I am going to Britmums Live!

Everything happened rather quickly.  A chat with a friend about whether we should attend Britmums Live! - the largest conference for UK parent bloggers led to us making the decision together that we would go.  Next came the choice as to whether I wanted a sponsor.  I had just decided that maternity pay was not getting me far, and that there are some fantastic companies out there with whom I would be privileged to work with, when the call came through.  Ok, so it wasn't exactly a call, but in 2012 a tweet is the next best thing.

I had an offer to be sponsored from two companies who I could not have picked better myself.

Arbonne Baby Care Review

We were sent two products from the Arbonne ABC  Baby Care range to try out on the little dude.  

Water-Resistant Sunscreen SPF 30

Unfortunately, as soon as we recieved this through the post, the sun decided that enough was enough and the early summer weather was just a teaser.  Therefore, we have not had a chance to test this product properly, so if you would like to see how it does, pop back here as soon as the weather brightens, when I will be updating this post.

In the meantime, we decided to use it as best we could, as I have pale skinned friends that have managed to burn on a wet cloudy day before -  I consider that quite a skill!  The sunscreen was easy to apply, and reassuringly thick. The skin stayed white for a few moments after it was rubbed in giving me just enough time to ensure that I had a good coverage before dissapearing.  His skin felts slightly moist afterwards, but not particularly sticky as some sunscreens have a tendancy towards.

Silent Sunday 29/04/2012

Trunki Day Out Review

When we were invited to London Zoo to see the new Trunki products it would have been rude to say no, so armed with a bag full of nappies and milk, off we went.  They were all set up in the reptile house which was luckily under cover as the rain was relentless.   Dylan has developed a bit of an obsession with his cot, meaning that he will sleep perfectly in itt, or not at all if we are anywhere else.  The first Trunki product was something that may remedy this.

The Snoozihedz are a fantastic invention, consisting of a soft animal face pillow, with a blanket and inflatable insert inside.  When your child fancies a sleep, you remove the blanket, and blow up the inflatable to form a pillow for their heads.  The blanket attaches both sides of the pillow meaning that even a fidget won't get cold as it stays put.

The snoozihed currently comes in blue and pink, but the new range has four new animals, including Pippin the Penguin (my favourite) and Leeroy the Lion.  Purchasing one of these new characters feels great not just on your little ones head, as they donate 50p from each one sold towards the corresponding animal charity at either London or Bristol Zoo.

Dylan loves his, and I love the security of knowing that he cannot kick the blanket under the pushchair wheels anymore.  They are great for carseats, pushchairs, airplanes, anywhere your child may want a little snuggle really.

The second new product was the paddlepak's new designs,

Reasons to be Cheerful

It has been a couple of weeks since I last took part in Reasons to be Cheerful, but after writing a soppy post the other day, I thought why not make it a happy week.  Here goes. . .

1)   Dylan appears to have mastered the act of sleeping so well, that he is getting up about half past 8 every day.  This is a luxury I never dreamt of in the early days, and I am enjoying every minute in bed past the seven o'clock that I expected.

Gemma, Laura and I at London Zoo

2)   I had a wonderful day out with Trunki at London Zoo (post to follow) and met some of my blogging buddies, Thelifeandtimesoftheworkingmum and Alwaysamummy.  I spend so much time chatting online to them, it is lovely to put a face to the name.  

10 Reasons Why I Love My Little Boy

So whilst slightly tipsy and very much missing my boy I started this and now sober with him in bed I have finished it.  10 reasons why I love my little boy.



1) He has learnt to wave, albeit not at the right times.  He tends to wave at me when I change his nappy, or show him a teddy he loves.  But lately, when he wakes me up in the morning I come into his room, look down into the cot and say 'hiya' and he gives me a huge cheeky grin and waves at me.  Simply adorable.

2) He has many different smiles, and I know them all.  There is the teething grimace which is a little smily but rather odd looking to be honest, there is the big open mouth smile which is pure delight.  There is his geeky little grin when he is enjoying his food, and there is the smile that says I have my mummy and I don't need anything else

Returning to work after maternity leave

Today was my first day back at work after 9 months of maternity leave, and I'm not sure if it is ok to say it, but I enjoyed it.  Nine months of spending twentyfour/seven with my little man has meant that having a bit of time away from him felt great.

I enjoyed it so much, that I took a casual stroll home.  No rushing to get back, no pushchair to push, no heavy sling on my shoulders, no baby in my arms, just me.  I knew that he would be in bed by the time I got home and it didn't bother me.  I am only working two days a week so it isn't like I will hardly see him, I will still be there most of the time but I want the right to enjoy those two days without feeling guilty for leaving him.

Silent Sunday

Munchkin Weaning Products Review

We were sent three products to try out and review from Munchkin from their weaning range;

The Spoons

Dylan had a great time finding out the many uses for the Munchkin weaning spoons;

They make great drumsticks on a petit filous drum.  A rather satisfying noise emits, and if you hit the drums hard enough then the remaining yoghurt flies across the room, coating something important in dairy goodness.  The drumstick always remains firmly in hand

Great teethers for those hard to reach spots.  The rubbery texture on parts of the handle appears to be very satisfying for those orally challenged.

They also work well as dummys, although if you suck them too hard they do hit the back of your mouth and cause a rather unpleasant feeling.  Always worth a go though.

They make for a great game of how many times will mummy pick these up before she gives in and leaves it on the floor.  We all know that throwing things off a high chair is tremendous fun!

Caring for your Cloth Nappies - Guest Post

The lovely Sarah at Fluffy Dumplings has written a guest post for me about caring for your cloth nappies.  Looking after them well will not only keep them looking and smelling great, but helps them stay super absorbent.

Normally washing does not excite me, not one little bit. Now don't get me wrong I am house proud but I don't get any particular thrill out of washing and cleaning as a housewife/mummy/home maker the washing is just one of my roles.

Cleaning my daughter's nappies, now that's something I do get a little pleasure from. I have no idea why but its with immense satisfaction I see my little wicker basket full of freshly washed and dried cloth nappies. I imagine them all sitting in there fluffing themselves up, trying to be noticed first shouting "pick me, pick me".

So what is the best way to wash your cloth nappies? Here's a little guide:

Frankie & Benny's Review

 Frankie and Benny's has always been a bit hit and miss in the past in terms of food and service, but it has been consistently improving and when we visited for the purpose of reviewing their new menu, I am delighted to say that we had a great experience.

We started with the garlic bread topped with goat's cheese and red onion, one of my favourite's and although a little undercooked for my liking, still divine as most goat's cheese based foods usually are.  We also had the calamari as Frankie and Benny's is the only chain restaurant where I find they get it spot on.  Not too chewy and tough, but lovely and flavoursome and served with a dip that complimented it beautifully. 

Red

I am really enjoying blogging, and it is making me want to improve my photography too.  I have discovered several apps such as Instagram and Picplz which let you play around with photos, and to join in with the linky at Dear Beautiful Boy's  'See it, Snap it, Love it' I have fiddled with this photo of me out at the weekend with my lovely red strawberry daiquiri

Red

Why not check out some of the other lovely red photos?

Real Nappy Week 2012

I would like to introduce. . . . . The Bloke, doing a guest post on the blog  about Cloth nappies for Real Nappy Week 2012. 

As it is Real Nappy Week, I have a few things to say.

Real nappies work much better than imaginary nappies.  We have tried imaginary nappies once or twice.  They smell better than real nappies but they leak quite a lot.  Definitely not the best option to use overnight.

As with many (but not all) dads, nappies have been forced in to my life.  My relationship with nappies is a bit love/hate.  I do hate nappies.  But I couldn't live without them.  Since having a baby, The Mrs has decided to swap her girly obsession of buying new handbags and shoes, and replaced it with an insatiable addiction to cloth nappies.

Baby Safe Homes Review

Finding a man who does things when he says he will is a challenge, and one I had failed in until recently.  I am forever asking the bloke to  take out his dinner plates, or finish the washing up, and the usual answer is 'in a minute' or something similar.  The situation ends in me eventually giving in and doing it myself.

Recently we have been discussing baby-proofing the house, as our 8 month old pickle is rolling all over the place, and it won't be long before he realises he can get around faster on hands and knees.  I was dreading how long it would take the bloke to get round to putting up a stair gate, so when I was approached and asked if I would like Baby Safe Homes to sort the house out, I was delighted!

The End of Breastfeeding

Today marked a momentous occasion.  I have stopped breastfeeding


I made the decision to stop feeding the baby about a month ago in light of the fact that I would be returning to work (albeit 2 days a week) and that doing 8 months was an amazing achievement.  I have been stopping for a few weeks now, changing over one feed a week but today was the day I drop the last one. I held on to the first feed of the day, partly through lazyness as I could give him milk as soon as he woke up without worrying about kettles and sterilisers and what not.  But tomorrow, tomorrow he will have to wait, for tomorrow he has bottles.

A Mother's Work Meme

“The Meme was established by Mother. Wife. Me and Pret-A-Mummy to discuss whether or not society values and supports mothers.”    I was tagged by MishMashMum

Rules:

Please post the rules.

Answer the questions in as much or as little detail as suits you.

Leave a comment on mother.wife.me so we can keep track of the meme.

Tag 3 people and link to them on your blog.

Let them know you tagged them.

Tweet loudly about taking part #amothersworkmeme.

Questions:

1.  Did you work before becoming a mum?

I was doing the very glamorous job of waitressing before I became pregnant with Dylan

Silent Sunday

Slugs, Snails and Puppydog Tails

At the 20 week gender scan we found out that our little bundle of joy was going to be a boy.  I didn't have the patience, or the will-power to not find out the gender, and we prepared a lovely blue bedroom, stocked up on blue vests, sleepsuits and blankets, and thought about what we would name our little man.  

One year on, and it is his turn to make the discovery.  The baby has discovered his manhood.  Mr George bear  has been replaced as favourite toy.  He grabs it, pulls it and holds it.  The moment the nappy comes off it is in his hand, and I don't expect this fascination to end anytime soon ever.  He is a boy after all.

Joolz Earth and Expedition

When we were invited to a sneak preview of the new Joolz Expedition I could not say no.  I have a secret an obvious addiction to pushchairs and can't help but check out every single one that walks past.  I have loved my Icandy since we got it, and I was interested to see if the Joolz would tempt me to try something new.

Expedition

The expedition is a stunning pushchair that can be both forward or parent facing- something that I find very important, especially as I had a big baby who went into the pushchair very early on. The carry cot is much larger than the icandy however, so had we have had the Expedition we may not have had this problem.  The seat unit on the Joolz are also much bigger than your average pushchair so if you are expecting/ already have a larger child, it is perfect.  One of my favourite features was the hanger from the hood which meant you can hang toys from the top for a younger baby to bat at.  The hood also has a hidden air top which can be opened to allow better air flow.

Hangar for toys

Review and Giveaway - Zippy Suit CLOSED

Own up, how many times have you got your child all ready for bed only to realise that you did the poppers on his sleepsuit up all wrong?  How many of you have a child that will not just LIE STILL when you are trying to get them changed?   There always seems to be something much more fun to play with somewhere else,  I am dreading the crawling stage as there is only so far the baby can roll at the moment.

Trying to change a baby on a train

I am certainly not alone in these frustrations, and a mum in Cheshire developed the Zippy Suit to make life easier for parents like me.  Their single zip fastening replaces rows of poppers, meaning the Zippy Suit can be done up in no time, making life easier for those of us with wriggly rascals.

Listography- April Goals

As it is the beginning of a shiny new month, Kate Takes 5 has started a Listography of April goals.  Here are mine in no particular order;

1) I am not known for having a spotless house, in fact it is quite the opposite.  I find it very hard to get anything done when the baby is awake, and when he is asleep I have the blog to write, facebook to keep up with and a lunch to eat without fear of it being snatched away.  My first April goal is therefore to clear my bedroom floor. I said it.  Now I guess I have to do it.  But as I need 5, I shall put it off for just a little longer.

NOT my actual bedroom

Winning the Treble - What constitutes a 'Grown-up'

I spent the weekend at  the wedding of a university friend, and had a great time catching up with all my old friends and housemates.  These events tend to bring people together in a way that nothing else does so there is always a lot to catch up on.

The conversations mixed with copious amounts of alcohol (as is only fitting of ex-students) and soon turned to the 'treble', and talk of who would be the first from our house (my housemates from uni) to achieve it.  The treble is classed as the three points that signify you are a real 'grown-up'.