I ♥ Motherhood

How to Choose a Safe Car Seat for your Child

2012-02-24T21:05:00.000Z

At the top of the long list of equipment needed for a new baby is a reliable car seat. Most parents remember the anxiety of their first car journey with a newborn. The responsibility of protecting a child in a fast-moving vehicle can seem daunting, so the first step is to find a baby seat you know is safe and complies with the law.

As your child grows, it’s just as important to make sure they are sitting comfortably and safely, whether it’s on the school run or a family day out.

Safety standards
Cost, comfort and colour might all be factors when it comes to buying a car seat, but it’s essential to put safety first.

There are strict safety standards for all child seats and restraints sold in the UK – from baby seats to booster cushions for older children. Double check that any seat you buy conforms to these official guidelines.

Which type of car seat?
If you’re buying a child seat for the first time, the choice can seem confusing. It is essential to know the weight of your child when choosing which type of seat to buy.

Babies up to around 15 months or 13kg, require rearward facing seats, as they provide protection for the baby’s head, neck and spine. They can be put in the front or rear of the car, but parents are advised to opt for the rear. Never put a child seat in the front passenger seat if there is an activated airbag.

Forward facing child seats are designed for children aged up to about four years, or weighing 18kg. These have an integral harness, which helps reduce the risk of injury if there is a crash.

When your child has outgrown a forward facing seat – usually at four to six years, or 15kg to 25kg – they can move on to a booster seat and, later, a booster cushion. These seats don’t have an integral harness – the child is held in place by an adult seat belt which goes around the child and the seat. The seat belt needs to be correctly adjusted, so that it is as tight as comfortably possible, with the lap belt going over the pelvic region and the diagonal strap resting on the shoulder, not the neck.

Accidents and insurance
Experts insist that any child car seat that has been involved in a car accident should be replaced, even if there is no outward sign of damage.

Some car insurance policies will cover the cost of replacements – make sure you find adequate insurance for all your family’s needs.

This is a guest post by Sainsbury's Money Matters Blog

I ♥ Natureshop

2012-02-20T20:58:00.000Z

I've blogged about Natureshop before here and when they asked me to pick something else from their gorgeous organic 'nature inspired' baby range, I had to go for this cosy Nature Baby winter sleeping cocoon. The blue and white stripes look so cool on Noah, and the other benefit is that he's not wearing another one of his sister's flowery or pink sleeping bags for a change!

The inner of this sleeping bag is 100% Merino Wool, which is an insulating fibre which absorbs body moisture and allows for maximum airflow. It means Noah will stay all cosy and warm but will not run the risk of overheating. This particular sleeping bag also features a seat belt slot, so baby can be transported without taking them out of the sleeping bag. There are also two zips running round the sleeping bag making it easier to do those night time nappy changes. It comes in a cute, matching drawstring bag.

And if you go over to Natureshop at the moment there is a massive 50% off loads of their baby items. Go on then, go......!

We were sent the Nature Baby Sleeping Cocoon free of charge.

Silent Sunday

2012-02-19T07:00:00.000Z

Tiny Child, Tiny Appetite - Guest Post by Joanne Mallon

2012-02-18T21:23:00.000Z

I've posted before about Isla's eating habits and how I felt her diet was a bit limited. I’m not going to lie it was a slight worry to me, but I always try to keep in mind that none of this behaviour will go on forever (although it feels like forever sometimes!), I apply this to all sorts of things like when she was a nightmare at bedtime, taking ages to go down for the night (she’s now fine). However there have been times where I’ve not been able to be so rational and some dinner times used to end in tears (mine) and anger (mine). So when Joanne Mallon offered to guest post an excerpt from her new book, Toddlers: An Instruction Manual: A Guide to Surviving the Years 1 – 4 I thought it would be really useful to lots of mums out there! So over to Jo….

Tiny child, tiny appetite

If your child isn’t eating much, what do you do?

First of all, ensure that whatever they do eat is the best possible quality you can get. Yes I know some of that organic, free range stuff is pricey, but at least you are saving on all the stuff they won’t eat.

Keep portions fairly tiny to start with – you can always add more. Look at your child’s fist – that’s how big their stomach is. It’s not a lot of space is it? I know they seem to expand like a snake when it comes to capacity for cake, but for normal meals even what seems like an eeny weeny amount can make a difference.

Praise whatever your child does eat, especially if they’ve tried something new, but don’t turn it into a major fiesta. Calm, disengaged but objectively interested is the attitude we’re going for, rather than watching every morsel that passes their lips as if your life depended on it.

Remember who’s in charge

Sometimes parents moan “Well, all he’ll eat is fish fingers/smiley faces etc”, but never forget that this is your choice, not theirs. Your child didn’t go down to the supermarket and buy that food with their own money, did they? And if you don’t get it in, if it simply isn’t in the house to cook, then they may have no choice but to try something else.

Don’t engage with it or let mealtimes become a drama (yes I know I said that already, but given that it’s easier said than done I’m going to say it twice). In a busy household, being fussy about food may be the only way your child knows to successfully gain your full attention. And this is why stopping drawing attention to it is often key to moving beyond this behaviour. So resist the temptation to try and cajole your child to eat. If my son refuses a meal I just calmly take the plate away, and he usually then wants it back. It was all a game really.

On reading that snippet I can safely say that I definitely used to let mealtimes become a drama on occasion and I find myself being a lot more relaxed second time round with Noah. Thank you Jo for guesting here and if anyone would like to see what other little gems she has to offer then check out Amazon here for her new book!

One - A fantastic Brand Really Making a Difference!

2012-02-18T20:48:00.000Z

One of my favourite bits about being a mummy blogger is being invited to events and since I started this blog my favourite ones have been the cooking ones (Philly & Young's). I love food and cooking and so to be able to meet with other like minded people and to sometimes get to see a famous chef in action is really great! A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend a cooking event where one of my favourite TV Chefs, Simon Rimmer (Something for the Weekend), cooked us some fantastic food using some really good quality ingredients.

The event was held by the 'One' brand, you may have seen some of their range in the supermarkets? It all started with a discussion in a pub between some Ad men about the fact that one billion people in the world do not have access to clean drinking water. 'One' was born and from One Water they went on to create other One products: One Good Egg, One Clever Loaf, One Toilet tissue and One condoms and a few others. The idea behind it is that every One product funds a like for like project, so bottled water funds clean water projects in Africa and eggs fund chicken and egg farms. It's really simple! All profits from each of the One products goes to fund the afore mentioned projects. It is such a brilliant way to give back to society - these are all products that we use every day so why not use them and help others?

So on the day of this event, I skipped out the door leaving the OH to do the regular Saturday stuff with the kids - MAD Academy and soft play. I did feel slightly sorry for him but my pity soon disappeared when I arrived at the venue and saw what we were going to cook and caught sight of Mr Rimmer in some fetching bright green trainers!

Duncan Goose welcomed us all and explained how One was born and the ethos behind One. Check out this interview with Duncan here to find out more detail:

And then we got down to the business of cooking and Simon had created 3 recipes that were set to have us all salivating and wielding our forks to get a bite! He made the Chorizo Scotch Eggs with Pepper Chutney, Lamb Tikka with Curried Cauliflower Pancakes and Earl Grey Bread and Butter Pudd (recipe below), all recipes used One Products and they tasted bloody delicious!

After we watched Simon do all the hard work we all set to work to make our own Scotch Eggs to eat for lunch and they were so easy to make and so much more delicious that any shop bought number.

Having to really hold back from scoffing the lot!

If you want to make a difference then One Good Eggs are available from Tesco, The Co-Op and Ocado. You can also find out more about the brand by visiting

www.onedifference.org

or by following @onedifference on Twitter and Liking One on Facebook

I really had a fabulous time that day and would like to say thank you to One for inviting me and also thank you to Simon Rimmer for some fantastic food and great recipes to go away with. I also got to meet some other excellent bloggers, amongst them Claire from A Boy with Aspergers. We had a lovely chat over a glass of vino and the delicious 'One Good' Scotch Egg we all made!

Claire from A Boy with Aspergers, Simon Rimmer and little old me!

And finally here's a recipe from the day, this is the one of all the 3 that I seriously loved and will definitely be making at home soon!

EARL GREY TEA BREAD AND BUTTER PUDD WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

Ingredients

1 x One Clever Loaf (white bread)

75g butter

6 One Good Egg yolks

2 whole One Good Egg

150g sugar

Vanilla pod

250ml full fat milk

250ml double cream

100ml strong earl grey tea

25g each sultanas and raisins

100g prunes, soaked in brandy

demarera sugar for layers

100ml double cream

100g soft dark brown sugar

100g butter

method

Whisk the eggs and sugar. Bring the tea, milk and cream to a simmer with the vanilla, sieve onto the eggs and whisk
Butter the bread and layer up in a 9” x 4” x 2” ovenproof dish, with the fruit and sugar. Don’t put any fruit on the top layer
Pour on the custard. If poss leave for 20 mins, sprinkle with lots of sugar then cook at 180c, 30 m ins
For the sauce – simply bring the sugar, butter and cream to boil, then remove
To serve – dollop a big load of pudd, drizzle some sauce round and top with a quenelle of mascarpone

Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Digital Video Monitor - Review

2012-02-08T21:41:00.002Z

I was recently sent a Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad to try out. I have to admit I'm a bit of a technophobe and I found it a bit daunting to work out how to use it! I got my OH to read the instructions and set it up and then explain it to me! I've found that as I'm getting older I'm easily flummoxed by things (ugh, old age setting in!). I was keen to see how good it was as it won an innovation award in 2011.

So what's it all about then?

As this baby monitor is digital it is said to have crystal clear sound and increased security. It has a range of 300 metres and relays every single sound and movement made by your baby to the parent unit. It is also a video monitor, with the parent unit having a 3" colour screen. Other features are:

It has an infra-red night vision camera
Baby's room temperature is displayed so parents can see if the room is too hot or too cold
A sound level indicator to monitor sound from baby
Remote controlled night light
Talk back function and a pager to help locate the parent unit if you happen to misplace it

The other main feature about this monitor is the sensor pad that is designed to sit under baby's cot mattress and will trigger an alarm if no movement is detected for 20 seconds, with adjustable sensitivity settings.

So what do we make of it then?

What struck me first was how sleek and design conscious both units were. They are black and white and really streamlined.

We've always had an audio monitor up till now for both Isla and Noah, so we've found that we really like having a video monitor! It's good to see Noah (I like seeing him with his cuddly Bobby the Dog, wrestling around when getting off to sleep!) and when he makes any noises we can see what he's actually doing. The picture quality is excellent, especially with the night vision camera.

The sound is crystal clear as promised, not that we wouldn't be able to hear the little darling as he is rather loud when he's belting out for his late feed!

We've always been used to our monitor showing us the temperature in the bedroom and so I was glad that this was also a feature of the Tommee Tippee monitor. It always helps us to know what tog sleeping bag to put him in before bed.

We used the movement sensor pad a few times but decided after a while that we didn't need it. The pad is designed to detect baby's movement and if none is detected for 20 seconds then an alarm will go off. The alarm is designed to alert the parents but it is also to shock the baby into moving. Personally I think that this is a great feature for first time parents who may be a bit nervous and need that extra peace of mind. We're not those kind of parents though. Noah is our second baby and we're not as nervy about him as we were with Isla. The video picture for us was enough to check on him. We also had a couple of occasions where the alarm went off and it was purely because he had been a wriggle bum moved around sideways in the cot and was completely off the pad! This is quite common for him as he is 7 months old and moving about loads, but for a newborn and maybe up to 6 months then I would say the pad would be great.

One thing that I would like to see if the monitor was revised in the future would be for the parent unit to be charged using a docking station, for ease of use really.

All in all I would recommend this product, it is a little pricey, but you do get what you pay for and the audio, video and movement pad all combine to give excellent reassurance to parents while their babies are sleeping.
The Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Digital Video Monitor is available now at Argos, Amazon, Mothercare, Tesco Direct, Boots or online at tommee tippee for £199

This baby monitor was sent to me to review. My review is honest and the words are my own.

Spend Vouchers, Get Rewards

2012-02-07T17:00:00.002Z

I have many loyalty cards in my purse and amongst them is my Tesco Clubcard. I do the main household shop in two big supermarkets and one of them is Tesco as it happens to be the one nearest to us within walking distance. I'm currently on maternity leave so a few times a week when I need to get out of the house and Noah is perhaps a bit grouchy I get him all wrapped up and we go for walk to town and usually pop into Tesco to get some top up bits of shopping.
What I love about using my clubcard is that every few months a letter comes through the post with my Tesco Clubcard Vouchers and instead of spending them instore (which you can do) we use them on Clubcard deals.

For instance one of our favourite ways of spending our Clubcard Vouchers is on Pizza Express Vouchers. We've recently become a family of four, so money is considerably tighter than it was and meals out are rare. Tesco Clubcard Vouchers make it possible for us to enjoy a meal out, at such a low cost as for every £10 of Clubcard Vouchers you can exchange these for £40 to spend in Pizza Express! Fantastico! And Pizza Express is so family friendly too, Isla loves the kids menu, especially the big ice-cream and BabyChinno at the end of the meal!

Another way of spending Clubcard vouchers is on memberships and days out. Last year we used some Clubcard vouchers to buy an English Heritage membership. It lasted us a year and meant that we could go on days out without paying entrance fees and see some of the sights our country has to offer. Something that I know we will definitely do this year is visit Legoland and Tesco will enable us to do this too! The website is so easy to use and you can search regionally for days out and events local to you.

Don't forget that it is also Valentines Day coming up and there are many deals where you can treat your loved ones, from Choccies at Thorntons to some nice new undies from Figleaves.com. and check out these Valentines bouquets! So you see there are so many other retailers that you can end up getting goods and treats from. It's really flexible and your choices are not limited.

How it Works:
You can collect points on almost everything you buy in-store at Tesco.com, as well as when you fill up your car, buy your items from Tesco direct or use your Clubcard credit card.
Once you've collected 150 points these are converted them into a Clubcard voucher worth £1.50 which Tesco will send you in your Clubcard statement. The more points you collect, the more vouchers you'll get back!
You can spend your Clubcard vouchers in-store, at Tesco petrol filling stations, online at Tesco.com and at Tesco direct. Simply use them at the checkout and their value will be taken off the shopping bill.
Or you can get even more from your vouchers by spending them on Clubcard rewards. Like I've already mentioned Tesco have hundreds to choose from, ranging from holidays to meals out, hotels to cinema tickets. And look out for special offers from Tesco which change each month, but be quick: when they're gone, they're gone!

Sponsored Post

Photo When I Feel Like It...The Girls

2012-02-06T21:28:00.000Z

I love this photo. It was taken at the Choccy Philly Event last week. Isla was the only little one there, so she was having a bit of fun with the masks, gloves and wigs. I love it when we get some time, just us girls.

Regis Hair Salon Review - Guildford

2012-02-06T21:14:00.000Z

I was recently lucky enough to be asked if I would like to have my hair done at the newly refurbished Regis Salon in The Friary Centre in Guildford and given my recent post about my hair falling out after having Noah I thought it could definitely do with a revamp. You'll be pleased to know that my hair has stopped coming out in handfuls and and has really settled back down! Haircuts really feel like a luxury to be honest, it's a nice bit of time out from being mum, so when I dropped Isla off to my mums and drove off in the car, I felt really happy!

I explained all about the hair loss to Sherry, my stylist for the appointment and she was so sympathetic. I decided that I'd have my fringe trimmed back up (to hide all the hair regrowth round the front of my face) and have a good chunk cut off the rest. It felt like the appointment whizzed by as we chatted the whole time, kids, Croydon riots, teeth braces, and hair products, a real wide spectrum of topics!

I had a conditioning treatment on my hair and then Sherry set to work taking off the 3 inches that I asked for. And the result is the haircut above. I never have time to blow dry my hair properly at home, so I always love that part the best. It was a really pleasurable experience and the salon refit has really put life back into the place. It's light and bright and the staff were very friendly. I'm also a big fan of Kerastase products which are stocked at Regis. I walked out of the salon and felt great! I'd definitely go back there in the future, the haircut was a reasonable £35 and the conditioning treatment would have been another tenner on top. When I left the salon I took advantage of being child free, did a little bit of window shopping in the town and then rushed back home to be mum!

If you'd like to find out more about Regis and where your local Regis salon is then click here

The haircut and conditioning treatment were free of charge in exchange for this review. My review is given honestly and in my own words.

British Chiropractic Association are Straightening Up Britain!

2012-02-02T21:56:00.001Z

I recently went to an event held by Publicasity PR for the British Chiropractic Association. I really wanted to go because in the past I've had back failures that have really put me out of action and my most recent one happened in the last 3 months and I totally blame that cute but rather large son of my mine! Or I did blame him until I saw all the things that I could be doing for myself to make it easier on my back.

The idea of the day was to spread the word about the importance of caring for backs, a major issue during pregnancy and when you have children (as I well know!). It was a really nice informal get together with other bloggers, where Tim Hutchful got hands on and told us about the benefits of the perfect posture for those everyday tasks. The rooms were all set up with various items that all us mums are familiar with, cots, baby slings and we also popped outside (in the rain, that's dedication to the cause for you!) to talk about fitting a car seat.

As I walked to the location in Covent Garden I met Kate from WitWitWoo and her cool son Skig. We chatted on the way and tucked into tea and cake on arrival (Skig enjoyed quite a few skittles....). We were introduced to Tim and he got stuck in talking to us about how to look after our backs and talk about the things we're doing wrong.

One of the first things we discussed was putting the baby in the cot and this was where I had to admit that my cot is set at the lowest setting and every day I lift Noah in and out and the strain it put on my back one day a few months back was enough to have me walking around bent over like an old crone for days and I needed my MIL to come and help me with the kids. It was really not funny. The cot we have has 3 settings and at the moment we should really have it on the highest, but we have been incredibly lazy (and stupid) and left it set right down at its lowest since Isla stopped using it! I showed Tim how I lifted the baby out of the cot and he said it wasn't the worst way of doing it but that I could give my back a break by leaning my leg against the cot as I lifted Noah out.

One thing I had done right was the choice of baby carrier. It's always best to use one that criss crosses over your back and not one of the sling types that go over one shoulder. This is in fact bad for the person carrying and also not great for the baby's spine either.

One of the key pieces of advice I took away with me that day was that it's always best to keep things close to your body when you are carrying them, as this will cause less strain on your back, so while we all like our baby change bags to look pretty (stroking Pacapod as I type...) we should probably be using a rucksack as this spreads the weight evenly! As it's impossible to avoid carrying the baby around, it's important to try and remember when lifting them to keep your spine straight and BEND THE KNEES! And as if to prove the point, right at the moment when Tim dropped his pen on the floor to show us the best way to pick things up, one of the kids that was there on the day stopped, crouched at the knees and picked it up for him. Just goes to show that it is the natural way of doing things.

I also spend a lot of my day playing with Noah down on the playmat and the advice there is to try and use a cushion to sit on to keep upright and support your back. Try to remember to change position as well while you're playing.

Tim also kept repeating that we should remember that our spine is straight when our ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles are all in line. A plumb line should hang straight from head to foot if we are standing properly. The way to a healthy back is of course good posture!

Check out the British Chiropractic Association site for more information about the Straighten Up Programme

Apart from being a really informative event it was also really social, other than Kate, I also saw Emma from Me the Man and the Baby, looking super lovely with her bump, Liska from New Mum Online and Mari from Mari's World. I ate rather a lot of crisps and I also won a fabulous foodie hamper. Thank you Aaron for having me at the event, a good time was had by all I think!

Philadelphia with Cadbury - Choccy Philly!

2012-02-01T21:36:00.000Z

This week I was invited to the launch of the new Philadelphia Flavour. It was all top secret before I got there and I had no idea what to expect, honestly I thought it would be another savoury flavour. We've recently been eating and loving the Sweet Chilli one.

So Isla and I set off to London to go and meet everyone and find out what it was all about. The location for the launch was fantastic and on reflection was a slight clue to the unusual new flavour to hit the Philadelphia range. It was at Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum in the heart of Piccadilly Circus. I've not been to Piccadilly Circus in ages and I'd not heard of Ripley's, but its a brilliant museum full of exhibits, some unbelievable, some extraordinary and others unusual.

When we were shown into the room where the launch was taking place, all was revealed and you should have seen Isla's face. It was almost wall to wall chocolate! There were digestives with Choccy Philly on, Brioche with Choccy Philly, Choccy Philly with Strawberries, Choccy Philly on rice cakes, croissants etc etc. It was everywhere and I couldn't stop Isla from sticking her finger in it wherever she could (sorry everyone)!! As she was the only little one there at the time, she was in danger of stealing the limelight from the Choccy Philly, the photographer kept snapping away at her and for once she was getting really into having her photo taken, unlike when I try to take a snap of her!

Mmmm which one shall I eat next.....

What did we think? Isla loved it. Rather too much. The fact that it is a cheese/chocolate combo would never even occur to her as she's too young and I think that just shows if you have no notions about combining the two then you won't even hesitate to try it. For some people though the very idea is a turn off but let me tell you, it's only really like cheesecake. To me it tasted delicious and the idea was mentioned about using it as a cake frosting which really makes sense. It's got a great consistency and would be perfect for that. I also think that it does give a good hit of chocolate, so say when you haven't got any Dairy Milk in the house, Choccy Philly on toast would be good.
After a while I decided that Isla had lingered around the chocolate for long enough we went off to explore Ripley's except by that time she was tired and had caught sight of a moving dinosaur exhibit that scared her enough to want to go home. So we whizzed round really quickly and I caught sight of two things that really interested me:

Made with gumballs!

Piece of the Berlin wall

Our verdict is that it was delicious! Thank you for inviting us, we had a great time!

The facts: At 86 Calories per serving, Philadelphia with Cadbury is less than half the fat and has less sugar than many other chocolate spreads. It is available from this month in the shops and is £1.62 per 160g tub. Packs of 4 mini tubs are also available. It is a refrigerated product unlike other chocolate spreads.

Exercise and Me

2012-01-30T21:59:00.000Z

I've always had a love/ hate relationship with exercise. As a child I swam a lot, did the odd bit of netball for school but I didn't work my way through the BAGA badges or go to ballet. My exercise was mainly tearing up and down my road on my bike and running around with the other kids in the street. As I got into my teens I didn't really do anything exercise wise (apart from running about after boys!), it was only when I got to university that I started being more body conscious and that was as a result of going out with a Sports Science student who made me feel fat most of the time and wouldn't hold back from commenting on how I could do this and that to improve myself. I went to the gym on and off for years as a result of that relationship.

Eventually I realised that I was throwing my money away, I would join, go a lot for a month or two and then never go again. Instead of going to the gym I started to enter into fitness challenges, like 5k and 10k runs and a swimathon or two. And that kind of thing really is the way to float my fitness boat. I can safely say that my best motivation to get fit in my life was my wedding. I went to a personal trainer and did boxing and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. The confidence it gave me and the way I felt about my appearance was brilliant. I didn't wimp out of my sessions with rubbish excuses and I found I could wear the clothes I wanted to.

Since then I've had two kids and in between having them I used the excuse that I was going to have another child at some point so there would be no point me getting into shape until I'd had baby number 2. Well now I find myself in that position. Child number 2 is on the scene and 6 months later I'm now urging myself to get out and do some exercise! And guess what in the last 3 weeks I have! I have Zumbaa-d!!! Three times!! And I've done 30 lengths at the local pool. I also bought some new running trainers so I have to get out in them and I've also signed up to this years Marie Curie Swimathon.

I intend to blog about my fitness and exercise achievements as and when, it won't necessarily be a weekly thing but I do think that making some commitment to write about it will make me do at least 1 thing a week.

What do I want to gain from exercising? To be honest, it's not really weight loss that I'm after. I'm 5 foot 11 inches and 11 stone 4lb if you really want to know, so well within the normal weight boundaries for my height. Obviously if I'm going to exercise and be healthy I probably will drop a few pounds, but what I really want is to tone up and *feel* fit. I want to get to the point that exercise makes me feel energised, pretty hard when my nights are interrupted by the baby and my daytime's are super busy running around after 2 kids. I want to fit into some jeans that have been in the back of my cupboard for a couple of years now. Favourite ones that I had to wave the white flag to. So there you go. I commit to get fit.

I'd love to know if you're also on a fitness drive and what you're up to, let's spur each other on - tweet me, facebook me. We can all do with encouragement sometimes when it's winter and the TV and comfort food are calling......let's do it together!

Photo When I Feel Like It... Noah

2012-01-30T21:48:00.000Z

I'm not a cannibal but he's just so scrummy I could eat him sometimes!

Photo When I Feel Like It - My Boys

2012-01-29T22:31:00.000Z

Farmhouse Breakfast Week - How did we fare?

2012-01-29T22:18:00.000Z

As I mentioned in an earlier post we were asked to take part in the Farmhouse Breakfast Week Challenge and I think we did pretty well, here are the day by day photo's to prove it:

Day 1: Porridge, Orange Juice & Tea

Day 2: Muesli with honey and banana & Orange Juice

And here's a little montage (using my new Frametastic App!) of days 3 (Muesli), 4 (Toast with Blackcurrant Conserve & Banana), 5 (Breakfast Energy Bars) & 7 (Toast with Blackcurrant & Blueberry Preserve).

Day 6, there was a breakfast but I forgot to take the pic! Saturday mornings are always so manic as I'm on my own with the kids and we have to be out of the house by 9.15 to go to MAD Academy.

Research conducted about breakfast suggests that:

breakfast eaters have lower levels of stress
a bowl of cereal in the morning could help ward off PMS
people who eat breakfast are more likely to be in the ideal weight range than those who don't eat breakfast
breakfast is essential for breast feeding mums - vitamin D is key and this can be found in many cereals

How did I feel?

Well I would say that I agree with the notion that breakfast benefits your mood. With my baby boy getting me up around 5am most days of late I would say my mood is definitely a bit off key until breakfast time! I am happier after breakfast and I think a healthy breakfast sets a person up for the day. I have found that far from being rabbit food, muesli is actually quite filling!

What did I learn from it?

As I'm off work on maternity leave I would say that my breakfast habits are generally quite good at the moment as I have two kids to give breakfast to and so it would be weird for me to not sit down with them and eat while I'm feeding them/ they are eating. What I have learnt is that it is nice to vary what we have for breakfast, we don't have to have the same things every day and also this week was the first time Isla had honey. I told her what it was on the first day and where it came from and the second day she was really sweet and asked 'Mummy, can I have some bees please?' I knew exactly what she meant! It's nice for the kids to learn things over breakfast! She also liked the idea of having banana cut up on a plate and taking as much as she wanted for her porridge. Anything we can do to encourage her to further improve her eating habits is good in my book.

Will I keep it up?

My breakfast habits tend to go haywire when I'm at work, so I would like to think that I would keep up the good habit of having a healthy breakfast everyday. Sometimes I'd have it but really late when it's almost lunchtime, other times I would skip it altogether.

Here are a couple of recipes and ideas for you to liven up your breakfasts:

Breakfast Energy Bars - make these up to munch when short of time

100g Butter
200g Clear honey
200g Rolled Oats
150g Mixed Seeds
100g toasted flaked Almonds
100g Sultanas
50g Ground Almonds
2 tsp Sesame Seeds

Pre-heat oven to 180C

Heat the butter & honey in a saucepan until the butter has melted. Stir in the remaining ingredients except sesame seeds and press into a 22cm square baking tin. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds.
Bake for 15 mins until golden. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into 12 bars. Leave in the tin to cool completely before removing.

Honey & Yoghurt Porridge with Banana - A must on a winters day!

50g Jumbo Oats
1 ripe banana
50g fat free greek yoghurt
350ml semi skimmed milk
2 tsp clear honey

Place the oats in a saucepan. Mash half the banana and mix with the yoghurt (keep 1 tbsp aside), milk and 1 tsp honey then pour over the oats. Heat to just below boiling and simmer gently for 7 - 8 mins, stirring.
Pour into a bowl, slice the remaining banana and scatter on top, add the 1 tbsp Greek yoghurt and drizzle over the remaining honey.

If you'd any further breakfast recipes then go to www.shakeupyourwakeup.com/breakfast

We were sent a hamper of breakfast items to help us on the way to a week of healthy breakfasts. Thank you for asking us to take up the challenge, we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Project 366 - Now called a Photo When I Feel Like It....

2012-01-25T21:03:00.000Z

I didn't last long before I stopped posting photos every day! It wasn't the photo taking that was a problem (I take millions of these kids, Isla is so over it now!), it was the getting on the blog bit! Evenings are tricky. I'm tired by 8pm. Knowing I'll be up in the night means I skip to bed at 10pm. So I've renamed this "Photo When I Feel Like It", and it'll be sods law that I'll probably manage this daily (yeah right!)...So here's my favourite of today. Isla with Cousin M.

Project 366 - 21st January 2012 - Isla

2012-01-21T22:14:00.001Z

Playing in a box with her teddies!

Weaning with HiPP Organic

2012-01-20T22:19:00.001Z

HiPP Organic recently sent Noah some of their lovely organic baby food to try which got his weaning off to a great start! I used HiPP a lot when I weaned Isla. She loved most of it - I'd say Spaghetti Carbonara was her favourite HiPP recipe back in the early days.

Noah has really taken to food, I kind of knew he would as he's a big lad and milk really wasn't cutting it for him anymore. He was beginning to watch us so closely while we were eating, even moving his mouth mimicking us. He'd grab for food if I was snacking on something while I was holding him.

The HiPP range is so varied and best of all it's organic so you know its full of goodness. I started Noah off on the baby cereals that you mix with formula and he wolfed those down, as he did with the fruit pouches (winner of the gold award for Best Baby food Product in the Mother and Baby Awards) and then the jars. The only one that he really didn't take to was the tender potato and carrot, I don't blame him though, if you're given the choice between that and My First Sunday Dinner, I know which I'd choose!

I filmed him tucking in so you can see how much he is enjoying his food.....

Things I learnt from weaning with Isla is to not get too precious about mess. I used to get really stressed about food going everywhere. This time round I'm more relaxed about it. I realise now that food must be fun and there should be no negativity associated with it. I've noticed that quite often Noah likes to hold his own spoon so I have a few spoons on hand so he can have a play with it too (the more the better as he's going through that dropping everything on the floor phase!). Since being on maternity leave we always try to have meals altogether as a family and I think that is really important. With Isla we would give her meals at a different time to us and I think that really didn't help with all the fussiness we went through with her - I'm relieved to say that she is actually getting really good with food now and I do attribute that to our family mealtimes. Although the majority of Noah's food at the moment is being fed to him by me, I'm also giving him finger food so that he gets used to handling food himself.

All in all, weaning is going really well so far. Thank you to HiPP Organic for sending us their yummy food. It can be bought from all good supermarkets and recently in Sainsburys they've had a deal for 10 jars for £5. Bargain!

Project 366 - 20th January 2012 - Noah

2012-01-20T20:33:00.000Z

Umm, I've just noticed that I seem to be favouring one child, and here I go again! Tomorrow will be an Isla day!

Project 366 - 19th January 2012 - Noah

2012-01-19T21:58:00.000Z

This challenge is getting the better of me, but anyhow, here's my big boy at 6 months, sitting up nicely! Got to admit that he's still a bit wobbly and I wouldn't let him out of my sight sitting like this yet (his face and the carpet would get to know each other quite well if I did that!) but he's loving his new perspective on the world. Today he also had his first settling in session at nursery - with me cramping his style. Tomorrow he will be without mummy for 2 whole hours!

Farmhouse Breakfast Week - Shake Up your Wake Up!

2012-01-19T21:46:00.000Z

Next week it's the HGCA Farmhouse Breakfast Week and as part of that they are running a Breakfast Week Challenge which I will be having a go at. It's a well known fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day but busy mums often skip it or merely take a liquid breakfast of tea/ coffee (GIVE US CAFFEINE!) and that's not going to set us off to a good start is it?! Apparently busy mums have at least 9 tasks to do in the mornings, I definitely agree with this.
The campaign is being fronted by Melinda Messenger and here she explains about Farmhouse Breakfast Week in more detail and the challenge whereby you could stand to win £1000 of holiday vouchers!

Go to the Shake Up Your Wake Up Facebook page and register to take part, even by registering you could be in with a chance of winning one of 20 Melinda Messenger Cook books. Then fill in the details of your breakfasts during the week on the page and you could possibly win some holiday vouchers but if not then you may have started a great habit in having a healthy breakfast every day.

I'll keep you posted about my Farmhouse Breakfast Week Challenge experience!

Baking Biscuits with Isla

2012-01-15T09:30:00.002Z

We made this really simple recipe from Rachel Allen's book Rachel's Favourite Food.

6oz Plain Flour
4oz Butter
2oz caster sugar

Pre heat oven to 180Celcius

Rub the butter into the flour. Then add the sugar. Bring mixture together to make a dough. Roll it out to half centimetre thickness and then cut away! Cook for 6 - 10 minutes or until golden brown.

I love Rachel Allen and have all of her books. The food she makes is so simple and these biscuits took no time to make and Isla loved making them. I got some fab gingerbread men cutters and she cut them out and decorated them herself with red and blue icing, silver balls and sprinkles. I really want to continue cooking and baking with Isla as she seems to really enjoy it. The only thing that sometimes puts me off is the time it takes to clear up all the mess! Oh and she also has a tendency to want to eat mouthfuls of flour and butter, that isn't so great either!

Here's the end result (excuse the haziness of the photo - think I got butter on the lens!), I think she did a pretty good job and they were tasty!

Project 366 - 14th Janaury 2012 - Noah

2012-01-14T22:14:00.000Z

We're well into weaning now. I'm slightly wishing we hadn't gone for pink when we got Isla a high chair and if this photo showed a bit more you'd also see him using Isla's old pink cup and pink spoons!

Noah (and me) at 6 months

2012-01-14T21:29:00.000Z

The last dedicated Noah post was at 7 weeks. I can't believe how we've got to 6 months this quickly but life is just so busy with 2 children.

I have to say that the first 4 months with Noah were actually quite easy on reflection. He slotted in so easily and I had a lot of help from our mum's and Isla goes to nursery 2.5 days so I hadn't felt too swamped with having Isla and Noah to look after all the time on my own. I'm very lucky to have such supportive family and since having Noah I really have a lot of respect for mums who do it single handed or those who don't have family on the doorstep.

Since 4 months though my darling boy has really taken to the early mornings. I think he may have been doing this pre 4 months, but it's only in the last 2 months that it's really starting to grind me down. He regularly wakes around 5am (at worst could be 4.30am or at best could be 5.15am) and unless I jump into bed on the dot of 10pm I feel terrible in the morning, especially if he's also been awake in the night. I'm not handling it all that well and I've been pretty miserable in the mornings, regularly in floods of tears as my OH heads off to work at 5.30am. Pretty much my mood improves as I get a cup of tea and then when Isla gets up at around 7 I've become more human. The more I get told that this won't go on forever the more fed up I get. I KNOW it won't go on forever, I mean when he's 15 I'll be crow barring him out of bed I'm sure but at the moment, I feel like SH1T.

I also know that things could be worse, I get told this a lot too and when that happens I feel bad for bemoaning my lot, after all I have two healthy children - what more could I want? When you feel hard done by on the sleep front it really can make you think irrationally and get easily stressed over things. Well I do anyway. The littlest things really grate and minor comments from the OH can cause me to get a bit shouty. I've also found that my periods have really affected my mood more than they ever did pre-kids. I mean I used to get a bit moody but now for days before it arrives i feel rubbish - I say all the usual things - I'm fat, I haven't got any nice clothes, my skin looks awful, this house is too messy, wish we had a bigger house, wish we had a better car, repeat to fade.... This list goes on and on and as I go into a downward spiral. My brain becomes over loaded and I feel like I have too much to think about.

So that's me. What about him? Well he's into rolling over and over and over. He's eating like he's eaten all his life, there won't be any leftovers with him around. He's a lot more whiny than Isla ever used to be (he doesn't have a dummy - not for want of trying!) and is far more into mummy than she was. If he's being held by someone else he will always want to be with me if I'm in the room and he can hear my voice. It's nice to be loved but I can see how boys are a lot clingier to mummy than girls and when I go back to work in 3 months I see him being more upset about it than Isla was. Two of his favourite things (after me of course!) are Isla and Bobcat (sorry Daddy!). He follows both of them round the room, his eyes gleaming with excitement whenever they are near. I love this. It makes me feel so happy as it feels like he has fitted in so brilliantly with Isla. He stands in his activity station and Isla pretends he is the shopkeeper and she 'buys' things from him. Of course he doesn't have the faintest idea what she's on about but smiles and really loves it.

He still continues to be a 'beefy' baby, he's only 6 months, weighs 24lb and is in some 9 - 12 month clothing already. He's been a bit of a sicky baby - regular pukes after milk and had really terrible painful wind in the early days, so I'm hoping with the weaning will come less of the puking.

We had a fabulous photo shoot recently and this was my favourite photo of Isla and Noah together. They really are beautiful children, I know I'm biased but they are and I'm so proud of them and hope that they continue to thrive and make me feel like my heart could burst.

Photo's by Sarah Jones

Project 366 - 12th January 2012 - Noah

2012-01-12T21:05:00.001Z

Project 366 - 11th January 2012 - Noah

2012-01-11T19:52:00.000Z

I love a bobble hat I do! I got this one from Sweetheart Knits. Noah must have a really big head though as it is a little bit snug and on putting it on Isla it seems his head isn't too far off the size of hers and she's 2 years older!!! Still looks a cutie in it though!

Project 366 - 10th January 2012 - Noah & Isla

2012-01-10T22:26:00.001Z

Project 366 - 9th January 2012 - Toys

2012-01-09T21:22:00.000Z

So today I've actually not managed to take a photo of my kids at all! A new high in my attempts to take a photo of my kids every day. When I started I really didn't think it would be that difficult but it's harder than it seems! Anyway, this picture really captures how these munchkins have INVADED my home. Look, where has my grown up living space gone. I've gone storage box crazy since we had kids, but I still need to pay another trip to Ikea to cage these toys......

Project 366 - 8th January 2012 - Isla

2012-01-08T21:27:00.000Z

Today has been tiring. We spent the whole day with my mum and dad while the OH plays golf. Don't get me wrong it was lovely but Noah is especially tiring at the moment, night time waking and early waking and Isla is great but no daytime nap (this only happens now if we go out in the car over lunchtime) combined with ice cream, cake and a biscuit make for extreme high spirits!! So my photo today is Isla asleep in her bed after a great day at Nanny and Grandpa's house. Isla was actually due to stay at Nanny and Grandpa's tonight but at the last minute she decided to change her mind, so my little break in the morning of only have one small person to care for is blown but her little face tonight when she was saying she didn't want to stay couldn't be refused!

Project 366 - 7th January 2012 - Isla

2012-01-07T22:19:00.003Z

Oh dear, I've already failed - missed yesterday's photo! I did take a photo I just couldn't get on the blog. Anyhow, I'm going to carry on and see how many I can actually manage and not beat myself up if I can't do it. Here's today's photo. As you can see it looks a whole lot better than any of my efforts and that's because an excellent photographer took it! We had a fab hour having a family shoot today and the results are gorgeous.

If you're interested in following other people's Project 366, click the badge below to check out The Boy and Me's Linky!

Project 366 - 5th January - Bobcat

2012-01-05T22:15:00.001Z

Hmmm, so I know this isn't Isla or Noah but I felt like I should include the other baby in our house:

Project 366 - 4th January 2012 - Noah

2012-01-04T20:09:00.001Z

Lollibop at Ministry of Sound

2012-01-04T09:30:00.001Z

Looking for something a bit different to do with the kids this half term? Check out LolliBop’s Mini Disco at the Ministry of Sound in London.

From the team behind the biggest kids event of summer 2011, LolliBop is back with a special one off event to make sure your half term goes with a bang. If it is anything like the summer extravaganza (apart from the rainy day we attended - can't blame Lollibop for rubbish British weather and this is indoors!) then it will be fun-packed! The last time I went to Ministry of Sound I was in my early twenties so the idea of taking my little one really appeals to me!

Taking place at the Ministry of Sound on Sunday February 12th between 12 noon and 5pm, LolliBop’s Mini Disco is guaranteed to keep kids aged 3 -10yrs entertained. Special guest appearances from Scooby Doo and award winning children’s entertainer, Allin Kempthorne will delight little ones, whilst Beat Boxing workshops will give older children new skills to show off when they get back to school.

In true Ministry of Sound fashion, they’ll be plenty of dancing too when TV favourites Dick and Dom take to the decks.

Other activities include hula hoop workshops, storytelling, bubble shows and dance games.

Tickets cost £10.00 per person. Call 0208 365 9695 or go to www.lollibopfestival.co.uk for more details.

Drinks and light refreshments are available to purchase at the venue.

The Year that was 2011!

2012-01-03T21:28:00.000Z

Well that whizzed by in the blink of an eye didn't it?! 2011 been and gone. Must be something about having kids that makes this happen, and given that we had our baby boy Noah this year I put the blame solely on him ;-)

Anyway, seriously, 2011 has been a pretty fantastic year for me and my little family. I spent half of the year pregnant (the last 12 days when the baby was overdue feeling longer than the previous 6 months!) and the other half of the year running round after Isla and Noah like a blue arsed fly and battling extreme tiredness (again!). So here's a quick run down of what we got up to in 2011.

January - This month I started Bump Watch on my blog. It began at week 15 when Noah was a teeny tiny thing in my tummy. I love having this record of my pregnancy. It's fascinating to see my tummy grow week by week.

We were also fully in the grip of the Annie obsession. It's funny because a year later we still have days where a random burst of 'Tomorrow' can be heard. It really was the start of Isla's love of films and I actually rather love that film too. Which is far from what can be said about her new fascination with Princesses - particularly all the Barbie Princess films that have been on Nick Jnr over Christmas!

We were also having regular swimming lessons thanks to a blog review opportunity from Swim Baby Swim.

February - This month we found out we were having a baby boy! We were gob smacked - I know it's a 50/50 chance but in my mind I always had a picture of 2 little girls running round together, so when the scan revealed it was a boy we were speechless but happy!

This month was also where I had a starring role at The Baby Show - I brazenly wore a maternity bra on the Bras4mums stand. It was a great way of getting attention for them and it also really boosted my confidence. It is something that I would never have done had it not have come up through my blog. I really think that my blog has given me so many opportunities and it has made me far more confident and interested in the wider world.

March - Nothing really happened this month, it passed by with me getting huge, doing lots of pregnancy yoga and preparing for the new baby.

I posted two of my personal favourite blog posts Spectacular Puke & POO!

April - This month one of my good friends and his partner came over from Australia and I got to meet his little boy and they got to meet Isla and see the bump! His parents were also kind enough to invite his friends over to their place in France so we could all spend some time together. It was fantastic but so different to our previous visit where we all stayed up drinking most nights! There were 5 children in tow this time and 2 bumps. They organised an Easter Egg hunt for when we arrived and as usual made us some lovely meals - we were thoroughly spoilt and the weather was pretty nice too!

May - We went to the Lollibop Picnic! It was fab!

I found out I was a MAD Blog Awards finalist which was very exciting!

I was also really in that Mamas and Papas supplied me with some absolutely fantastic maternity wear and I showcased it on the blog. They really were my saviours to be honest and I felt great wearing the clothes! Far better than I actually feel now post baby about my clothes!!

June - I went to Cybermummy, waddled my way around and met up with some of my blogging buddies. All in all it was a really good day, meeting some old and new friends.

I also finished up at work for maternity leave. It felt so good not to have to trek up to London carrying my massive bump around on the train and around the Circle Line!

July - We had our bouncing baby Noah! He was due on the 1st and arrived on the 13th. Weighed in at a whopping 9lb 14oz and has become a real little character. 4 days after Noah's birth we celebrated Isla's 2nd birthday. She was really brilliant to be honest about the arrival of her new brother. We had some melt downs and it felt like she'd gone deaf sometimes when I was asking her to do things but this all worked itself out within a month or so.

August - This passed by in a hazy newborn fog! Loads of visitors to see Noah. We managed to get up to London for the Lollibop event - we didn't have a great time - this is no reflection on the event which would have been fabulous had it not bucketed down with rain the entire time we were there and we didn't have a 3 week old baby with us!!

We had a slight scare with Noah and I having an overnight stay in hospital for a dodgy rash. He was fine in the end but it was a bit frightening.

September - We took our first holiday as a family of 4 to Cornwall. We went on a fantastic farm holiday to Coombe Mill, Isla had a great time and we'll definitely look at a return in the future! Isla still talks about it now, she will never forget that the goat knocked her over, however if asked what her favourite animal is she will always say goats!!!

It was also the MAD Blog Awards night. It was fabulous, I didn't win but that didn't matter a jot. It was nice to be part of a community and the evening was my first out since having Noah, all made more fabulous by my outfit sponsor, Debenhams, who made me feel wonderful!

October - My Dad had his 60th birthday, a low key lunch with mum, sis, OH and munchkins. It was lovely! We also had Cousin M's second birthday and the OH became a God Father.

November - The OH and I had our first night away without the rugrats! Did we go all goo-ey and romantic? Did we hell! It wasn't the best evening we've ever spent away in each others company but all we wanted to do was sleep! We did but admittedly not as well as we would have done in our own bed, so next time we will be having a child free night in our own home, just need to get the Grandmothers lined up!

I also went to a brilliant event for Give As You Live, read the post and see how you can do your bit for little effort!

December - Noah's first Christmas and the first Christmas where Isla had some understanding and we could start to weave some of the magic about Father Christmas. If I'm honest it was my most tiring month so far as a mum of two. After finding things getting slightly easier they have started to feel harder but I might save all that for another post.

So that was my year. It's been brilliant. I'm particularly happy about all the opportunities my blog has given me and all the wonderful people who have liked what I've been doing here. It's my hobby and I don't get too hung up on stats but it's always nice to be appreciated. That leaves me to say:

Happy 2012 one and all - hope it's a healthy and prosperous one! Hope you'll still be following me this year!

Project 366 - 3rd January 2012 - Isla

2012-01-03T20:17:00.002Z

Project 366 - Day 2 - 2nd January 2012 - Noah

2012-01-02T20:17:00.002Z

Project 366 - Day 1 - 1st January 2012 - Isla

2012-01-01T20:36:00.001Z

Davina for Next Collection!

2011-12-20T21:45:00.000Z

What's the first New Year's resolution that you can think of?

Yes, it's that old chestnut about getting fit! Except this year I really mean it. Noah is 5 months old now and I've done well at shedding the pounds of baby weight but my aim really is to shed a bit more, get fit and tone up. I'm resolute that I'm done with child bearing and so I really want to get fit so I have the stamina to keep up with my lively children. Just in time for my declaration to work my booty, super fit (and super mum) Davina McCall has collaborated with Next on a shoe and fitness collection!

Davina for Next provides the ultimate workout and post-workout clothing along with a range of innovative everyday shoes featuring F.I.T technology to reduce load-bearing stress on joints and provide additional support.

Whenever I've undertaken a new fitness regime (and there have been many!) I've always been of the opinion that I NEED new kit to work out in. I'm only as good as the trainers/ leggings etc that I'm wearing. And looking at this range from Davina and Next there is so much choice and it would draw many a compliment. Here are my picks from the range, put together they would make a fab workout kit!

Firstly the trainers:

I love the look of these, I like the 'go faster' stripes, you wouldn't see me for dust running in these....

Next up the legs, I'd choose these cuffed joggers, they look comfy and knowing Next clothes as well as I do they'd fit my ~~big~~ womanly bottom!

I love the colour of this cropped bra top and I'd wear it underneath this:

And that completes my dream Davina for Next fitness outfit! As a complete outfit it would look quite retro and 80's I reckon and I've always admired that Olivia Newton John 'Let's get Physical' look, now if only they did headbands and legwarmers too....

My most successful attempts at getting fit have always been when I've had a goal in mind, including running Race For Life and the Marie Curie Swimathon, so I intend to sign up for a challenge (10k or a swim) to take place around March/ April time (nothing too serious, I don't want to punch above my weight) so that I have an event to train for. This is how I motivate myself best. Next are giving some lucky bloggers the chance to review the Davina for Next range and I'd love to be one of them. I'd put the kit through it's paces and share the blood, sweat and tears (and there are always tears!) with my readers!

Davina for Next will be available from selected stores, from the Next directory and online at next.co.uk from next Spring. Check it out and it could help you to keep your New Year's resolutions!

Peekaboo Barn & Counting With the Very Hungry Caterpillar Phone App Reviews

2011-12-20T20:27:00.001Z

I LOVE Phone Apps and lately I've really fallen hook line and sinker for kids phone apps. They are brilliant for situations where I'm doing something with the baby and Isla needs entertaining. Because my phone is with me 24/ 7 it means these games are always with me and she LOVES them too. She asks to play them regularly (usually when I'm in the middle of texting someone or fiddling about with it myself!) and it really impresses me that kids know how to work all this new technology.

We were asked if we wanted to review 2 phone apps by Night & Day Studios: Peekaboo Barn and Counting with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

When we first had a go of Peekaboo Barn I wasn't really sure about it, it's so simplistic. All the animals are in the barn, you tap the door and every time you do a new animal appears, it makes the relevant animal noise before the animal appears so you can get your child to name the animal before they see it and a child's voice says, "cow", "sheep" or "goats" (Isla's favourite!) when the animal is revealed. However what do I know? Isla really likes it. She will do it over and over. Also just for Christmas the app has updated and it's all snowy and all the animals are very festive with either santa hats or Rudolph noses on etc. It's a very sweet game and I would recommend it. Another thing that we haven't done as yet is record Isla's voice to go on it which I think will make her love it even more!

The next game is Counting with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I loved this immediately because I just adore the illustrations for The Very Hungry Caterpillar and we have always loved the book. Isla can count to 10 already and likes any counting opportunity so this game was a goodun. It has 5 different difficulty levels and has all the snacks that feature in the book. For some reason Isla has formed an attachment to the 'pickles' and loves it when she has to count them! It's not all about counting either - it's also about being able to recognise different foods and also knowing which ones to select. The final level is against the clock, we've not done this yet as we spend too much time talking about the different foods "I like lollipops" etc etc you get the picture.

All in all these are both good games, the Hungry Caterpillar one being slightly more educational than Peekaboo Barn. My only negative observation is that I feel that Peekaboo Barn is slightly over priced for what it is.

Peekaboo Barn costs £1.49
Counting with the Very Hungry Caterpillar costs £1.99

Both available from the iTunes App Store

Isla & Noah this week

2011-12-19T20:29:00.000Z

These are a few of my favourite photos of Isla and Noah from this week. As you can see I'm absolutely loving the Instagram and Hipstamatic apps on my iPhone!

Isla is getting really excited about Christmas, we were lucky enough to have a few hours just us girls to make a couple of Christmas cards for Nanny and Grandpa and Nanny H. She loved being let loose with the glue and glitter and I got all sorts of bits and bobs out for her to use on her cards - scraps of material, cut out pictures from my recent birthday cards and even some polystyrene packing that was in a parcel I got that day. We also decorated the tree together and she was fabulous at it - her approach is definitely the more you can put on the tree the better!

She is loving the advent calendar. It rarely gets forgotten in the morning as it's a CHOCOLATE one. Which is obviously very exciting in her book. Think she's really going to miss it when she gets to the last door.

Very much like fireworks night (absolutely terrified), she didn't like visiting Father Christmas in his grotto at Priory Farm. We got shown in to see him and she clung to me and cried. Not the kind of response I expected. It's funny as she's usually such a confident little thing.

Noah has started teething, he sleeps quite soundly until about 3.30am and then he just wakes up and ROARS. It's so sudden, 0 - 60 in 3 seconds! He's not bad in the daytime though and a friend of mine has just lent us her daughters Fisher Price Jumperoo and he absolutely loves it, although I checked the weight limit on it (25lb) and so it won't be long before he can't go in that! It's actually quite a disadvantage from a baby toy point of view to have a BIG baby as he outgrows things that other babies his age would still be playing with.

We're introducing him to more first tastes, he's really enjoying some HiPP Organic Baby food that we've been sent. More about that in another post.

All in all we're surviving, there are fun times and not so fun times (when the tiredness hits!) but this is a great time of year and I'm really looking forward to Noah's first Christmas with all the family.

My toddler this week #2

2011-12-07T21:39:00.000Z

Potty in the background, nice! Proudly showing her clever puzzle skills!

So this week I'm noticing all the things that Isla has been saying. I notice that sometimes when I've said something to her she stops and looks at me really seriously. This is when she is thinking about something I've said, mulling it over and trying to make sense of it. One of my favourites recently has been this:

Me: You're such a clever old stick!
About a minutes silence
Isla: I'm not a clever old stick, I'm Isla!

See, very clever!

My other favourite is this one:

Me: What's the magic word
Isla: Abra....
Me: No, not that magic word
Isla: Oh, thank you!

I loved that one, she has a magic wand and is so into changing us into frogs or rabbits at the moment.

Another one that I have no idea where it came from is her saying "Bravo!" when we've achieved something! Not something I've ever really said, so I'm assuming this is a nursery thing.

We've also had a lot of references to 'best friends' this week. Just to show how fickle toddlers are, here are two examples, the first one happened when I was laid up in bed with a bad back this week. I can hear Isla downstairs harassing the Other Half to come upstairs and see me..

Isla: I want to see mummy, mummy is my best fwwwweind

On the flip side of this, the following morning when I was trying to get her dressed, (me still having the bad back) I got cross as she was escaping my clutches! So this time:

Isla: You're not my best fwwwweind anymore

The final two Isla quotes can be solely attributed to Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly:

"Sit down your majesty" and "Ahoy there me hearties"

The first one I'm trying to get her to say to my Dad, just because I think this would be funny. I'm loving Isla's chit chat most of the time and I'm going to keep trying to record her 'Islaisms' so we can look back on them and have a good giggle!

The Gallery - My Awesome Photo

2011-12-07T16:07:00.000Z

I know this isn't a photo of a bungee jump or some amazing waterfall/ beach scene or me wing walking (never going to happen!) but this is MY AWESOME PHOTO. It captures my OH and I in a way that we'll never probably ever be seen again. I absolutely love this photo, when I look at it is makes me feel all mushy (it's also slightly cheesy I know!). I haven't done anything with any of my wedding photo's and we got married over 3 years ago, they remain on a disc and on my laptop waiting for me to put them in a book but if anything happened to them, I would really be upset about not seeing this one ever again. Photo's are weird like that aren't they? I love reliving memories just by looking at a stack of photo's and I really do love reliving the memory of my wedding day!

Check out the other Gallery Entries here

Jelly Kitten Skidaddle Zebra - Christmas Stocking Filler

2011-12-02T12:50:00.000Z

I've previously posted about Jelly Cat soft toys on the blog - we love them! Isla has her bunny and Noah has his dog and Cousin M has donkey AND bunny! I didn't realise that related to Jelly Cat is Jelly Kitten and when online nursery shop Hello Baby offered to send me a Jelly Kitten Skidaddle Zebra for Noah to try out I was really pleased as I knew it would be a cool toy for him and also one that isn't a hand me down!

Here's my little zebra enjoying his Skidaddle Zebra!

It's such a lovely toy and would make a cool Christmas stocking filler. The black and white is great for babies to look at and the rings round each of the zebra's feet have been good for Noah to hold on to and chew on (everything is going in his mouth at the moment!). There are also blue ribbon tags for the mane, which gives another texture for baby to feel. There is also a useful strap on its head so it can be attached to the cot and car seat. Naturally every toy that enters our house also has to be given the Isla once over and she loves it too, I also love when she says Zebra as she doesn't pronounce the 'Z' - it's an 'Ebra' as far as she's concerned!

The Skidaddle Zebra is available from Hello Baby and retails at £10.99.

Hello Baby also sells a wide range of other baby and nursery stuff including Baby Toys, nursery furniture, travel and safety products.

I was sent this Jelly Kitten toy by Hello Baby for free in exchange for a review. My opinions are honest and my own.

My toddler this week...

2011-11-29T22:03:00.000Z

This week I witnessed the funniest tantrum yet and it all started with a banana!

Isla: I wanna 'nana
Me: We're going to nursery in a minute, you'll have breakfast there.
Isla: I wannaaaaaaa 'nanaaaaaaa (repeat x 12)
Me: OK then (goes gets banana, peels it and hands it over)

Isla: I wannnnnnaaaaaaa 'nanaaaaaa
Me: I'VE JUST GIVEN YOU A BANANA
Isla: (Now pointing at the remaining bananas in the fruit bowl) I wanthatone

She now throws the banana that I gave her on the floor and goes back to pointing at the other bananas. I ignore her and get Noah ready to leave the house. Then she goes over to the discarded banana, stamps on it and goes over to the window hysterically crying, looking out in despair. When she stamps on the banana I'm open mouthed, as I've never seen this level of stroppiness before! Then 2 minutes after stamping on it, she goes over to the banana picks it up and happily walks off eating it!!

Who could know that a banana could cause so much grief?!

Weaning Has Begun!

2011-11-28T22:44:00.001Z

Shea Mooti - Review

2011-11-28T22:02:00.000Z

I am a big fan of using oils for stretch marks. Fact. I'd love to say that my body is a stretch mark free zone but that would be a lie. I can't even say that I didn't have any until I had kids, I had them WAY before! One thing I can claim though is to not have had one single one across my tummy after my first pregnancy. The sad news though is that the second pregnancy didn't take any prisoners and I have a few on my tummy now. But rather than feel hung up about it like I used to about the ones on my thighs, I actually don't mind so much as I have my beautiful boy to show for those 'battle' scars! I love using oils as I think they help to keep my skin supple and help to make it look more youthful.

Anyway, moving on. I was asked to try two products from the ethical skincare range Shea Mooti and I was really up for it as I LOVE body care products and it makes a change to receive something for me. Before children, without fail I would moisturise my whole body EVERY DAY. Now with two children, time spent on myself and my body is limited and I don't lavish enough attention on my poor weary, clapped out shadow of my former self!

I tried the Belly Rub Stretch Mark Oil and the Soothing Leg and Foot Cream and I really can say that I would buy and use them. I have a preference for the Stretch Mark Oil as I loved the scent of it and I really do think that it helps my skin as it shrinks back to size. The Stretch Mark Oil is most often used by the mum to be and I'm using it post baby but I would say that it's just as vital to be kind to your skin when you've had the baby as it is pre baby. The oil absorbs nicely, it's non greasy and doesn't sit on top of the skin.

The Leg and Foot cream has such a lovely texture and it feels great on the skin. I wasn't as keen on the scent for this product, it wasn't as delicious smelling as the stretch mark oil but I think this might be due to the anti-septic oils contained within the product. Again this is a product that would be well suited to a mum to be as it is described as "Therapy for those hard working legs carrying a heavy load" - I would say that Noah is definitely a heavy load (20lbs at 4 months!) and so my legs are working just as hard now as when I was pregnant and so deserve to be treated to this cream!

Both of these products are packed full of wonderful ingredients and all Shea Mooti products contain Shea Butter. This brand is a wonderful example of 'natural' skincare. Try it yourselves!

At the moment they have a discount code for first time users to get 10% off their first order. Quote SHEA131 at the checkout.
Like Shea Mooti on Facebook and follow on Twitter for all updated news on their products!

I was sent both of the products mentioned in this review for free but my views are honest and my own.

Give As You Live

2011-11-24T10:42:00.000Z

Last night I went to an event at Liberty's in London and I feel compelled to tell you all about it ASAP as if the word gets out quick then a lot of charities can benefit from all the online Christmas shopping that will be done between now and the day itself!

I clocked off with the kids yesterday at 4.30pm and handed over the reigns to my OH. I felt mildly sorry for him as the end of the day is usually pretty fraught, but as I made my way to the train station, I was getting excited about being in London again (something I usually complain about when I work there everyday!) and looking forward to finding out about 'Give as you Live'.

I was welcomed by Polly Gowers founder of 'Give as you Live' and CEO of Everyclick, a fundraising technology company, which enables people to give to any of the UK's charities (from the smallest hedgehog related charity (!) to the biggest Cancer related charities) through everyday online activity such as online shopping.

Give as you Live is Polly's latest initiative. What is it?

Give as you Live is an online shopping app that turns every pound supporters spend online into funds for their favourite cause. How does it work?

Quite simply you go to http://www.giveasyoulive.com/ and download the app to your PC, this takes seconds and on restarting it will be present on your computer. Once restarted the Give as you Live app should start up and ask you to register all your details and also select the charity that you would like to benefit from your online purchases. I chose Myeloma UK as my Dad has this condition and the more money they get the bigger the strides towards a cure. Once you have an account registered you can regularly check how much you raise just by shopping.

You then shop online and if you shop at a store that is part of Give as you Live (which shouldn't be hard as there are over 1500 retailers linked up) then a window pops up and asks you if you want to give on this shop. You tick the box, do your shopping and rack up money for charity. The beauty of it is that you are not putting your own hand in your pocket, just by doing your usual shopping (Christmas or otherwise!) you will earn your favourite charities some valuable funds. It is the retailer who will be making the donation.

There are too many retailers involved to mention them all but most of the big ones are, including Boots, Sainsbury's, Debenhams, John Lewis, Liberty, House of Fraser, Topshop, M&S and soon one of the biggest online retailers Amazon will also be joining the throng!

An example of how much charities can benefit from this, 5 gifts and how much can go to charity if you Give as you Live:

iPad2 costs £399 and £5.99 would be donated to charity
iPhone 4S costs £499 and £7.49 would be donated to charity
Scrabble costs £14.99 and 58p would be donated to charity
Kindle costs £89 and £4.45 would be donated to charity
Twilight Box Set costs £8.49 and 21p would be donated to charity

This isn't just a Christmas initiative, it works all year round but it's worth saying that in this country last December, £6.8 billion was spent shopping online and if everyone had used Give as you Live £170 million could have been raised for UK Charities. If you're a fan of charity starting at home then you really should make the effort to shop in this way!

Go to Give as you Live and start your Christmas shopping and feel good knowing that you're doing your bit for charity.

Perform Party

2011-11-20T13:03:00.000Z

Isla and I were recently invited by Energy PR to a Perform Party. We had no idea what it was about before we went but from the blurb it sounded like it would be right up Isla's street as she loves singing and dancing:

"Perform is a unique drama school for children, using a mix of drama, dance and singing specially formulated with a focus on child development to bring out every child's true potential, so we would love you to come along and see what Perform is all about. The Perform Parties are high energy, fun and totally infectious, children just can't resist joining in all the activities"

The parties will cover two age groups, so the whole family can come along and join in the fun

Mini Ps 1-3 year olds

Perform Parties 4-8 year olds"

Isla is 2 so she went to the Mini P's party. We were told that obviously the age ranges had to be a bit broader than usual for the purposes of the day, so the Mini P's party included things that were directed at young babies too. The theme for this party was 'Under the Sea' and the actress who ran the session was dressed as a mermaid, which I think Isla loved as it tied in with her current new obsession with The Little Mermaid!

The activities are used to promote the 4 C's - Confidence, Concentration, Communication and Coordination. The teachers use a unique mix of Drama, Dance and Singing to bring out every child's true potential.

What did Isla think of it? Well I think she enjoyed herself, she was a little bit tired during the session which was making her at times a bit 'free' and doing her own thing and I didn't feel like that was encouraged and the kids were expected to fall in line which doesn't always happen with 2 year olds. Isla was her usual friendly self and went off to hold the actresses hand who was leading the session so she obviously felt comfortable with her. Isla loves parachutes (this is a regular part of Gymboree and MAD Academy - classes that Isla has also loved) and so enjoyed this bit of it, she liked the instruments and the dancing. We didn't recognise the songs in the class but I guess with regular attendance then the kids would learn them. Unfortunately we also missed a bit of the session due to a toilet trip (grrr potty training!) but on the whole she had a good time.

Perform parties come in all different themes so you can pick one that fits in with your child's interests/ imagination:

Mini P’s

- Fairies and Elves

- Peppa Pig

- The Night Garden

- Teddy Bear Picnic

Perform parties:

- Fairytale Forest

- Popstarz

- Superhero school

- Ghost hunters

- Magician’s Chamber

- High School Musical

- Peter Pan

- Chocolate Adventure

Perform are not only about parties, they also run weekly classes and holiday courses. Go to Perform for more details and to see if there are classes near you. they are currently offering every child the first Perform session free here

All in all we had a fun mummy and daughter day in London, we received a delicious lunch and a goodie bag with T-shirt and CD on the day.

Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas - Christmas Stocking Filler!

2011-11-17T20:39:00.000Z

Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to a preview lunch for the new Ice Age DVD release - A Mammoth Christmas. In recognition of the fact it's a Christmas release we had a delicious 3 course Christmas lunch and pulled crackers while Christmas Carols played in the background! It really was a lovely way to spend a lunchtime, I appreciated some me time away from the kids and also caught up with Mirka from All Baby Advice looking glowing with baby bump!

So after the festive fun we went to the screening room and watched the 20 minute film. So what's it all about?

Everyone's favourite sub-zero heroes are back in an all-new holiday adventure for the whole family. When Sid accidentally destroys Manny's heirloom Christmas rock and ends up on Santa's "naughty list", he leads a hilarious quest to the North Pole to make things right - and ends up making things much worse. Now it's up to Manny and his pre-historic posse to band together and save Christmas for the entire world.

I can't wait for Isla to see it as she really loves the characters in Ice Age (she should do after the number of times we've watched it together!) and she loves the little squirrel who chases the acorn all the time. I enjoyed it, it was very funny and all the original voice cast are back too.

Ice-Age: A Mammoth Christmas is out on DVD from the 21st November 2011and is available exclusively from Asda, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Priced at an excellent £5!

I was given a box set of the Ice Age collection and a cuddly squirrel on the day. The views written here are my own.

Justin Fletcher's New Single - Hands Up

2011-11-15T21:39:00.001Z

I don't know many kids who don't know of Justin Fletcher in his many different guises in 'Something Special' and 'Gigglebiz'. In time for Christmas Justin is releasing a single 'Hands Up' from his forthcoming album of the same name.

I'll honestly say that this isn't my cuppa tea at all but seeing as the music in the car isn't allowed to be of my choosing anymore then what's it to me if we have to listen to this on repeat everywhere we go?! Isla loves it and Justin's voice is so distinguishable that Isla says put Mr Tumble on when I've dared to try and listen to something else. So there you go, 2 year olds love this stuff and who am I to argue. Justin if you're reading, no offence, I'm just more of an Indie girl and I really do love you on the telly!

We'll be reviewing the album here at I Heart Motherhood in the spring but in the meantime if you want to connect with Justin you can on Twitter and on Facebook

Hands Up is released on 20th November.

Noah is Given his Marching Orders!

2011-11-12T22:12:00.000Z

On Friday I had myself a really lovely lunchtime stroll around Borough Market with Noah and one of my dear friends. I was a little bit anxious about venturing to London on my own with Noah, but given I was only travelling to London Bridge, I knew that we weren't far from home and that we didn't have a tube journey to contend with.

We were all having a really lovely time, Noah was taking in the sights and sounds and my friend and I were spending on delectable foodstuffs! After an hour we thought it best to have a cuppa and a cake and get Noah fed, so we went to a Patisserie on the edge of the market.

Being on maternity leave at the moment I'm finding myself having coffee and a cake in cafes quite a regular thing, so on entering the cake shop I had no inkling that we would be asked to leave as that has NEVER happened to me before, so I was blissfully making my way to a table to sit down when the waitress intercepted me and said that we couldn't come in here with THAT. I initially thought she meant the buggy and given that it was a really small shop I thought, fair do's it is a bit tight, so I said, that's fine I can fold it down (handy Maclaren!), again she said no and I mistakenly thought that as she had an Eastern European accent that she didn't understand what I meant, so I repeated that I could fold it down and put it under the table. How wrong was I? She understood quite well what I meant and she then had to think up some other reason that we weren't welcome. 'Erm, we have no seat for him'. Well that's easy I said, he can't sit up on his own anyway and he would be sitting on my lap. I'm very calm, really still not getting that she doesn't want my baby in the place - it's not the buggy at all!!! To which she just bluntly told me that her boss wouldn't welcome us. So 'THAT' which she was referring to was my baby.

The penny dropped.

I was a bit gobsmacked and anyone that knows me would know I would at that point normally have flipped, blurted out a load of angry words and flounced out. But my saviour was my friend who I hadn't seen for ages and I really didn't want to make a scene and embarrass her. So we walked off up the road perplexed, with my friend feeling bad that she'd suggested the place.

On reflection now I'm actually outraged. When we found somewhere to sit down and have coffee, Noah was brilliantly behaved, had his milk, looked cute, giggled and did not once cry, he drew admiring looks and we got on with our afternoon.

I found myself thinking about the incident quite a lot since it happened and I decided that it deserved a blog post as I've never been refused entry to a cake shop because of my kids and it got me wanting to google this particular place and I'm glad I did as I now feel that I wasn't singled out, apparently this place has a terrible reputation for pushing people out the door for not spending enough, telling people they can't use laptops and now telling people with kids that they can't come in! Unfortunately this establishment will not suffer as there is enough trade in the area but I now feel it's my duty to add to the online log of dissatisfied customers (although obviously I can't call myself that, not actually having imbibed anything!) and name the place as PATISSERIE LILA.

Don't go there unless you really can't find anywhere else and you fancy potentially being humiliated.

Christmas Stocking Filler - Talking Princess Holly Soft Toy - Review

2011-11-09T21:03:00.000Z

Isla was recently very lucky to be sent a Talking Princess Holly by Entertainment One to try. She was at nursery when it arrived, so I unwrapped it and left it on the table for when she came home. I didn't even get a chance to give it to her, she spotted it as soon as she got through the door and was so excited! Along with Peppa Pig, she is a massive Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom fan and she already had a Ben Elf, so she was so pleased to have Ben's partner in crime! She pressed her tummy and heard all the phrases, she loved that she had a wand and she started running round the room 'flying' Princess Holly around. She is now one of Isla's current favourite toys and is definitely fuelling her new obsession with Princesses. Much to Isla's annoyance Noah also seems to like toys that talk and has taken great pleasure in cuddling and dribbling all over Holly too!

You can squeeze Princess Holly's tummy to hear 5 fun phrases including, "I'm Princess Holly", "Come on let's play", "Now wand, what shall we do today?" Made from soft and cuddly fabrics she's ideal to hug and hold.

Talking Princess Holly retails at £12.99, from all good retailers and would make a great pressie for any budding little Princess!

I ♥ Essie Jain

2011-11-07T21:14:00.000Z

Essie Jain's 'Until the Light of Morning' is simply gorgeous and if like me you have a baby that loves to fall asleep to music then this will be right up your sleeping beauty's street! Not only that it's also really enjoyable from an adult perspective too, not a Twinkle Twinkle in sight! I would compare it to the likes of Zero 7 (who I love!), it's really quite folksy and Essie's voice is beautifully hypnotic, sending baby into a gentle slumber (not to mention a tired mummy)!

You can purchase the album on iTunes for £5.99

We received a copy for review and I'm happy to say we absolutely loved it!

Fab Oh Baby London Giveaway!

2011-11-06T21:52:00.008Z

Oh Baby London was started as an independent baby and children's wear brand in Brick Lane, London in 2002. What started as an allergic reaction to pastels by founder, designer and mum of two Hannah McHalick has grown to a full collection of cool but cute fashion for kids and the coolest kids products. Eccentric, bold design and irreverent truths like 'Been Inside For 9 Months' are the essence of Oh Baby London.

All designs are 100% original, created in the Brick Lane studio by people who love what they do. Oh Baby think that clothing shouldn't be disposable, so they build it from high quality materials, and don't believe in throwaway fads or hype. They also try their hardest to be ethical throughout the entire process, from the fabric all the way through to distribution. Oh Baby collaborate with the HEBA Women's Project, a non-profit organisation which aims to empower women by teaching them skills and all the clothes manufactured from August 2007 use fabrics are tested free from harmful chemicals, and are made by people paid fairly with good working conditions.

Noah was lucky enough to be able to try out one of the wicked rompers - he looks like a member of Bad Manners (Baby Buster BloodVessel?) - very cool! This particular one costs £20, and there are many other designs.

There are so many lovely things on the site that I would love for Noah and I'm sure I'll be spoiling him sometime soon!

The lovely people at Oh Baby London are giving my readers the chance to win £20 to spend on anything on their site and there are plenty of things you can buy for that amount! All you need to do is visit the Oh Baby London site and tell me in the comments below what you would spend your £20 on. Please leave a method of contacting you should you win.

For an extra entry please tweet this competition mentioning @iheartmuthahood and @OhBabyLondon and the URL of this post. Please leave an extra comment below to let me know you have done this.

For a second extra entry please follow @OhBabyLondon on twitter and let me know you have done so below in a separate comment.

This competition will end on Sunday 20th November at midnight. UK Entrants only.

Good Luck!

Charity Shop Gems

2011-11-03T21:49:00.000Z

Since having the kids I've found myself looking in charity shops more often than I ever did. They are such great places to find bits and pieces for children and so I thought I'd share with you some of the little gems that I've bought and my most recent find is my favourite so far...a Thomas the Tank Engine throw. A steal at £4! Noah is often found lounging around on top of it.

The shop we bought it from was fantastic as it was a children's hospice charity shop in Truro that only sold children's clothes, toys and equipment (buggies etc.). It wasn't like any other charity shop I've ever been in - everything was set out so nicely and I had the patience to look at stuff rather than seeing a load of jumble and walking out. Of course we couldn't escape without buying Isla something too, so she fleeced us for a bracelet and cuddly dog!

Noah at 3 Months

2011-10-30T21:30:00.001Z

So what's he up to then? Well nothing amazing to anyone other than me! He's doing lots of screechy, shrieky noises like he's trying to talk which I love and we have shrieky conversations with each other.

He weighs 18lb's!! Nearly doubled his birth weight! I'm sure this isn't that amazing again to anyone other than me, but I still marvel at the fact that he is hungry hungry! The differences between girls and boys are really apparent to me. With Isla she toyed with her milk, regularly left ounces of the stuff untouched, she was quite content but I was a typical new mum, worrying that she wasn't getting enough and trying to ply every bit of each bottle down her throat. I'd note down every feed and tot up the total every evening and sigh over how she wasn't downing anywhere near the amounts that the books said a baby her age should have. I really don't know what I was worrying about, she was perfectly healthy and no scrawny baby! Noah is so different. He just eats and eats, to the point where I think weaning him earlier than 6 months might be necessary. This doesn't thrill me the same way it did the first time round as I know the stresses and strains it can cause, although if he likes food as much as he likes his milk then it won't be stressful at all!

This week he has also started blowing raspberries and he's trying to roll over - he gets on his side and then gets all annoyed and starts crying. He giggles lots when I'm tickling him or pulling funny faces. I love his giggles! I also love that he hears my voice in a room and searches for me with his eyes. He'll stop looking at whoever he's with (even daddy!) and look for me. He's also started grasping toys and rattles which means he's starting to play.

The one other major difference between Isla and Noah is the sleeping, but again I put this down to experience. I don't run to him when I hear a cry from him if he should still be asleep and he very cleverly gets himself back in the land of nod! I find this quite wondrous because it took Isla till at least 6 months to do this. He also goes down in his cot really well and can get himself to sleep with minimal help and rarely a 'sshhh' - I used to 'ssshhhh' like a maniac with Isla - until my mouth was bone dry!

Another thing that's different 2nd time round is that I don't freak out so much about his development like I did with Isla. When that weekly Babycentre email hit my inbox when Isla was a baby I'd worry if she wasn't doing some of the things it mentioned. This time round I know that these things will happen and that they happen at different speeds for all babies. I know that he will roll over and eventually sit up on his own. That's not to say that I don't encourage these things to happen but I'm just measuring him less against other babies and I'm looking forward to watching Noah grow in his own time. I am enjoying him as a baby more than wishing him older.

WIN a trip to Lapland to meet Father Christmas!

2011-10-26T20:53:00.001+01:00

How would you fancy winning a trip to Lapland to meet Father Christmas for you and your little one? I think all parents would love to provide their kids with the chance of meeting the big man in the flesh. It would be a dream come true!

Well Transun have set up Father Christmas with his own Facebook Page and Twitter account and in between reading all the children's Christmas lists and checking on who's been a good girl or boy this year he's posting updates about life in Lapland with Mrs Claus and giving updates on the Elves and the reindeer!

So how can you win this treat? Visit the Facebook page to enter the competition for one lucky boy or girl (and an equally lucky parent!) to spend the day with Father Christmas in Lapland. Entrants must upload pictures of themselves in the Christmas spirit and explain in no more than 20 words why they deserve to win.

The deadline for the competition is 11th December, so get entering!! Ho ho ho!!

BabyMel Big Slouchy Dot Bag - Review

2011-10-24T21:11:00.001+01:00

I was recently asked to review a baby change bag. I'm not greedy and I already have a really good one, so I decided to ask a friend of mine who's just had gorgeous baby girl, Evie, to review it for me, so over to you Julie!

"When Sharon asked if I would be interested in reviewing the Babymel Big Slouchy Dot changing bag I was delighted, as I had just had my second child and was using my old free pram bag, which, to be honest, was doing my head in with its lack of pockets and design! So I excitedly packed up my Big Slouchy and started putting it to the test.

Firstly it’s a good looking bag, with a funky black and cream dot design, that is not too girly, so my husband was happy to carry it as well. The shoulder strap was really strong and a good length allowing the bag to be carried over one or two shoulders. You can also attach it to the pram handle bar using the Babymel stroller straps. These unique stroller straps are a great idea and very handy with our single handle bar pram. The only downside being I found threading the Velcro straps through the plastic hoops a bit fiddly and if you don’t do this then the Velcro doesn’t hold with the bag fully packed up.

Talking of packing up...the excellent size of the bag meant I was able to pack to the rafters with the baby stuff and my toddler’s bits and pieces. There were a good number of inner pockets and a handy outer pocket for the things you need close to hand. I found this concealed outer pocket particularly good for my phone and car keys, so I didn’t need to rifle around for them when loaded down carrying a toddler and my baby in its car seat!

Inside the bag the removable insulated bottle holder is a good feature and was deep enough to fit two small bottles in it. The changing bag also comes with a well padded changing mat in the same printed design as the bag. It was surprisingly big enough to change my 2 year old on and comfy enough for my new born.

The only thing I feel the bag could have benefited from was a separate compartment/detachable pocket to keep my nappy/wipes in so you didn’t have to take the whole bag with you.

Overall the Big Slouchy is a great accessory for any mum or dad who wants a hardy, good sized bag at an affordable price."

The New Babymel Big Slouchy bag retails at £55.

We were sent a Big Slouchy Bag to review free of charge. The opinions expressed in this review are nothing but honest.

Philips Avent Sterilizer - Review

2011-10-20T21:55:00.001+01:00

When formula feeding, sterilizing the bottles becomes a nightly ritual for a whole year (uugh, I'd much rather have my feet up watching Corrie!) so you have to be happy with the equipment you use. I used an electric steam sterilizer when we had Isla 2 years ago and I decided that we'd do the same this time with Noah. I'm not against cold water sterilizing (very handy for when out of the house at my parents or on holidays) and I've never actually tried a microwave sterilizer so have no idea if they're any good, but I'll stick with what I know! Steam Sterilization is also the most effective at killing harmful germs.

I was sent the Philips Avent 3 in 1 Sterilizer to review and as soon as I switched to formula feeding I got started using it.

So, what's all this 3 in 1 business about? Well the machine has two baskets, and the idea is that you can use the big basket alone, or the small basket alone or use them both together stacked. In the early days with baby when there are more feeds you would use both baskets, but as the feeds drop then the need for both baskets would disappear. It's a great idea really. The machine is very streamlined and doesn't take up a lot of worktop space - which is at a premium in my kitchen.

The blurb says that it is suitable for all bottle types and as I don't use Philips Avent bottles, I wanted to know if I could easily fit my Tommee Tippee bottles in the baskets, and I'm pleased to say that I could get 5 bottles in there - which is all Noah needs in 1 day. They are pretty wide bottles but there was plenty of room. Obviously if we'd been using the straighter Philips Avent bottles then we'd have been able to fit 6.

Another important thing to consider when considering which sterilizer to buy is how long it takes to actually complete the task - this one takes 6 minutes which is pretty speedy - all good there then.

My gripes with the machine are that firstly the heating unit has the power lead going directly into it as opposed to having a one that you can detach. This makes it a bit of a pain when draining the water away from the water reservoir. A detachable power lead would be a much better design.

My second niggle is that the machine is that there is no display on it telling you how long ago the unit was switched on, so say if I put the bottles on to sterilize and my partner didn't realise then he may think they're not done and do them again or he may think they are done when they're not.

And my final gripe is that the heating element has tended to burn dry even when we've put the right amount of water in the reservoir. It has caused the element to discolour slightly. This hasn't affected its function though.

All in all, I would recommend the Philips Avent 3 in 1 Steam Sterilizer to new mums who are formula feeding. The Philips Avent 3 in 1 Steam Sterilizer retails at £59.99.

I was sent this product for free in order to write a review. My review is nothing but honest!

RIO - New Release on DVD and Blu-Ray

2011-10-19T20:41:00.000+01:00

Recently Isla and I had a fab girls day out to London Zoo to watch RIO, the new movie about two Macaws! I was really looking forward to the day and I'd told her what we were going to do and she was looking forward to it too - especially about getting her face painted!

The morning took a bit of a turn when I had to decide to ditch nappies for the first time at Isla's request and I felt that this new development could marr our day but it didn't, and we did have a fab time!

We arrived at London Zoo and went to the mummy blogger private showing, where there was a face painter - Isla asked to have a goat (yes, she's quite stuck on goats since our farm holiday!) but was very satisfied with the beautiful Blue Macaw. She was also really enamoured with the plush toys of Blu and Jewel that she received! And now on to the film....

RIO is a high-flying animated comedy for the whole family. Blu is an exotic pet bird who believes he's the last of his kind. But when his owner learns about Jewel, Blu's female counterpart in Rio de Janeiro, they set out on the adventure of a lifetime. Even though he's never learned to fly, Blu befriends a group of wise-cracking city birds who help him find the courage to spread his wings and follow his destiny!

I loved it because I'm lucky enough to have been to Rio on holiday a few years before we had the children and the film really captures the spirit of such a fantastic city - I particularly loved the scenes in the Sambadrome - we had an amazing time there at Carnival!

Isla was brilliant - she loved the film and was riveted to the chair while it was on (only one trip to the loo!) and she was dancing to the samba soundtrack at the end. My worries about her not being able to sit in a cinema set up were upfounded! The final treat was when Roberta the Macaw came to see everyone. What amazing birds they are - such beautiful colours and brilliantly behaved considering she was faced with a room of excitable children.

We reckon this movie would make a fab Christmas Stocking filler!

Rio is released on 24th October and "Angry Birds Rio" has joined the home entertainment release celebration and is adding to the fun! Consumers who purchase the Rio Blu-ray and DVD can download 15 all-new exclusive levels of this most popular application of all time. These new levels are all PC, MAC, tablet and mobile phone (Apple/Android) compatible.

In addition to the Blu-ray Triple Play (£24.99), Rio is available to purchase on DVD with Digital Copy (£19.99) and Blu-ray 3D (£29.99).

Here are a couple of fun Rio related games for your enjoyment:
http://www.birds-vs-monkeys.co.uk/
http://www.rio-in-a-row.co.uk/

Click to View some RIO Activity sheets and games

Peppa Pig - International Day & Other Stories - Review & Competition

2011-10-14T20:55:00.000+01:00

Isla is absolutely obsessed with Peppa Pig, if I let her she would watch it over and over again! Not to mention the numerous t-shirts, slippers, hats all emblazoned with Peppa. In order to satisfy her thirst for all things Peppa she even went to Peppa Pig World this summer and tomorrow is going to see Peppa Pig Live, so you see we have a true fan on our hands! So when we were sent 'International Day and Other Stories to review she was so excited and if I'm honest so was I because it has episodes with my favourite character - Grampy Rabbit! Who can resist a character voiced by Brian Blessed?! Needless to say this DVD has already been watched 4 times in 3 days so I think it has Isla's seal of approval. I love watching her reactions to the characters and hearing her giggle to the tales of this cheeky piggy!

Entertainment One would like to offer one of my readers the chance to win a copy of this DVD. All you have to do is comment below with the answer to the following question:

Who is Peppa Pig's best friend?

(a) Zoe Zebra
(b) Rebbecca Rabbit
(c) Susie Sheep

Please leave contact details along with your answer so I can get in touch should you be the winner! Entries need to be in by 24th October.

And should you need any convincing that this is a great DVD, Check out the blurb.....

International Day and Other Stories

AVAILABLE TO OWN ON DVD FROM MONDAY 24^th OCTOBER 2011

Peppa Pig, the UK’s No. 1 pre-school character, returns to entertain your little ones this autumn in a brand new DVD Peppa Pig International Day and Other Stories.

Available from Monday 24^th October 2011 (£12.99 RRP, Cert U, Entertainment One) just in time for the school and nursery half term break, the DVD is packed with 11 fun-filled tales about Peppa Pig and her family with all the joy and laughter we’ve come to expect from this adorable character.

Peppa Pig is a loveable, cheeky piggy who lives with her little brother George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig. Peppa’s favourite things include playing games, dressing up, days out and jumping in muddy puddles. Her adventures always end happily with loud snorts of laughter.

Join Peppa Pig and her little brother George for the lead International Day episode, where Peppa and all her friends at playgroup dress up as different countries from all over the world, and 10 other adventures that will have the whole family singing Peppa Pig – Oink Oink!

EPISODE LISTING

International Day - Grampy Rabbit's Boatyard - Shake Rattle and Bang - Pottery -- Mr Fox's Van - Biggest Puddle in the World - Chatterbox - Chloe's Big Friends - Edmond Elephant's Birthday - Gym Class

BONUS EPISODE - Paper Aeroplane

The Adventures of Isla & Noah - Fab Farm Holiday!

2011-10-13T21:57:00.000+01:00

This September we rather bravely went on our first family holiday as a foursome! Noah was 10 weeks old and Isla is 2 and we all went to Cornwall, which isn't the most fantastic of car journeys. As the day of departure approached I had a feeling of dread! How was it going to work? Four of us in the car with all our luggage for 7 hours, what was I thinking when I booked this holiday??!!

Isla and Sheepy (yes that manky sheep had to come too!)

As it turned out my kids were FANTASTIC! We stopped twice both ways at the times when Noah needed feeding. Obviously we were at his beck and call and so had to stop for as long as it took to change and feed him - an hour both times in case you're interested, therefore making a 5 hour journey take 7 hours. Even more surprising that Isla didn't go stir crazy in the car. She slept for about 1 hour of the journey. The rest of it she chatted and sang songs and looked out the window and did some drawing.

Isla with one of the chicks

So we arrived at our holiday destination and couldn't have been happier! We were staying at Coombe Mill, which is a farm in North Cornwall, very close to Padstow and Port Issac (Doc Martin is filmed here apparently). I knew that Isla would love it from the minute that I read about it. There is a feed run 6 days a week to feed the animals on the farm and this involves going on a tractor. She loved doing this and so did I. It was brilliant walking around the farm in the fresh air and Isla loved seeing the animals up close. We fed the animals together - and we took up our scraps to the greedy piggies - who as soon as they saw the tractor would run the length of the fence to greet the farmer and his bucket of food! We also saw the deer run majestically across the fields - such beautiful creatures! Isla's favourite part of the feed run was feeding the rabbits and collecting the eggs! Collecting eggs even resulted in her eating her first ever egg - how could she not eat a boiled egg collected fresh that morning? I was elated by this as she is a notoriously fussy eater, she had 2 eggs that week!

What else did we do? We went swimming to a local pool when it was a rainy afternoon. We went to Padstow - didn't end up having Rick Stein fish and chips but we did have a cream tea AND a big ice-cream! We went to Newquay, had fish and chips and paddled on Fistral Beach. We went to Truro for a bit of a gander - this wasn't intentional we were heading for St Ives but realised we were a bit late to make the most of it and so stopped here instead. We also went to Polzeath beach to make sand castles and check out the ~~hot~~ surfers.

Of course she didn't write this, she's only 2!

And the time that we weren't gadding about North Cornwall was spent at the cottage which was well equipped for families. Mine and Tony's only gripe was that the bedroom was a little small for the four poster bed it had in it - the number of times we bumped our head on the overhead frame when getting up to feed Noah in the night was comical, but really that was the only thing and we are both exceptionally tall! We loved that the reception was stocked with some kids DVDs - Isla has developed an unhealthy love of 102 Dalmatians after a rainy Tuesday afternoon watching it twice! And if we hadn't of remembered our welly boots we would have found a pair our size to borrow. We also made use of the fab freezer with home cooked meals on our first night.

Noah's first ever trip to the beach!

Because we went in September after all the kids have gone back to school most families had children around Isla's age and babies. Everyone was so friendly and relaxed and sharing info on places they'd been that was good and also keeping an eye out for each others little ones and lending a swim nappy or two. All in all we had an absolutely fabulous time at Coombe Mill, Isla especially loved it and has developed a love of goats! We'd definitely go back - especially knowing that there are now Wallabies on the farm!

Here are a few more pics:

The MAD Blog Awards

2011-10-12T21:46:00.000+01:00

On Friday 30th September I found out my fate in the MAD Blog awards for Best Pregnancy blog. I wasn't hopeful as I was up against some bloody brilliant bloggers: Circus Queen, A Place of My Own, Is There a Plan B & Simply Hayley and in case you didn't already know I didn't win, that honour went to Is There a Plan B - well deserved! However I did have a really good evening out (my first since Noah's arrival) and I did feel good about myself in my gorgeous outfit from Debenhams.

What did I get up to? I met up with some bloggers I already knew and some that I'd never met before, who all are lovely. I guzzled wine with Northern Mum. I made a ~~terrible~~ sorry, BRILLIANT music video with Northern Mum and Mothers Always Right which has subsequently won us tickets to the X Factor Final and I didn't turn into a pumpkin at the end of the night.

Here are a few pics.....

Jane (Northern Mum) & Molly (Mother's Always Right) - enjoyed a tipple or three.....

Kate - She Rocks! (WitWitWoo)

Liska (New Mum Online), Super Amazing Mum, Louise (Bloggomy), Michelle (Mummy from the Heart) - All lovely ladies!

Thanks to Sally for organising such a fantastic event!

New Centrum Pregnancy Care Range

2011-10-12T19:57:00.001+01:00

Did you know that us Brits spend up to 5 years planning for a baby but we don't count looking after our health as part of the plan? Centrum Pregnancy Care carried out a survey amongst 3000 women and found some interesting data.

The majority of women in the UK planned to have their first child between the ages of 26 - 30 and over a quarter of the women surveyed said that they wanted to save at least £5000 before starting a family. Over a third of the women wanted to reach certain career goals before starting a family and where they lived was also a key factor in making the decision to conceive with 41% saying it was important to move to a larger house. Now all of the above are important things to think about and the women surveyed are obviously taking great care over their decision but the survey also found that one of the most important areas is being forgotten and that is the health of mother and child.

The Centrum Pregnancy Care survey found that 20% of women would not consider altering their diet or taking supplements in order to help them try to conceive, during pregnancy or whilst breastfeeding. Also only 1 in 10 said that they would cut down alcohol during their pregnancy.

One of the results that came out of the survey was that 1 in 6 women don't know about the importance of folic acid and aren't taking a supplement before they conceive and aren't taking one during the early stages of pregnancy. Folic acid has been proven to dramatically reduce the chances of your baby developing neural tube defects such as Spina Bifida and is easily taken in tablet form.

So how did I fit into the results of the survey? Well I would have loved to have had a baby by the time I was 30 but all the factors above weren't in place - I wanted to live in a bigger place and I didn't have the savings I felt we'd need. So I was 34 when I had my first baby and by that time we had moved to a house and we'd managed to put some savings together. I am one of the women who did know about the importance of Folic Acid but I put that down to my former obsession with magazines, I'm a bit of an information junkie and so I did take supplements while trying to conceive and also throughout pregnancy. It does amaze me that the importance of Folic Acid isn't on every one's radar but then I think we can be reminded of it all too late. Typically when a woman goes to the GP to tell them about their pregnancy, the GP will ask them they're taking folic acid and if they're not then they will be reminded to take it but that is a little late in the day at that stage.

Centrum have now developed Centrum Pregnancy Care and Pregnancy Care Plus with Omega 3 containing a unique blend of 19 vitamins and minerals including folic acid to support healthy foetal growth and help the baby's bone, brain and eye development. If you want to give your baby the best start then supplements including Folic acid are a must.

Centrum Pregnancy Care costs £5.29 for 30 tablets and is available from supermarkets and pharmacies.

My Debenhams Outfit for the MAD Blog Awards!

2011-10-10T20:14:00.000+01:00

I was lucky enough to be dressed by Debenhams for my night out at the MAD Blog Awards. Having not long had a baby I wasn't all that confident about my body and my sense of style disappeared long ago. So it was great for someone else to look for my outfit.

I was given the full personal shopper treatment, a lovely guy called Peter ran around the store selecting a few dresses for me to try out and once the dress was selected he went off to source me some fab accessories! I particularly loved the fluffy stole from Debenhams designer range.

My final outfit was a gorgeous Debut by Debenhams Dress, fluffy stole was J by Jasper Conran, bag was Star by Julien MacDonald and coral shoes were from Faith.

I didn't realise that the personal shopper service is completely free and I truly believe that this method of shopping found me my party outfit a lot quicker than I would have done on my own. I felt like a winner on the night even I didn't win my category and that is all thanks to Peter and Debenhams. Thank you so much for making me look the part at The MAD Blog Awards.

Woah! Bye Bye Nappies!

2011-10-09T21:41:00.000+01:00

I've wanted to tackle potty training with Isla for a while but with the arrival of Noah it's just been impossible, I haven't been able to concentrate and not had the patience for it. But this week it seems to have suddenly clicked in Isla's head that she wants to be out of nappies and if I'm honest it's me that's pulling back from it! But no, we're going for it head on and today was a whole day out in London wearing 'Big Girl Pants'!

Ever since she was about 1 we've had the potty in the bathroom and we've always encouraged her to go on it and she has used it on and off since the beginning of this year but we've not been regimented about it, it's all a very relaxed thing. For quite a while she has only done poo's on the potty as she clearly doesn't want it in her nappy but wees have not been as regular. Whenever we've asked her if she needs a wee she decides whether she wants to use the potty or not. I've always felt that it's important to remain as relaxed about the whole thing as possible so as not to have a power struggle over it.

The other thing we've been doing is reading Princess Polly's Potty - a brilliant book about Princess Polly and her journey through potty training which also involves the reader in the story. Isla really loves it and loves picking out her favourite potty from the ones pictured. It explains what Princess Polly goes through when learning to use her potty.

This week though, things have stepped up a gear and I partly attribute it to moving up to the older class at nursery. They have the potties out in a row in the classroom and the kids are encouraged to use it as and when they need. Also her best friend at nursery has started potty training so she has seen her going on it and has chosen to go and sit next to her on the potty and apparently they sit and have a little chat while they're on them! So when my Other Half went to collect Isla on Thursday they told him she'd done 4 wees that day on the potty and for us to bring her in knickers for the following day at nursery (with a bag of spare trousers and knickers in case of accidents) and they'd see how she got on the next day.

She was brilliant - no accidents, and loved wearing BIG GIRL PANTS!

So this morning, I didn't know what to do as we were going out for the whole day and I wasn't mentally ready for the challenge but I felt that if I put her in her pull ups we'd be going backwards on the good work that the nursery had done the day before. I took a deep breath and put her in knickers. We went out with the potty in tow and it was fine, even when there was an accident! I just had to remember to keep asking her at intervals if she needed a wee.

As I said there was an accident, but really I think it was more my fault as I didn't give her a reminder - and although it was an accident it became apparent that she was trying to hold it in once she told me she needed it. It leaked on her pants and trousers but once we'd reached the toilets there was still plenty more to come, so she'd tried hard not to let go! My only scary moment of the day was when we were at a bus stop near London Zoo and in this little voice she said 'I need a poo'. I just looked around and thought, 'where the hell are we going to do this?!' Luckily this proved to be a false alarm and I didn't have another poo situation on my hands!

Watch this space to see how we get on with this mission.

The Lion King 3D & BOGOF on Disney Films

2011-10-05T09:44:00.000+01:00

The Lion King is my all time favourite Disney film and I can't wait for Isla to see it, and she won't have to wait long because it comes out again in cinemas on the 7th October in 3D! It is such a heart warming emotional story and the music gets a lump in my throat every time. A month after its 3D release at the cinema it will be out on Disney Blu-ray™, Disney 3D Blu-ray and DVD along with a special Triple Pack featuring The Lion King movie trilogy. Glad we got that new flat screen TV - it will make good viewing!

It's also worth mentioning that if you're looking to start your Christmas shopping early there is a Buy One Get One Free Promotion on Disney Films until 31st October, which is such a bargain! It includes new releases such as Tangled and old releases like Fantasia (the first Disney film I ever saw at the cinema!). Snatch a bargain while you can!

Aaargh I'm losing my hair!

2011-10-04T21:21:00.001+01:00

It's happening again! I'm losing my hair, handfuls of the stuff and it's already starting to wind up my other half.
Him: "Your hair's everywhere!"
Me: "Er, yes, so sorry about that....DON'T YOU THINK I'D PREFER IT IF IT WAS ON MY HEAD!!??"

Obviously I realise that this is a temporary situation and that this hair is all excess that my body has hung on to for 9 months while I was pregnant, but there is this slightly panicky side of me that wonders if my head will ever stop shedding? Will I have to fashion a comb over for the rest of my life?

To be honest it's more the pain in the arse that it causes as I have to clear the plughole more regularly - yuck! And hoover more often - yawn. So.....

Dear Hair,
Please hurry up and decide whether you're staying or going.
Love,
Me

*In case you're worried this picture isn't real*

Maclaren Beginnings - Review

2011-10-03T21:13:00.000+01:00

A while back I went to The Baby Show in London and came across the Maclaren Beginning bath and body products. I was given a wonderful hand massage using the oil from the range and I ended up buying a Beginning travel kit for mums to be. I loved all the products and towards the end of my pregnancy the massage oil was thrust in my Other Half's hand of an evening to give me a foot massage!

So a few weeks back Babythings4U offered me the chance to try the baby range on Noah and I didn't need to consider it really as I knew that I loved the products for myself. We were sent the Calming Bath Milk with pure organic Lavender, Gernanium and Mandarin essential oils and the Absorbing Dusting Powder with pure organic Lavender, Tea Tree and Cornstarch.

Beginning is a holistic personal care range containing natural and organic ingredients as well as 100% pure essential oils and is certified by the UK Soil Association. The range was created by Maclaren, which came as a real surprise as I didn't know they did anything other than excellent buggies!

First of all I used the Calming Bath Milk, a capful is all that's needed and the smell is gorgeous, filling the bathroom with the scent of Lavender. Noah is loving his baths now he's getting older and although bath time is supposed to be the wind down zone, it really isn't in our house, he kicks his legs like a little frog. I don't visibly see him calm down in the bath but he does when he comes out and is getting dressed for bed. He smells absolutely divine and the oils keep his skin soft.

We used the Dusting Powder once he came out of the bath. It is talc free and is said to be good for soothing chaffing and irritated skin. I only use it around his bottom, as a way of making sure he's all nice and dry. I don't use it every night as I'm not big on covering his skin in creams and stuff but once or twice a week is fine.

I really do like these products whether they are for me or for the kids, and I'd definitely recommend them. They are nice and gentle for young skin which is essential for when they are so young, like Noah. If you think you'd like to try them then you can buy them from BabyThings4U

I was sent these products to try by BabyThings4U. The post has been written honestly and the opinion expressed is my own.

Rio The Movie!

2011-10-03T19:12:00.001+01:00

This weekend Isla and I are very much looking forward to attending a special screening of RIO! Check out the trailer above to get a taste of it. Isla already loves watching animated movies and this one comes from the makers of one of her favourites ICE AGE, so I'm expecting her to love it! It will be an experiment though as she hasn't watched a film outside of our home, so I hope she settles down to watch it in exactly the same way as she will at home.....I'll be back to report on the film and how Isla liked it next week.

Noah's Birth Story

2011-09-28T21:38:00.002+01:00

My last birth story for Isla was split into Part 1, 2 and 3 - it had a lot to it!

Happily I can report that Noah arrived a lot quicker and with NO DRUGS (Well Entenox - but I don't count that as I think I mostly chewed on the plastic mouthpiece!)! Although I say he arrived quicker - he was 12 days overdue so he had to be encouraged to come out....

I was convinced that he would be early, even though boys are notoriously lazy! As the due date approached I had quite a few nice things planned in my diary and I was convinced he would arrive to scupper my plans of attending CyberMummy and other outings I had scheduled. That wasn't the case - I waddled around the conference with most people looking at me in disbelief that I could get around for the whole day without collapsing with tiredness (or going into labour). The due date came and went and I was doing pretty well at keeping up a cheery disposition, even though inside I was getting a bit cheesed off by my little mans non appearance! I'd go to bed every night wondering if tonight would be the night and every morning I would wake up disappointed.

At 8 days over due I went in for a sweep, I was so apprehensive about it, having not had one before and for some reason I imagined it would be painful, as it turns out I didn't even feel it and the midwife said I was 2 centimetres dilated. The idea is that the sweep will bring on labour but if it didn't then I was booked for an induction 4 days later. I left the hospital feeling hopeful that tonight would be the night! It wasn't.

So on 13th July I phoned the hospital at 7am to find out if there was a bed - I was expecting to be told to call back as they were full - but no, they were ready for me and I was to get there as soon as possible. I felt really excited and nervous! We had to get Isla ready to take to my Mother In Law and then we were on the way.

When we arrived we got taken to our room and met the midwife who would be with us until she clocked off at 3. She examined me and said I was 2 - 3 centimetres and that she would use a hook to break my waters. Waters duly broken at 12.10pm, I just relaxed and played about on my phone and chatted with the midwife and husband. By about 2.10pm I was feeling like things were hotting up - contractions had been coming but they were starting to get really close together and I felt like I needed some help as up till that point I'd been messing about with a TENS machine (second time around and I'm still not convinced by these machines!) and regulating my breathing as per my pregnancy yoga. I got on the gas and air and I felt a lot better.

After labour taking so long with Isla I just wasn't prepared for how quickly things were going to get going with Noah, I was convinced that I would be in for a long labour again and when things started upping the pace I got a bit freaked out and started saying that I couldn't do it on my own and needed an epidural. Basically in my head I knew that there would become a moment whereby I'd be too late and I'd have no choices left to make. I got scared and obviously this is what is called 'Transition' and when midwives realise that the baby isn't far off! The midwife humoured me and got the anaesthetist who went through the procedure for epidural with me at which point I let out a massive groan and made my first pushing attempt. Hmmmm, too late for an epidural then. The anaesthetist was sent packing and my fears at doing it on my own were to become a reality!

As I had drugs with Isla's birth I didn't really properly get the sensation. The feeling that your body is taking over and you have no control over what it is doing, that baby is coming out no matter what. I can't tell you how long I was pushing for but for most of it I didn't actually feel like I was there - I had my eyes closed for most of it and when I did open them everything felt a bit surreal. The midwife (the second one, as the first had clocked off) and my OH were brilliant but I got tired of hearing the same words of encouragement over and over and when you're told that the baby has just got to come round the bend, you just think, COME ROUND THE BLOODY BEND, HURRY UP AND COME OUT!!!

And then at 5.22pm he did. And he was the biggest baby I'd ever seen, his hands were like dinner plates, his feet like canoes and he was all purpley/ pink and I loved him so much! The arrival of Isla and Noah couldn't be more different. I realise now after having this wonderful birth that I was actually quite a mess when she arrived and I was like this for some weeks after. With Noah although he didn't come of his own accord the birth was in a way pleasurable, I think back on it fondly and that isn't something I can say about what I went through with Isla. I also remembered every minute detail of the labour I had with Isla whereas with this birth the memory is fading and the bits that are left aren't gruesome or too harrowing.

We stayed in for 2 nights - my fault this time as I couldn't wee (just like last time!) - Noah slept beautifully the first night (I didn't, courtesy of the new mum across the ward from me who could snore the walls down!) and the second night he decided he didn't like sleep and I spent a lot of the night feeding him, while listening to another new mum who thought it was acceptable to be on her mobile at all hours of the night chatting to relatives in Pakistan (grrr bloody mobiles!).

We got out of the hospital and began life as a family of 4. We're all doing well and it definitely feels easier this time round, even though we have 2 kids. It is more tiring as there is no let up at all but there isn't so much of the fear that we had last time of not knowing what we're doing and we're also able to read him so much better than we could Isla - we know when he's tired or when he's got wind or when we're just annoying him with attention.

Life is truly very good!

If you fancy reading some more birth stories then get yourself over to Actually Mummy blog to see a wide spectrum of birth stories!

WOW Toys - Review

2011-09-26T15:58:00.000+01:00

I was approached by WOW toys recently asking whether Isla would like to try something from their site, the recommendation was a bath toy called Danny's Diving Adventure but we could choose anything. I went with the recommendation and I'm glad I did - Danny is fab and has changed bath times for Isla and made it more fun! Her bath toys up till now were water squirters and water mill type things and they all get grubby when they fill up with water. Bath time is always really noisy, fun and exceptionally wet in our house and this toy has definitely increased the fun factor.

Danny's Diving Adventure is a 5 piece bath toy consisting of Danny (the boat), the diving board, Chris and Mandy and Daphne the Dolphin. The boat is really cool, as it folds out and has a diving platform that you can dive Chris and Mandy off from. Isla just calls them 'Man' and 'lady' and during her bath time role play, man and lady like to have a kiss now and then, do a bit of diving and using a sieve that we already had, they take showers. She also likes it when the boat is sinking (she's going to love the film Titanic......), and the man and lady also dive off the side of the bath! There is so much imaginative fun to be had with this toy and Isla is really good at making up stories.

I loved so much about this toy - the packaging lists all the development benefits on the outside, the toy itself feels really sturdy and durable and there are no small parts to worry about swallowing or losing. It's really bright and visually appealing and I can't see Isla tiring of playing with it. Finally the best thing about WOW toys is that they don't need batteries which is good news.

The only thing that I could say I found a bit frustrating was how difficult it was to get out of the packaging, as with all toys these days there were lots of plastic ties and fiddly bits to unhook the toy from the box and when you have an impatient 2 year old jumping up and down in front of you itching to get her hands on her new toy it can feel like an age trying to get it out! But this is a small niggle and as I said is the case with all toys nowadays.

I'm definitely going to be checking out WOW before Christmas to pick up some pressies as I think they represent good value for money and will become favourite toys for many a pre-schooler! And once Isla is done playing with Danny I'm sure he will become a firm favourite with Noah.

WOW toys can be purchased from John Lewis, Amazon, Argos and Tesco Direct to name a few of the big stores. Danny's Diving Adventure retails at £10.99 on Amazon at the moment.

To write this post we were sent a WOW bath toy free of charge. The opinions stated in this post are honest and my own.

I ♥ Wall's Ice Cream!

2011-09-01T21:42:00.000+01:00

During my pregnancy with Noah and also now Isla is a bit older we have a bit more ice cream in our house (my husband has always had an ice cream obsession but I've never catered for it before) so when I was offered some new ice creams to try I wasn't going to say no.

We tried out Magnum Gold, Solero Berry Explosion and Solero Exotic Explosion. They were all delicious, the Solero's even give the feeling that they're healthy with the fruitiness (obviously I'm trying to kid myself here!) but I'm a sucker for a Magnum so I have to say my fave is the Magnum Gold! The gold chocolate coating on the outside is both captivating and delicious but then comes the smooth vanilla ice cream inside with caramel swirls - utterly sinful!! Now I've also discovered that Magnum's come in mini selection packs including my new favourite - Magnum Mint.

So in a nutshell I just can't get enough of Walls Ice Cream and I can't even blame it on being pregnant anymore!!

Natureshop.co.uk - Review and Recommendation

2011-09-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

Nature Baby Sleeping Gown as modelled by my Noah!

Natureshop are an environmentally responsible online retailer of premium “nature inspired” brands. They take environmental and social responsibility seriously. They are carboNZero certified which means they measure and offset all carbon emissions through purchasing quality carbon credits. They use 100% biodegradable packaging and only sell products from companies who share our environmental concern. How's that for environmental credentials! Enough of the blurb though....

I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to receive a couple of the items that Natureshop sell in exchange for a review.

The main baby products that Natureshop sell are organic baby clothing and bedding from Green Baby and Nature Baby. They also sell baby shoes as well as a large range of products for kids and adults.

As I was expecting Noah I opted for a gorgeous sleeping gown by Nature Baby (see pic above) that has been extremely useful in Noah's early weeks. It is made from 100% organic cotton and what I've loved about it is that it's light for the warmer nights and also it has a drawstring at the bottom making nocturnal nappy changes nice and easy. It also has the fold down mittens on the sleeves to stop little nails making unsightly scratches on baby's face. The design is sooo cute and to be honest I'll be sad when he can't wear it anymore.

I was also given the chance to try a pair of classic Birkenstocks, having never had a 'proper' pair of Birkenstocks before, it was really nice to try them and wear them on the few hot days we've had! They are perfect footwear for a mum to be, especially in the later weeks when your feet are all swollen!Both products were great quality and delivery was speedy. Being honest I probably wouldn't use the site to buy things for myself as I like to try and buy footwear when I'm in the shop but I would definitely buy clothing for my children through this site. The very fact that overnight shipping is free, returns are free and they are environmentally sound makes Natureshop really appeal to me. I could buy so many things for Noah and Isla (not to mention gifts for friends babies!) if funds allowed, check it out yourselves, you'll have the same problem.

I was given the 2 items mentioned for free in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

A Lot's Happened in 7 Weeks!

2011-08-31T21:03:00.000+01:00

I can’t believe it’s been 7 weeks already that Noah has been in the world! It’s gone so quickly. He arrived 12 days late and after a failed sweep I had my waters broken and then he made a storming entrance in about 5 and a half hours! Nice and quick for mummy and he was a whopper at 9lb 14oz.

So what has happened in that time?

4 days after his arrival was his big sister Isla’s birthday and boy does she like birthdays! She’s not stopped singing ‘Happy Birthday’ ever since! I have to admit to spoiling her. Partly it was to do with the guilt at turning her world upside down and partly it was that I kept buying things in the run up to her birthday, putting them away and then when it came to the day I was actually astounded by how many things we’d bought that I’d forgotten about. Whoops! She had a fab day though and it was also a good opportunity for us to show off Noah.

One thing that has been good about having a toddler as well is that you really cannot hibernate indoors second time around, Noah has been out and about to a few birthday parties, Isla’s sports day, a trip to London for Lollibop, a saunter round a National Trust garden (well a big snooze actually!) and has even sampled the delights of Croydon (thankfully also stayed asleep for that too!). We get 2 days a week to spend quality time together when Isla goes to nursery and so far she has been really good at drop off and we haven’t had any resistance to going there.

However there has been increased ‘terrible two’ behaviour that I feel sure has been brought on by Noah’s arrival. Me and the OH are trying to be patient with her but it is very hard when some of the tantrums are over silly things (one over baked beans!) and her behaviour is completely irrational. Worst example was when she refused to get in the buggy home from the park. My other half literally could not get her in the buggy for love nor money, she was screaming/ throwing herself around etc, so he had to walk home and the walk which would take 20 minutes for us adults with long legs took them nearly 2 hours at little leg pace! Glad I wasn’t involved in that one, but I’ve had my fair share too.

She has also now gone into her big bed in preparation for Noah moving from the Moses basket to the cot. Getting her to stay in bed some evenings is a bit of a challenge but I love to see her in bed asleep.....

Noah’s arrival has also coincided with Isla’s increased interest in the potty which is a good and slightly tricky thing all at once. It is certainly fab that she’s trying to become more independent but it’s also giving us even more to deal with. The potty has become really appealing when it comes to bedtime, a nice stalling tactic we think but obviously we can’t get cross about it!

I had my 6 week check and have a clean bill of health, so there is no reason why I can’t start to get fitter and lose some baby weight. I’m not breast feeding anymore so I really cannot justify eating lots of cakes and biscuits any longer!

Unfortunately in Noah’s short spell on Earth he has now already experienced an overnight stay in the children’s hospital. While he lies in his moses basket snoring I sit here in the darkness typing. He has a rash on his tummy and although the blood tests have come back showing nothing conclusive he is in for observation. While here we’ve also addressed the reflux problem that he seems to have, so fingers crossed there will be less puking! *

The next thing we have to look forward to is a family holiday to Coombe Mill in Cornwall in 2 weeks time - we're so looking forward to it, more to come on that! So that's it really, and although we're sleep deprived and fit to drop every evening, we're a very happy family!

*Noah was fine after 1 night in the hospital, unexplained rash was put down to a virus. The staff at Queen Mary's (St Helier) really are fab, I cannot speak highly enough of the staff in that hospital.

Persil 2 in 1 with Comfort - Review

2011-08-30T21:06:00.000+01:00

We were sent a bottle of new Persil 2 in 1 with Comfort Liquid Detergent to test and review. It has come in very useful with all the extra washes we're doing as we're now a family of 4 - there doesn't seem to be a day go by without the whirr of the washing machine (very useful for getting Noah to sleep!). Persil 2 in 1 comes in two variants, Passion Flower - the one we tried, and Sunshiny Days.

We don't usually use Persil, we tend to be a shops own brand user or more recently Fairy since Isla came on the scene. We do however use Comfort Fabric conditioner as I think it has the best, most long lasting smell on our clothes and gets them lovely and soft. Before using it I did feel dubious about using a 2 in 1 product, as surely it can't produce the same results as separate products. I am a bit of a traditionalist as well and feel quite loyal to powder detergents.

What did we think? Well our clothes smelt lovely, really floral and fresh. I used it on our bedding and there is nothing like getting in to a bed that has freshly laundered sheets and the pillow cases smelling clean, it's as nice as smelling freshly cut grass in summer! The whole of downstairs was filled with the heady scent of flowers.

In terms of cleaning power, it was good, I'm not going to say perfect but to be honest I'm finding some of the stains that Noah is creating (I think you might know the kind I mean!) are tough for any detergent to remove completely. What I like about it is that 2 in 1's create less packaging waste and you save money as you're only buying 1 product.

I would recommend Persil 2 in 1 and think it will become part of our laundry repertoire.

Silent Sunday

2011-08-28T08:38:00.000+01:00

Pacapod Sequoia Change Bag - Review

2011-08-21T18:39:00.000+01:00

Firstly I have to start by saying, I LOVE THIS BAG! I'm not normally a bag addict, but what I am is a bit of a control freak and I like to be organised and this bag really does help with these aspects of my personality. With the arrival of Noah it's essential for me to be sure I have everything when I'm out and about.

I was sent the PacaPod Sequoia Change bag to try and review, and before I had it in my possession I loved it because it looked so stylish. It doesn't look like a baby change bag and the outside gives no notion of what it contains inside, which is a fantastic organised system - two 'pods' to contain all your baby paraphernalia and a pocket for your own 'mummy' bits.

Firstly, the outside. It really is a designer change bag. It is beautiful to look at and would suit any fashion conscious mum. I chose the 'mink' colour but it also comes in black. It has a leather covered clutch handle and also has a shoulder strap, long enough to be worn across the body.

Now for the inside: the main bag contains the 'pods' - one for changing and one for feeding. The feeder pod can also be used as a rucksack as it has the straps tucked into the pocket at the back. The changer pod has 7 pockets and they are all marked with what they should contain, which is an excellent reminder system for me because I'm always forgetting to put something in the change bag, like barrier cream/ hand, the little symbols inside the bag really help. The changing mat rolls up neatly and goes into the rear of the change pod, it has a nice fleece bit at the head of the mat so it's softer for baby's head.

The feeder pod is a fully insulated cool bag and can hold up to 4 bottles and can keep them warm for up to 3 hours. It also comes with a detachable bottle cover. Keeping baby's feeding bits separate from the changing items is also better in a hygienic sense.

What I also like about the pods is that they have a clip that enables you to attach them on to the buggy, therefore creating more space in the bag if you need it or also allowing you to take a pod out with you separately of the whole bag. The bag also has 3 pockets, one which the full length of the bag for mummy's bits and pieces, saving the need to take out a handbag as well.

We tend to make sure that the bag is always filled with everything we need and use it at night time when we're up with Noah, the changing pod is always filled for those nocturnal nappy changes.

I would thoroughly recommend this bag to all mummies/ mums to be - I love using mine, it feels designer and when I use it I'm confident that I have everything with me that I need! It is really well made. The materials feel of a very high quality and I reckon it will definitely withstand all the use it's going to get. Get your Sequoia Baby Change bag from Pacapod, retails at £130.

I received a Pacapod Sequoia Bag in order to write this review.

Silent Sunday

2011-08-21T13:18:00.000+01:00

Postman Pat turns 30!

2011-08-15T16:20:00.000+01:00

Postman Pat, Postman Pat, Postman Pat and his black and white cat..... who doesn't know the words to that song!?

On the 16th September it will be 30 years since Postman Pat was created and to celebrate his birthday he is asking is fans to send him birthday cards and drawings and in return they will receive a personal message from him!

It's hard to believe that Postman Pat has been entertaining children all over the world for 30 years and together with his black and white cat Jess he has become one of the most loved pre-school characters ever created. As well as watching Pat on TV children can also now play with the toy range from Character Options.

In order to get a personal message from Postman Pat children should send their birthday wishes and drawings to the following address giving a valid email address and the child's full name:

Postman Pat
Evolution PR
The Abbey Centre
Daventry
NN11 4XG

I feel sure that this will make any Postman Pat fans day!

YourSurprise.co.uk - Great for Personalised Gifts!

2011-08-11T21:45:00.000+01:00

YourSurprise.co.uk is an online shop focused on selling fun, personalised gifts for all different occasions and targeted at everyone from babies to businesses. All gifts can be personalised with a photo, text and name therefore making them unique.

I was given the chance to try out the site and make a purchase to see just how easy it is and to look at the range of gifts that they do. The selection on the site is so varied and original, gifts range from bottles of wine with a photo of your choice on it, to personalised songs and the gift I chose to create which was a children's book, Teddy Bear Land, starring Isla as the main character.

Isla loves being read to at bedtime and I decided that she would love a book that she featured in and the timing was perfect as I made the book in time for her 2nd birthday. The book was very easy to make, all the personalisation parts of it are prompted for when you start to make the order. For this particular book you can give the name of the main character and then you can also name 2 friends to star in the book, so I chose Isla's cousin and another friend. You can also write a personal message for the inside page of the book. It was so easy to do and from that point on it was just a case of entering address and payment details as per all other online shops.

We didn't have to wait long for it to arrive from The Netherlands, and when it did (nicely packaged I might add!) I was pleased with it, and knew that Isla would be impressed with her starring role! And she really was. After it was read for the first time, she asked for it again straight away, which is always a good sign. It's a really cute book and I think that a child would be easily impressed if they found that they starred in their bedtime story.

So all in all, it was a great success and I'd recommend YourSurprise if you want to find a gift that you can put your own personal stamp on to make it original.

Most gifts can be delivered within 4 working days and are sent in a fancy gift package! If you spend over £50, you save 50% on your shipping costs!
Check out YourSurprise.co.uk selection for the best gift and personalise it today!

John Crane High Tea Shape Sorter - Review

2011-08-06T20:45:00.000+01:00

Ever since Isla was 6 months old and was given a tea set and plate of pretend cakes for Christmas, playing tea parties has become a regular part of her role play games. She loves pouring tea and handing out the cups to people and pretending to eat cakes, so when we were sent the John Crane High Tea Shape Sorter to review I knew it would go down really well and is also so pretty!

This gorgeous wooden set is a two tiered cake stand and comprises of 15 different shaped and brightly coloured cakes.The great thing about this shape sorter is not only do children learn to match shapes but each of the cakes also has a number on their base which corresponds to the numbered shapes on the stand. Isla is great with matching shapes but the fact that this also includes the extra feature of number recognition is brilliant!

Apart from the educational aspects of this toy it is just so stunning to look at, all the cakes are so beautiful and individual, decorated with strawberries and cherries, they're so girly and sugary! I can see that we will have lots of fun with this and also that it will have longevity in terms of playtime. My Other half also commented on how well made it is and it was very easy to put together.

Since Isla has had it we've had more tea parties than The Ritz! We love this set and I think it would make a perfect gift for any little girl!

High Tea Shape Matching Set available from all good toy stores including Dillon’s ToyBox , RRP £23.95

John Crane stock many other fab wooden toys, check out their blog here for more information http://www.thejohncraneblog.co.uk/

Widgey® Nursing Pillow - Review

2011-08-02T14:51:00.002+01:00

I was really pleased to be asked to try out the Widgey® Nursing Pillow as last time around with Isla I found that I couldn't get enough of pillows for all different uses - in bed during pregnancy and for back support when relaxing in the evening and then when she arrived for assisting with Isla's positioning when I was feeding her whether breast feeding or bottle feeding. So I became a bit of a pillow addict!

I was sent a fab Cow Print widgey and I couldn't wait to use it.

Widgey® Nursing Pillow is a feeding aid for nursing mothers with a firm filling and removable cotton covers (great for milk spillages!!). Uniquely designed to hug around the mother it removes the need for the mother to clasp both the child and the pillow whilst breast and/or bottle feeding.

The Widgey really has longevity as it's uses are as follows:

- Can be used in pregnancy for back support

- Is used for nursing baby, it hugs round mums body and provides a raised support for baby to rest on as they breast or bottle feed.

- Once your baby is 3 months old he can be rested within the confines of the pillow to aid digestion of his milk

- And lastly once your baby is around 6 months old and attempting to sit up unaided the Widgey can be positioned around the baby so he will be supported if he falls backwards.

So you see it really is worth it's weight!

I've found this cushion really handy now I'm breast feeding, it raises Noah up a bit so that I'm not bearing all his weight on my arms and as I use a different position to feed him on each side it works in both instances. I'm also looking forward to using it to support Noah when he's starting to sit up as I like the fact that it will surround him and it is quite a firm pillow so he wouldn't fall over.

The Widgey has a RRP: £29.99 and is stocked at: www.thebabycatalogue.com, Mothercare, John Lewis, Boots,Toys R Us, Asda, Tesco, Amazon.

I was sent a Widgey free of charge in order to write this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

Authentic Review of The Birthing Shirt!

2011-07-25T11:45:00.000+01:00

When I was given the chance to try out the Bamboo Jersey Birthing Shirt made by The Birthing Shirt Company I was really pleased as I'd not found something to wear in hospital that would make me feel comfortable before, during and after the birth. I wanted something that would give me good coverage but that would also be good for when our little man arrived and I could give him immediate skin to skin and let him feed.

When I had Isla I was wearing my OH's Ramones t-shirt! Sounds quite funky, but in reality it was a stupid thing to wear as I had the IV in my hand, so I couldn't get it off and to have skin contact with her I had to pull the whole thing up. It didn't do much for my modesty either!

So as soon as it arrived I packed it in my hospital bag and when the day arrived for my induction, and I'd got comfortable in my room I got changed into the Birthing Shirt. When my OH first clapped eyes on it he questioned why was it in such a dark colour, shouldn't it look a bit prettier than it did? Er, no, I don't think a pretty pink shirt will look nice once it's got all kinds of labour and birth nasties all over it, the colour is perfect to disguise all of that!

I can only say positive things about it!

Firstly, it really does allow you to move during the whole labour process. It isn't restrictive at all, allows you to get into whatever positions you find comfortable to give birth. It's roomy and comfortable and has two slits up each side which makes it easy to move your legs around and pull it up and down as necessary when having examinations and also when the baby is about to arrive.

The front buttons right down to your midriff meaning you can have skin to skin immediately your baby is born without any struggle. This is also perfect when you're wearing it to breast feed baby. I'm making good use of it now I'm home, as it is the most suitable thing I have to wear in bed as I can give Noah a feed in a jiffy .

The fabric keeps you cool, which is great for during labour as it's a hot and sweaty process!! It is made from Bamboo grass, and is much softer than cotton (like cashmere). Bamboo grass also needs less pesticides to grow so it is far more eco friendly too.

All in all, I really am so pleased that I was given the chance to try the birthing shirt. I know some people may ask is it really necessary but once you've got one and you use it during labour you'll see what a great design it is and how fit for purpose it is. It is also brilliant for breast feeding.

The Birthing Shirt is available directly from The Birthing Shirt Company website , retailing at £35.99 and there is free delivery until 31st August and also from the NCT online shop

I was given a birthing shirt in order to write this review.

Welcome to the World Noah!

2011-07-22T21:38:00.000+01:00

Here's our not so little boy! Born last Wednesday at 5.22pm weighing in at 9lb 14oz. He was 12 days over due as he was so comfy in my tummy! I'll be giving the low down on the birth story soon, but lets just say that unlike with Isla's there will not be 3 parts to it as it was all super speedy!