Mamas and Papas Maternity Wear

Today was a bit of a rainy/ sunny day (Peppa Pig song - didn't see any rainbows though). So I decided to wear this Mamas and Papas top as it's summery but has the nice cardigan detail that kept my arms warm.

Still not had the right weather for my maxi dress, but I'm sure there will be an opportunity in my last 6 weeks before due date! If you're looking for some summer Maternity wear then look towards Mamas and Papas.

Mamas and Papas supplied me with some gorgeous maternity clothes to trial from their new summer range on the understanding that I write about them, I feel lucky to have the opportunity and do honestly love the clothes!

Bump Watch...Week 34

Feeling Really Massive this week! 2 more weeks till maternity leave and 6 weeks to go till due date!!

I ♥ I Love Gorgeous

I got some direct mail through my letterbox this week and usually it goes straight in the recycling bin, however this one booklet caught my eye as the image of the little girl on the front was captivating and it made me open up the polythene and flick through. It was from 'I Love Gorgeous' and the dresses in there were breathtaking and I liked the vibe of the photo shoots used in the catalogue - all wild flower meadows and hippy chic. I've never heard of I Love Gorgeous before but I took a look on their site and I love the dress I've posted here. Isla would seriously look fantastic in it, could be perfect for her 2nd birthday coming up in July! Take a look at them, the designs would be perfect for weddings and parties for your little girls!

Pregnancy Pampering

Last week I did a couple of lovely things just for me! I was feeling really really pregnant - I feel like I've got a beach ball full of wet sand permanently attached to my front! So firstly after I'd finished at Blog Camp on Thursday I took a stroll up to John Lewis and had myself a fantastic manicure at Nails Inc.

I don't know about you but since I've had children my hands have gone to the dogs, they're rough as sand paper, my nails are all jagged and all different lengths, it's embarrassing. Anyhow after 30 minutes of pampering my nails looked fantastic, and BRIGHT PINK! I felt really girly although I have to say I did feel a bit guilty spending money on myself. But then I think the guilt disappeared and.....

Next up was a bit of eye brow threading. I've been a fan of this for a couple of years now and I really enjoy having it done. I know that there are cheaper places to go but I always go to Blink as after the threading they give a lovely little massage around the forehead and temples and I find it so relaxing. I love how my eyebrows look afterwards (they were like bushes before - but my new fringe helps to cover them a bit!) and I don't really notice the slight pain throughout.

My pampering didn't end that day as I decided on Friday I'd take some time out over lunchtime during work to go and have a pregnancy massage at Spa NK on Westbourne Grove. And oh my gosh, it was bloody fantastic! I opted for an hour long massage that was £75 (I know, spending more money on myself! - but that all stops when Baby Boy arrives!) and it was worth every penny.

On arrival at Spa NK I was taken to the changing room and given the key to my locker where I found a robe and slippers. I got changed and then went to the relaxing waiting area and waited for my therapist to take me to the treatment room. Once there I hopped (read as galumphed) up on to the massage table with a convenient hole for my bump to fit into. I was asked to breath in some oils and then the therapist got to work on my back. It was fantastic, I hadn't felt so relaxed in weeks. The oils used were gorgeous smelling and the soundtrack to the massage was sleep inducing. Half way through I turned over and she set to work on my feet, legs, arms, neck and shoulders. What I wasn't expecting though was my bump getting a bit of treatment too - very gentle stroking massage. I had my fingers crossed that Baby Boy wouldn't start making his usual jabs and kicks and he was very well behaved, the massage must have worked wonders on him too and he was asleep. I enjoyed it so much and really didn't want it to finish, but all good things must end and I still had to get back to work.

So that was my week where I did a few things just to focus on Moi! It's not something I do very often but I figured in the coming months things will again to cease to be about me and they'll be all about this little person that I'm carrying around and I think he'll do a lot better if he comes into the world with a relaxed mummy at his beck and call.

Poppy Cat On Nick Jnr

You may or may not have seen that a couple of weeks ago on Nick Jnr a new pre-school animated series started called 'Poppy Cat'. We love Nick Jnr, Isla loves Peppa Pig, Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom and Humf, so it was inevitable that we would catch this new programme at some point and to be honest for me it's nice to have a break from her usual favourites!

Once you start to watch it you realise that the main character Poppy Cat has a very recognisable voice and it is none other than Joanna Page, the actress who plays Stacey in 'Gavin and Stacey'! This is her first go at playing an animated character and she clearly loves it.

Poppy Cat is based on the award winning books by Lara Jones, which have sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. The stories take preschollers on fantastical adventures and excite their imaginations. The series features 26 x 10 minute episodes. The show revolves around Lara a young girl who invents stories for her beloved cat Poppy. Once she starts reading a story, children are transported to a world of adventures where animals walk upright and talk. They go on adventures in Hot Air Balloons, Submarines and Pirate Ships and travel to magical destinations including the Trumpet Tree Forest and Marshmallow Mines. The show is so colourful and bright and the main theme running throughout is friendship, Poppy Cat is the glue that holds her little gang together.

Isla and I have now watched a few episodes of Poppy Cat together and she has really enjoyed it! When we received the press pack for the show we hadn't yet seen the programme, so when it came on the screen she immediately recognised it and went and retrieved the gorgeous pop up book that we received. She loves animals and knows what all the characters are and can follow the stories. We interact during the show, as I talk to her about what's going on throughout and ask her questions.   

I would say that Poppy Cat could really be a great catalyst for young children's imaginative play, as it actively encourages them to think about places other than every day life. As a character Poppy Cat definitely has qualities that I'd love my daughter to have and Joanna Page sums her up pretty well:

"I also love Poppy Cat because she’s strong, she’s determined, she’s not scared of anything, she’s very brave, she’s lovely and kind, she’s not selfish, she looks after her friends and she doesn’t back down from anything"  (Joanna Page)

Poppy Cat is on Nick Jnr (Sky 615, Virgin 715 and Talk Talk 318) every day throughout May - TUNE IN!

Bump Watch...Week 32

Bump Watch...Week 32

Philly Local Heroes - Delicious Recipes using Philadelphia

I recently got invited to a ‘Cook-Along’ with TV Chef Ed Baines in conjunction with Philadelphia. The cook along was to launch the new Advertising campaign running at the moment with the 'Philly Local Heroes' - 10 cooking enthusiasts who were lucky enough to have their delicious recipes selected to be part of the campaign for Philadelphia. All the recipes were to include Philadelphia in some way.

Ed was very charming and filled us in on his chef roots. He started his career at The Dorchester and from there went on to work at The River Café and was also head chef at Daphne’s for 3 years. He regaled us with stories ladies who lunch (some who carry washing up liquid in their handbags specifically for the purpose of ruining the remainder of their lunch so they can’t consume too much!) and how one of the restaurants he worked in their only water supply was mineral water – no London tap water was to be used in the making of any food! Ed is now fronting this campaign for Philadelphia.


Getting Stuck into the cooking

While we were chatting we also got down to the business of cooking our lunch and we started by making Philly Leek Rissotto, a recipe submitted by Natalie Kelly from London. I got chatting to Natalie before the session started and it was really interesting because she is a Doula and so a lot of her receipes are given to the mums to be/ new mums that she looks after. Everyone played a part in preparing the meal, and Ed showed us all how to finely chop an onion (leaving the root intact is the key!) and how to butterfly a chicken breast.

The Risotto was to be our starter, there were another 2 delicious recipes to make! We all then went on to make our own Philly Herb Chicken - we each had our own chicken breast that we sliced down the side and added Light Philadelphia with Spring Onion & Black Pepper to the middle, we folded it back over to seal it back up. On some foil we placed mange tout, baby corn and baby carrots and the placed the chicken on top, seasoned with some olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley and then wrapped the chicken up in a parcel.

In the time it took for the chicken to cook (200C for 25 mins) we sat down to scoff the Rissotto - it was delicious! The Philadelphia gave it such a lovely smooth and creamy flavour. Next we moved on to eating the chicken and it was again really tasty! Both recipes showed how versatile a product Philadelphia is - before trying these recipes my use of Philadelphia was limited to spreading it on toast - I'd never considered other ways it could be used. Check out all the recipes on the Philly website to see other yummy ways to use it. I agree with Ed when he says 'it can transform everyday ingredients into mouth-watering dishes the whole family will love' - I'm always looking to find quick fixes to make good tasting food and I think these recipes fit the bill!

For dessert we had Philly Meringues and they were as delicious as they looked!

On the day I got to meet some other lovely bloggers (Jo from Given to Distracting Others) and Tina from one of my favourite parenting websites Loved by Parents - we're both expecting a baby around the same time this summer, here we are with our bumps...with Ed Baines

We all had a great experience on the day and I for one learnt a few tips and tricks and hope that the recipes I've been given as part of the Philly Local Heroes campaign become family favourites in our house.

I'll be posting my attempt at the Philly recipes soon.....