• reviews - weaning

    First tastes

    It’s now been a couple of weeks since we’ve been giving Little Sis a taste of what she’s missing out on! Over the weeks she’s really begun to open her mouth in anticipation and she’s finally grasped what to do with the puree when it’s in her mouth. It’s amazing to watch and she seems so grown up. I remember making some of my own purees last time (which her brother didn’t particularly like!) so I’m currently using purees from Plum. I used these with her brother too and they are great. The portions are very generous so I’ve been…

  • reviews

    Celebrate the Year of the Dragon

    A bottle of sweet chilli sauce has been a staple of my kitchen cupboards since I was at uni. Blue Dragon make lots of other lovely products and we were recently sent some goodies from their range. Tonight we had a delicious curry made with their coconut milk and Laksa curry paste – just the right spicy-ness for us! Blue Dragon are currently running a great on-pack promotion so you can win your own Oriental bowl and spoon set. 2012 is the year of the Dragon, a powerful symbol in Oriental astrology of good fortune. It also happens to be…

  • parenting - reviews

    Mini micro 3in1 scooter

    We’ve just come back from a lovely week away visiting family. We’re fortunate that the grandparents live by the sea in Devon and the Isle of Wight so there’s no excuse for not getting plenty of fresh air and exercise when we visit. One of the things we packed this time was Big Brother’s mini micro scooter. He’s been having loads of fun with it at home but we knew he would have even more fun scooting along the promenade! Putting the scooter together with daddy Both grandad and nanny were suitably impressed with his scooting skills. The clever little…

  • book review - knitting - reviews

    Labour of Love: over 20 knitting patterns for treasured girls

    One of my crafty passions is knitting so I was delighted to be sent a copy of Labour of Love: over 20 knitting patterns for treasured girls. This is the first book by Vibe Ulrik Sondergaard who studied fashion design at Kingston University. This book is absolutely beautiful! I would be happy to keep this on my coffee table but it is also full of contemporary patterns I would love to make, in fact I’ve already marked a few for my to-do-list! The photographs are gorgeous and really help illustrate each project. The projects are divided into types: sweaters, cardigans,…

  • book review - reviews

    How to Con Your Kid

    We received a copy of the new book ‘How to Con Your Kid’ by David Borgenicht and James Grace. I was intrigued by the title as, lets be honest, I’m always on the look out for tips to help me ‘negotiate’ with the toddler. I’m still trying to figure out my parenting style but the onslaught of the Terrible Two’s has left me looking for suggestions. Everyone knows that children bring boundless joy into your life. However, they also bring temper tantrums, stubborn moods, sulks, and a level of mis-behaviour that would tax a saint at times – as any…

  • baby - baby products - reviews - toddler

    Baby Safe Homes UK review

    We hear a lot about mumpreneurs but what about the dad-preneurs (I may have made that word up) – the fathers who have a great business idea, often as a result of the new challenges faced as a parent? Well last week I met one such man, Chris Jones, who runs a brilliant business offering practical solutions for baby-proofing your home. Now, you may wonder why we would need this service as we are old hands with a 24 month old. Well I was interested to see what Chris thought of our own attempt at baby and toddler-proofing, had a…

  • competition - reviews

    Lalaloopsy Dolls review and giveaway

    To be honest I hadn’t heard of the Lalaloopsy but when I heard it was perfect for any young girl, especially one interested in craft, fabric, sewing and friendship, I leaped at the chance to review it with my family. If you haven’t heard of them before, Lalaloopsy are magical ragdolls who come to life when their last stitch is sewn. Each doll has their own individual personality created by the fabrics used to make them. They live in a colourful, whimsical world full of fun and surprises. Sew magical. Sew cute. We really enjoyed watching Adventures in Lalaloopsy Land:…

  • reviews

    The Little Green Sheep sleeping bag review

    Like many mothers I would love to clothe my children in organic clothes. Both suffer from eczema so we are really careful about the clothes we buy, the washing powder we use and cleaning products used around the house. I was offered some baby sleepwear from organic baby and bedding company The Little Green Sheep to try with Little Sis. Apparently their babygros are all organic and even the poppers are nickel free so I was happy to. We were sent one of their lovely organic sleeping bags, which contain no nasties and are made from certified organic cotton. We…

  • reviews

    Elimination Communication?

    I was reading the latest issue of Mother & Baby and there was an intriguing article about Elimination Communication. Basically it means not using nappies and just knowing when your child needs the toilet. Despite being a stay at home mum I just can’t imagine having the time to do this on top of everything else. Sorry but I love nappies – reuseable and disposable – I’m happy to use both on my children, but they will wear nappies until they’re potty trained! We were sent the latest bumGenius freetime to review. You may remember some time go we tried…