomed by a pick ’n’ mix stall in reception. Kelly arrived a few hours later and we ran out to meet him as his car pulled up! Despite this being work for him, he was able to have a relaxing family evening, with a rare day off the following day. Being tourists for only a couple of days it would be rude not to pay a visit to the Eiffel Tower. When we reached the top, who did we bump into, but Kelly’s bandmate, Adam! Despite the drizzle, the view never disappoints, and
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Roald Dahl & NHM T-shirt, £9, marksandspencer.com
Faux leather headband, £45, borninthesun.co.uk
tting to join ghlight was ge re Riley’s Paris hi ge for his enco her daddy on sta
with JAKKI JONES
Riley loved the excitement of it all. After taking in the Parisian panorama, we took a carousel ride and scoffed a delicious Nutella-filled crepe. The highlight of the trip was most definitely our evening at daddy’s concert – where Riley was guest of honour. Every door was opened for her and a goodie bag was waiting for her in the dressing room, bursting with treats. This being-on-the-road malarkey is brilliant! But there’s no doubt about it, attending a gig with a toddler is eventful; we moved from stage side to sound desk, up to the balcony and back to the dressing room for snacks, not easy at six months pregnant. At the end of the gig, I suggested to Riley that we go to the side of the stage to see ‘daddy’s last song’. She ran to him as we bumped into him in the corridor ahead of the last track. A big good-luck hug certainly perked Kelly up before he took to the stage one last time. As they started to play Dakota, Riley ran out on stage before I could pull her back. Luckily, she stopped, and just sat down crossed legged and began to clap at the side of the stage. She watched her dad in amazement until the end where she jumped to her feet for a standing ovation. By this point the audience were now looking at Riley, rather than the band. Elation peaked when Kelly summoned her over at the end of the song and lifted her up high to rapturous applause from the audience. Although she wasn’t fazed in the slightest it was a night for us all to remember. Now, perhaps a more chilled-out babymoon is on the cards next…
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