Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!)

This week we took a trip to see Dora the Explorer Live and had a most wonderful time! We’d seen Dora on stage at the Lollibop Festival a couple of weeks ago when she was doing some cookery demonstrations and dancing on the main stage and we knew from just those little glimpses that she would be wonderful in her very own show and we weren’t wrong! It doesn’t matter how many times we go to the theatre, it never loses its magic! There’s nothing quite like a live show and I’m thrilled that Florence shares my enthusiasm for live theatre and can enjoy all her favourite characters (from television) on stage where everything is SO much more exciting! I remember as a child being taken by my Mum to see a theatre show of ‘Button Moon’ (a favourite from my era) and I must have been a similar age to Florence now; if I can remember that then she will remember the things we do and I want them to be as exciting as ‘Button Moon’ was for me! Dora just didn’t disappoint at all and if we weren’t singing the theme tune before we went (we were) then we certainly are now!

 

Us in our seats ready to watch! I had Jimmy and Florence on my lap in the end as it was a shame there were no booster seats. Florence couldn’t see without a bit of a boost so, my knee it was! It didn’t matter as there was ample room and she loved waving her paper star!

 

Dora the Explorer Live! ‘Search for the City of Lost Toys’ is actually, total enjoyment from start to finish! I often say ‘we’ve’ loved something when in actual fact it’s Florence who has loved it and I’ve loved it because she did. This time, when I say ‘we’ I mean WE! My friend came with her little girl and she felt the same! I can’t quite put my finger on why, but this theatrical display is a total winner with everyone and no one could be more surprised than I! I am, dare I say it, not a fan of ‘Dora the Explorer’ on television. Florence is, I can’t deny that but the programme irritates me somewhat. I find the cheesy American accents wind me up and the pace of it is all just too, well, annoying! I’ve no idea what is different about the stage show but it is and it’s all the better for it! The same format as the TV show is followed, it has the same characters, songs and accents but hey, it’s great, what can I say?! Dora is lovely and her cousin Diego made us all smile with his fantastic moves! Obviously the script is pre recorded but the actors do a wonderful job in their costumes by getting the message across using dance and movement. I thought the costumes were outstandingly well thought out with some kind of spring in the bottom of each shoe to give the characters their bounce; this is especially great for ‘Boots’! There was much audience participation with Dora encouraging the children to wave the FREE paper stars they were given, asking them to get up and jump in order to help them get a bridge to come down and inviting them to sing along and shout out whenever ‘Swiper’ the baddie came on stage! It’s a lovely story following Dora and her friends find their lost toys by making the journey assisted by ‘the Map’ (of course) through pyramids, jungle and finally to the Lost City of Toys. Small and simple things like bubbles being pumped from the ceiling delighted the children and well thought out scenery and back drops (the night-time scenes with stars and the moon are amazing) make it enjoyable for the adults too! All in all a brilliant show, one of the best and even though I’m a traditional girl who would usually favour something with a traditional English feel, this was super and I can’t fault it! When you come out of a theatre with two girls smiling from ear to ear and all the way home then how could you?!

 

It’s a bit blurry and Florence is half cut out of the picture but here’s the proof! We even got to meet the star of the show afterwards! We’re SO lucky and it was a fab experience!

One more thing I have to say is that although the merchandise is VERY expensive, it is of good quality, in particular the Ty Beanie of Dora! Also, the programme is worth a buy as at the end of the show you can take it home and do all of the activities inside it! Colouring, puzzles etc!

Dora the Explorer Live www.nimaxtheatres.com/apollo-theatre/nickelodeons_dora_the_explorer_live is being shown at the Apollo Theatre on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue from 28^th August – 16^th September 2012. Tickets are available exclusively from the Apollo Theatre Box office either in person or by phone on 0844 482 9671. Tickets start at £13.

 

DONKEY WATCH

 

Donkey parties like its 1999!

After the mega excitement of the Olympics, East London (Where we live and go walking with Le Donk) has felt a little like the day after Boxing Day! The ‘Para’s’ are here now thankfully because it has been a little like waiting for New Year’s Eve in the middle of that strange week in between Christmas and the party. There have been faded ‘Team GB’ banners in the bay windows of the streets and old Jubilee bunting hanging sadly and weathered so it’s super now that they can shine with glory again for this next stage of the games! It’s hard to imagine, after the summer the capital has lived, anything else coming to London and being quite as exciting. A bit like when the Millennium Dome saw the party of the century in with a bang 12 years ago! The Millennium Dome, or the O2 arena as it is now known was THE place to be back on the last day of the year in 1999! Just as with the Olympics I didn’t go, instead having the most exhausting New Year’s Eve ever (apart from that in 2009 when I gave birth of course) racing from dinner party, to pub, to house party, to club! Think I must have just wanted to do it all! But thousands of people did see in the year 2k right here in East London, in the dome and it was widely talked about, reported on and televised becoming a new land mark on the London skyline. Back then, when the party was over, the talk soon turned to what would become of this massively expensive dome that was, well, not really wanted by anyone really? For many years it sat derelict and forlorn with no one to call it home but eventually (after years of wasted tax payer’s money) it has become the venue of choice for rock concerts in our beautiful City. Talk now is what will become of the Olympic site? No one wants it, it was and is going forward, massively expensive but there is a dilemma about what will become of this iconic site? I feel certain that the right thing will be done and it won’t be another ‘dome’. I hope we have learnt from that fiasco and won’t let something which can be a lasting legacy to the Olympics in London rot and suffer. Yes, in years to come it could be resurrected as happened with the dome but I think we should keep it happy as of now. Perhaps it could be a museum and a visual memory of summer 2012? Who knows but whatever happens, as with the dome, it will be a place to see in East London!

Not being able to visit the Olympic site just yet (although I hope Boris can be persuaded for public access soon) I took Donkey to visit the dome as it stands now and as ever when I visit the site, I was in awe of how big it is, amazed at the structure and proud that finally this is no longer a white elephant but a lasting and functional part of London. Le Donk was also very impressed, the whole site is geared up just for buggies like him with smooth surfaces and plenty of room. I was super pleased with the facilities the venue had made for buggies (we were there to see ‘In the Night Garden’ a few weeks back) and all the restaurants and walkways were easy to manoeuvre my 4 wheels. Getting there with the Bugaboo Donkey was also with relative ease as the DLR is mainly accessible for wheel chairs and buggies. I would thoroughly recommend travelling on this service with a buggy, even if it’s a double like Le Donk. It really causes no hassle whatsoever and Donkey, as per normal, made our journey easy and slick!

 

Here we are outside the dome!

 

And inside is like being in a Mediterranean resort with wide walkways and ample space for a buggy!

 

Us with a Haahoo outside the ‘In The Night Garden’ show!

Now onto the Paras! COME ON TEAM GB!

 

Le Donk is off on a holiday while we’re away too as I will just need a super lightweight single buggy for this holiday. My faithful Donkey will be visiting my sister-in-law who writes the Workitmamma baby blog! She will keep him well and let him look after my nephew for a few Donkey rides in Norfolk while she does a few posts about him to keep him herself! Have a fab vacation Le Donk!

For more information on the ‘Donkey’ and all other ‘Bugaboo’ products please see their website www.bugaboo.com. It’s also worth noting that ‘When you choose a ‘Bugaboo’ product (now available in more than 50 countries) you are choosing a company which is a proud (PRODUCT) RED™ partner. ‘Bugaboo’ contributes a portion of its profits across all products – to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa, with the goal of ending mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015.

 

Now that the summer holidays are coming to a close we’ll have to find some more exciting things to look forward to or we’ll feel very flat indeed! I’m really pleased then to announce the release of the latest ‘Thomas’ DVD! We love a feature film, especially if it’s about one of our favourite characters and having them on DVD means we can enjoy them again and again! Autumn and winter nights are ahead of us and a snuggle on the sofa with a movie and our little ones could be just the ticket don’t you think! This ‘Thomas & Friends’ DVD special, ‘Blue Mountain Mystery’is to be released on Monday September 23^rd (RRP £12.99) and will be a must have for any ‘Tomas’ fan! (I know a few)! With new characters making welcome additions to the crew we know and love I bet you can’t wait to see the Fat Controller sending Thomas  to work at the Blue Mountain Quarry where he spots an engine he’s never seen before trying to hide. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Thomas tracks down and befriends Luke who tells Thomas he’s hiding because he did something that’s so bad he could be sent away from the Island of Sodor forever! Thomas does not believe this and sets off on a journey to discover the story of this poor runaway engine… Sounds good doesn’t it! Well, it is, we’ve seen it and I can vouch for that!

 

Prior to the release date there will be a celebrity filled ‘Blue Carpet’ West End premiere at Vue Cinema in Leicester Square. Screenings of ‘Blue Mountain Mystery’ will also be shown at 70 big screens in Vue Cinema’s across the country on the weekend of 1^st and 2^nd September. What a treat for the little one’s that’ll be! Now, we obviously loved the film (even the credits at the beginning are wicked) as I’ve said but find out what one of our best pals and his Mummy think of it! William (age 2 and a half) and his Mummy Charlotte are some of the biggest Thomas fans I know and I can’t think of anyone better to share their thoughts:

‘We thought this ‘Thomas’ film had a really exciting plot and even though some of it went over the little ones heads it meant it was more enjoyable for older children and adults whilst still entertaining for the toddlers. William is a big fan of ‘Thomas’ so noticed that some old favourite characters didn’t make much of an appearance but he still massively enjoyed the new tale and getting to know the new characters too! The music, as always, is great although perhaps not as catchy as in other films but all in all a very enjoyable movie! It’s a long one and for a two and a half year old this means perhaps two sittings are better? It does mean it’s more geared up for older ones and perhaps a family would enjoy watching all together because of the sophistication of this new ‘Thomas’ film; previous ones might have been considered just for babies’?

 

Follow Thomas’ engine escapades on the brand new ‘Blue Mountain Mystery’ web pages on the Thomas & Friends website www.thomasandfriends.com/bluemountain You can also keep track of all the latest Thomas news on Facebook or follow @thomasfriendsuk on Twitter.

 

Thinking of activities and I have to say that Florence really loves to pop her apron on and do a bit of cooking but it’s often quite difficult to accommodate her in our tiny kitchen. When we’re at my Mum’s she can make cakes and have a little table on the kitchen floor with a bowl and my Mum has ample room to assist her but our space is so tiny, if she’s going to help she has to sit on the kitchen side and that means there’s not an awful lot of room to do anything! The actual cooking therefore has to be simple and quick but Florence has lots of grand ideas, is a big fan of beautifully decorated cup cakes and the like and of course doesn’t understand that I don’t really have the skills at the best of times, let alone with a toddler at my heels! This is why, for cooking with Florence, a packet mix for cakes often comes in handy! I know that might sound bad but when it’s literally a ‘just add’ situation then the process is over quickly, Florence is getting to cook and it doesn’t require masses of space!

She often makes little fairy buns but we’ve obviously, as you would expect with packet cakes, not been able to do anything more impressive… Until now! Asda make an absolutely brilliant packet for not just cakes, oh no! But the ever so fashionable ‘cake pops’! I recently googled how to make these cakey lollipops and after a few searches gave up the idea as being waaaaay too hard so I was surprised to see that there is a packet mix and what’s more is requires absolutely no baking whatsoever! The ‘Cake Pop Kit’ which comes from Asda’s ‘Chosen By You’ range costs just £2.98 and contains everything you need to make 6 chocolaty, gooey cake pops including the tray to dry them on! The instructions sounded so good I thought even Jonny could do it so here’s how my guy and our gal got on!

 

Florence was excited to be cooking with Daddy – Everything you need for the ‘Cake Pops’ comes in the kit

 

 

Mix the frosting in with the cake crumbs and stir!

 

 

Roll into balls and place on a tray before inserting the sticks and putting in the fridge while you melt the chocolate!

 

I have to admit here that this is where I stepped into help… and ruined it all! The kit contains some chocolate flavoured buttons to melt which you then dip the cake pops in before dipping them in some gold flake decorations. I said ‘I’ll melt the chocolate’! And I did. Then I over melted the chocolate and it turned to sludge… Oh dear! Luckily we had some more buttons in the fridge but only a tiny pack so when melted it would only cover the top of the cake pops and not the whole thing… My fault entirely, but you know what, they still looked great and we all had fun!

 

Jonny properly melts chocolate before coating the top of the cake pops and dipping them in the gold flecks!

 

Me sheepishly trying the end product!

It’s no secret that I’m a massive fan of Asda and it’s definitely worth knowing that their Home Event is on now until 10th September! Save up to 55% across hundreds of home products from cushions to casserole dishes and you can have a brand new ‘home lift’ at very affordable prices indeed. It’s not just in store either but also on line at Asda Direct! So whether you want to re-vamp your whole place or just pick up a few kitchen bits (they have a gorgeous 1ltr red cafetiere for just £5!) then Asda is the place to be, why spend more if you don’t have to?!

 

Berry Entertaining!

 

With the holiday nearly upon us now I feel certain that the BlackBerry PlayBook is going to be invaluable! I have been locating places where we can tap into free wireless (luckily our villa is one of them) and Florence can watch CBeebies at the touch of a button! I can’t believe technology has moved on this much? Within minutes, abroad, we will be able to watch television, check our emails, read a book and play games! I have also been down loading activities and games (still free ones at the moment) that we will use on holiday and talk about afterwards on here but there is so much more I will be putting on the PlayBook other than things for Florence! I thought it would be great for entertaining her but actually it’s pretty good at doing the job for the whole family! Really we need one each! Ha!

For Florence as well as the games I have been downloading children’s books both ones with activities like the one I reviewed last week (Perico Pirate) and ones which are traditional stories too!

For Jimmy we will be tapping into free wifi wherever we go and entertaining him with baby TV on the internet. I imagine on the long journey from the airport to our villa this will go down a treat!

Jonny is loving the FREE app Guitar for PlayBook and this is perfect for holidays as well as teaching Florence a bit of guitar! As a musician Jonny misses playing his guitars when on holiday but now he can have a little tinkle without having the hassle of taking a guitar with him!

As for me, I hate to admit it because I always poo pooed the idea in the past but I have downloaded Kobo for free and can read hundreds of books if I so choose! I actually like having a real book in my hands and I was always against this sort of thing but having seen it and realised how lovely the screen is to look at (the light is just good for some reason) and coupled it with not having to take a load of books… Well, I’m sold! There are loads of FREE books to choose from too, pretty good eh!

Well, I’ll tell you all about how we got on using the PlayBook on holiday when we get back but right now I’ve got to go and down load more stuff to take with us!

 

Just look at this, it’s like being in an actual library! 

For more information on the BlackBerry PlayBook and all BlackBerry products please see http://uk.blackberry.com/

 

MY LIFE WITH 2! WEEK 17!

It was great to get to Norwich for the bank holiday and Jonny had the whole weekend off which is rare and a bit of a treat for us but I couldn’t help worrying all the time we were away that what I should really be doing was the washing and packing for when we go on holiday this weekend coming! Oh well, I guess I’ve made the time somewhere as it’s all getting done, eventually! It’s brilliant only having to pack nappies for Jimmy! Nappies are super expensive where we’re going so I’m going to have to take them with me and halving the amount I’ll need by Florence being dry in the day time is superb! There’s an awful lot to think about when going with little ones and the amount of things we need to take, well! It’s a good job we’ve each got a 20kg luggage allowance that’s all I can say! Being a bit of a baby gadget fan I’ve had to really struggle not to just pack everything but I think I’ve finally come up with a selection of things I’ll really need! We’ll be taking things like Mam self sterilising bottles and soothers for the villa (I have found a brilliant way to sterilise dummies when out and about – on the list below) and lots of sun cream (of course!) as well as packing our faithful old Trunki suitcases! (Florence has the Ladybird and I’ve just bought Jimmy the Bumblebee)! I’ve also chosen my top 10 of baby gadgets I think we’re going to need and I’ll let you know how we got on when we get back! Here’s a list of what I envisage are going to be my all new ‘Holiday Must Have Baby Gadgets’!

1) Chicco LiteWay Stroller, £139.99. Florence will do a lot of walking on holiday so I just wanted a very light weight holiday buggy for Jimmy and it had to be suitable from birth. As we all know, I’m a huge buggy snob and hold my hands up to the title but it means that just because I need a light weight stroller, it still has to look good! And perform well! Oh and most importantly be comfy for Jimmy! There’ll be a bit of walking on this holiday, on all different terrains but I think this buggy will be good for it all. I love the fact you can remove the under basket and use it as a back pack! I chose it in black as it looks super sleek; apparently so did Coleen Rooney! And she’s not the only celebrity Chicco fan! Oh no… I’m talking seriously A list when I say that Hollywood actress Sienna Miller has been seen recently with the new I-Move from the brand so I am in very good company indeed! If only it was her figure I shared and not just her taste in baby gear!

 

2) Mothercare Sleepwalker Travel Cot, £79.99. Love the idea of this one as firstly Jimmy is far too young to be sleeping on a mattress that other babies have slept on but I didn’t want to have to take a massive travel cot with me! This however folds up into a holdall sized package, weighs 5.3kg (that’s includes the bag) and has an inflatable mattress amongst other design features! I thought it would be a great play pen too and can’t wait to try it out! I love the fact this one is also on wheels and can be pulled along behind us!

 

3) ErgoBaby Carrier BC4S, £78 on Amazon and I’ll be using it with the infant insert, £22.26 on Amazon. I love slings and really and truly I like to have Jimmy in a soft fabric one but in a space-saving endeavour I have chosen to just take the sling I use and love for Florence and take the infant insert for Jimmy, that way we can chop and change who goes in it! I’ve used the sling before but not the insert so we’ll see how we get on… I love this sling with Florence on my back and she used to go on my hip all the time; I use it often but I’ve never used it on my front with a tiny baby… Fingers crossed!

 

This is what a fan of baby wearing I am! Here I am from a day with Florence on my back in the Ergo and Jimmy on my front in another sling!

4) Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump, £25.48. I’m taking this pump over any other because it is very slim and compact. I’ve tried it out briefly just to see if it works and initial impressions are good. I pump every day for Jimmy and it is vital for my holiday so I definitely wouldn’t be risking this element on a product I didn’t trust!

 

This is the Lansinoh pump after my pre holiday trial!

5) There will be lots of swimming on holiday so we will be using for Jimmy, the Mothercare Baby Swim Seat, Currently on offer from £15 to just £12! We’ve used this many times in the past and it’s always been great. Florence used it from 6 months but it is suitable from 3 – 12 months! I will not be using this without supervision at all times but I know it was brilliant with Florence so I’m hoping Jimmy will love it too!

 

Florence at 6 months on holiday in the seat!

6) Florence will be wearing the Zoggs Miss Zoggy Bobin from Mothercare, £27.99. Although I won’t take my eyes off Florence for a second (we had a moment when I did, a split second in the local swimming pool, where she went under for a second and it taught me you can never be too careful) I think I will feel better knowing she is wearing this jacket (even with me watching her like a hawk) and we can use it to give her more confidence as after that experience she is, of course, a little scared. You can remove the individual floats as and when they get more confident in the water and I think this is ideal for our holiday! (available with suitability for ages 2 – 3 or 4 – 5).

 

We know it fits as we tried it at a friend’s out door birthday party not so long ago!

7) Milton Mini Portable Soother Steriliser, £6.99 from Mothercare. Jimmy has a dummy and although I have become a little laissez-faire about the sterilisation of them of late, I think when abroad I’m going to be on my guard about it. This is an easy way to make sure I never have to compromise and I can pop this steriliser in my bag and take it out with me!

 

8) Bundle Bean, £29.99. This is a foot muff for the buggy, car seat, bike seat or even front style sling! It can also be unfolded and used as a picnic or play rug! We’re going somewhere which is hot in the day time but can have a bit of a chill at night and if the baby is in the buggy or the sling this will work! I also thought it would be great for playing on in the villa!

 

A friend using her Bundlebean last year! This first alerted me to its benefits!

9) Bebe Au Lait nursing cover, £27.99. These pretty covers are to hide your modesty whilst feeding and are billed as ‘nursing covers for chic mothers’! I’m not usually one to bother covering up but when in a foreign country I think it’s probably always advisable as I don’t want to offend and different cultures have different expectations! This one is great for hot climates as it’s made with breathable fabric.

 

10) Snoozeshade Original, £19.99. We’ve tried (and loved) the SnoozeShade Plus, (Which we shall also be taking away) SnoozeShade for Infant Car Seat and SnoozeShade Twin but we’ve not yet tried the original! I’m wondering how it differs from the ‘Plus’ so I’ll let you know what I find! I do know though that last year the ‘Plus’ was my absolute best holiday baby gadget ever and I’d never, ever travel without one! Not only is it a black out blind for the buggy (peeeeeerfecto when trying to dine out with a tired baby) but it shields from the sunshine! They can see out if you undo the zipper at the front which peels away one layer and if they still don’t like to be behind it (as my little one didn’t when awake) then you can position it with the velcro fasteners to cover just one side and effectively replace the parasol which we always find to be a bit useless anyway! This isn’t so much of a desired product as more of a must!

 

This is us using the ‘Snoozeshade Plus’, it fits on my Bugaboo Bee as shown, Bugaboo Donkey, Umbrella folds… I just hope I like the original as much!

Just one more for luck… We’re travelling extremely early in the morning and it might be very cold. It’s also the first time Florence will have travelled on a plane in a seat of her own so in order to make her feel special, comfortable and just for a little treat I’ve got her a Snooziheadz (£19.99) from Trunki! We love their suitcases as I mentioned above and this super cute pillow and blanket looks great for little ones especially as we’re flying very early in the morning when it will be cold!

 

Well, as you might have guessed… I’m off on my holidays now so I won’t be posting until I’m back. I think I’m organised and my cousin is moving in to look after the flat and cat so, yep, I think I’m done… See you when I get back! In the meantime follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

I’m not sure if we’re the only ones who do this but every time Florence sleeps through the night (or has other desirable behavioural patterns for that matter) Jonny and I go through what we did that day, decide something MUST be the answer and try to replicate it the next day to promote the same result again. Most of the time this is met with a big fat ‘ha ha ha’ coming from the gods as it inevitably doesn’t work again and we are back to the drawing board while hoping for another fluke… Florence is a child who doesn’t sleep and we’re forever cobbling together routines we think will work, we know should work, ones which have worked for friends or even ones we pluck out of thin air! We’ve let her have a sleep in the day time, then we’ve tried not letting her nap at all, we’ve also tried forcing her to snooze before lunch, after lunch, in the car only or waking her up after certain time scales… We have literally tried every ‘routine’ possible and I have to say NONE of them have worked at all!

It used to be that Florence needed a sleep in the day time but if the nap happened after lunch she would be up in the evenings till all hours so I used to go hell for leather trying to get her back to sleep only hours after she’d got up in the mornings – madness! Anyway, the days when I could just about force a sleep (via breast feeding or walking round the park while I pinned her down in the buggy) before 10am passed some time ago and the afternoons of pinching her (gently) to get her to stay awake commenced. She still needed a sleep and would be an absolute rotter by about 4pm but it did mean she went to bed by about 7.30 and we could breathe a sigh of relief and relax in the evenings. Well, when it started to co-incide with her also being read a story to sleep instead of fed we thought we’d absolutely cracked it! We hadn’t.

Inevitably things changed and when Jimmy was born it knocked her out of kilter or at least we presumed this is why our new found routine had started to fail. We were again searching for something new, another revelation and ritual we would have to perform every day which would mean she would go to bed at 7.30 and stay asleep all night! So far it hasn’t happened again but there have been the odd days when miraculously she has gone to bed at a reasonable time and we’ve always tried to link it to something we have done in the day time – I believe it’s called clutching at straws! ‘Aha’ we would say ‘it must be because she didn’t have any chocolate today’ then ‘NO MORE CHOCOLATE!’ we would declare! The next few chocolate-less days would see no sleep pattern continue but would almost certainly add almighty chocolate starved tantrums to the day! Then we’d have another night where she’d be rubbing her eyes at 6.30 and we’d assume that swimming was the answer (If it was swimming that we’d done differently on that particular day of course)!

We’ve got to the stage now where Florence doesn’t often have a sleep in the day time and with or without it these days she will happily still be up playing until 9.30. I have given up pinching her awake when she does show the odd sign of sleepy-ness because it just doesn’t affect bed time, bed time being so late anyway. Right from a baby she would be happy to be up late, as in happy and playing nicely not screaming the house down with tiredness! She quite honestly just doesn’t seem to need or want a lot of slumber. She sometimes gets a little sleepy, has a sit down for five minutes to charge her batteries and that’s it – she’s rallied! I’ve come to the conclusion that no amount of cobbled together routines will change this girl in this area. When she does go to bed early it’s just an odd occasion and not because we have found the key! (Once when she was a baby I took her to A & E because she slept so much one day! The Doctor said there was nothing wrong with her and she was just tired but that’s how little sleep this child has; the one a day when she did I thought she must be ill)! Jimmy, my little sleeping bean sometimes sleeps 8 and a half hours and he’s exclusively breast fed! (I’ve no idea if that actually means anything or not but people always say it don’t they – ‘and he’s breast fed’ as if he wouldn’t be expected to sleep because of it)! The other day he only slept for 5 hours before waking (I say only although I’d have jumped for joy to get even two hours in a row with Florence at the same age) and I found myself wondering what I had done differently and back tracking through the day to make sure I didn’t repeat it, then, I checked myself… I am going to endeavour not to behave so fixatedly anymore and perhaps let them be how they naturally want to be – I may save myself some energy along the way!

There are things I will keep in place because they make me feel better. We won’t have loud children’s TV while we wind down after 7pm, we will still have our after dinner bath and stories will be read at bed time whether they make the children fall asleep or not but as for any other ‘routine’ I am throwing them all out the window… I’m just not a routine kinda gal so why would my children be any different? I am however obsessed with sleep and Florence at least is obsessed with staying awake! There’s a children’s song called ‘My Brother’ by Mitch Murray and Terry Scott; one of the lyrics (talking about their mother) is; ‘You know, every night when we’re wide awake, she makes us go to bed. And then, in the morning when we’re fast asleep, she makes us get up! Sound familiar? I’m hoping when Florence starts nursery in January she’ll be so worn out come the end of the day that bed time will be easy but then I remember we’re the busiest people we know already! How could she be more worn out? And there I go again!

 

My babies in synchronised sleeping unity!

 

 

DONKEY WATCH

 

Donkey Shopping With Friends!

This week we were invited to Harrods by Le Donk’s newest brother to go and meet him for the very first time! We got to have a sneak peak at the latest special edition Bugaboo on the market and I have to say we’re impressed – very impressed! The ‘My First Car’ Bugaboo Cameleon³‘ designed by Designers Viktor Horsting & Rolf Snoeren is quite literally a piece of art and with classic sports car style fabric and alloy wheels (complete with iconic Victor & Rolf emblem) you can easily see where the car connections come in! This buggy is beautiful, sleek and sheek and to top it off in true Bugaboo style, it naturally isn’t just a pretty face! He does his job rather fantastically too and with everything a Cameleon³ can do he can certain do it and actually, probably do it (dare I say it) a little better! I just love the rear view window in the canopy meaning the baby can see out even if it’s raining or sunny – brilliant design. I also fell just a little bit in love with the foot muff which is SO different to the regular style (mustn’t have my head turned, mustn’t have my head turned, must keep repeating…)! We had great fun meeting the newest brother on the Bugaboo block but he won’t be round for long guys! From September 2012 for around a year or until stocks last – if you want him (who wouldn’t?) then you’re gonna have to get in there fast! As well as ‘special’ he’s also exclusive and for the first 2 weeks of September (1^st -16^th) he can be purchased in Harrods (Or ‘Arrods as my little East London baby keeps calling it) only! Woooooo! Priced at £1250 it’s so worth remembering that you get what you pay for and I would not, could not, recommend Bugaboo if they weren’t as good as their prices!

 

 

Now while we were at Harrods we thought we would take Le Donk and show him round possibly the most famous department store in the world! Funnily enough I’ve spent a lot of time in Harrods over the years as it was the only shop which sold my school’s uniform would you believe – see I’m really VERY posh (*some friends may now be laughing)! I love walking round the shop and just seeing all the amazing things they have on sale as well as admiring all the glamour and glitz of both the store itself and the people in it and Florence thinks it’s great cause it has ‘Jubilee flags’ hanging outside! We were there a few weeks ago for the launch of Toy Kingdom (You may remember from my post) and because we’d had so much fun there we thought it was a good place to start before showing Donkey round the rest of the iconic store! As we did so I had two compliments on how cool my buggy is from members of staff – love it! We also had tea in the Terrace Bar where a piano magically plays on its own! Florence was enthralled but I didn’t get a picture –oh well, we’ll just have to go again!

 

   

Toy Kingdom where we met up with some friends!

 

 

And couldn’t take our eyes off the sweeties! A lovely lady making candy gave us a HUGE piece to try and showed us how it’s made!

 

 

Well, they lacked in Donkeys but the pet area was very exciting and we even got to play with kittens! Here’s Florence, Jimmy and Le Donk trying to persuade me to buy a puppy that costs more than my entire jewellery collection (This is not terribly hard let it be known)!

 

 

After spending a lot of time at Christmas press events in July this was all totally normal to Florence! LOVED the Christmas department!

 

Part of the impressive food halls! So exciting and a must see when in London!

For more information on the ‘Donkey’ and all other ‘Bugaboo’ products please see their website www.bugaboo.com. It’s also worth noting that ‘When you choose a ‘Bugaboo’ product (now available in more than 50 countries) you are choosing a company which is a proud (PRODUCT) RED™ partner. ‘Bugaboo’ contributes a portion of its profits across all products – to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa, with the goal of ending mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015.

 

Out and about this week has been very exciting indeed! I’ve been all over the place and to three different festivals; one with just the children, one as a family and one with my friends and I have to say, the one I enjoyed the absolute most has got to be the one with the children! Once a year in Regent’s Park the Lollibop Festival hosts a long weekend of children’s extravaganza and we were lucky enough to go this year for the second time! It was THE best day out we had last summer and I had high expectations. It’s often the way when you look forward to something or have a big idea about how good it’s going to be that it doesn’t live up but this time, it did! And some! I think it was actually EVEN better this time round! We left with some excitement, got ourselves on the tube and by the time we arrived we were ready to burst! My nephew Arthur and Florence, Jimmy, my sister in law and I headed off for the short walk from tube to park and when we arrived at the gate we followed all the signs which lead to the fun! Upon arrival at the entrance and having spotted a celebrity (and secret crush of mine and my sister in law – Max from East Enders) we found that getting in was quick and efficient with security staff being extremely helpful and knowledgable. There was a place to get a wrist band for children where names and phone numbers could be written and also a place to pick up FREE sun cream, sun hats and rain proof ponchos depending on weather! I’ve not been to another place which has this sort of thing on offer but with Lollibop I guess they just think of everything because children are their forte!

Looking around at the festival from the entrance and we were all (adults included) like children in sweety shops! We had downloaded the line up and knew what we wanted to see (we also knew there was too much that we wanted to see and some things were going to have to give) but looking around and we could see there was actually even more than had been advertised! As well as the main stage line up (It really is a proper festival with proper bands) and the things in the Lollipalladium there was stuff going on just about everywhere! I was really impressed with what a large space it was, how it didn’t feel over crowded yet still buzzing and with all the acts going round the field as well as the ones in tents! We fell about laughing at the monky on the loose! First stop and a bit of music was in order and while we were there we got to meet a very familiar character indeed!

 

The main stage and Florence met a Zingzilla right next to it!

 

We had a wander round and saw some more friends, girls I know with children ranging from 5 -10 and they were having a BRILLIANT day too! The older ones were loving the ‘Transformers’ tent and the five year old had been given some help by staff and was playing in the ‘Skylanders’ area all day! The ten year old decided that the science museum was his favourite part of the day and BMX bikes too! And of course they all had loved the Moshi Monsters bus! Florence, for some reason is wild about Moshi Monsters and she’s not anywhere near the right age for it but that meant we spent some time in the HUGE area devoted to the craze and they really catered for all the different ages which was wicked!

 

I don’t know what it is but she’s so drawn to these little monsters and she LOVES this putting your head in the hole for a photo!

 

We had some lunch on the green in front of the stage while we listened to some more music, had a dance and then we met Stavros Flatley, once of the really funny and entertaining acts from the main stage! It’s so relaxed at Lolli and the stars of the show are just wandering round too! It’s such a friendly atmosphere. I had a good look at the fences and was pleased to see it would be really hard for anyone to get out or anyone undesirable to get in and even though I didn’t let Florence out of my sight this made me feel easier; the fences were also really well manned!

 

 

Our picnic and then us with one half of Stavros Flatley!

 

What did we do next? It’s so hard to remember in order because we just did so much! We saw The Gruffalo (Was brilliant and exactly the same as in the West End when we saw it last year – so lucky to have seen it twice now)! Mister maker was a big hit and we had to see him twice too as he is one of Florence’s favourites! Mynephew enjoyed yogo with Waybuloo in the Lollipalladium and in the 3ft and under section Jimmy even had loads of options but particularly liked the ‘Music with Maddie’section… We danced, we sang, we ate (food and ice creams were of good quality – unlike at the V festival) and reasonably priced), we had our faces painted (both of us) and just had a ball! I’ve conglomerated the answers to these questions from myself and our friends and this is our overall opinion!

What did we love most? Well everything but especially that once you’re in that’s it, you don’t pay for anything else (even face painting) and queues, even though are huge,go down quickly because there’s so many people working!

What were the facilities like? Excellent! Clean and well stocked and even baby changing was fantastic with free wipes and nappies to boot!

What would we change? Well, nothing about the festival itself, it catered for all ages, was well manned and there was loads on offer, too much to choose from and we left wanting more. We would however change the fact that other parents just littered all day long causing so much work for the poor littler pickers! Totally unnecessary and we think they should have been ejected for it!

Was there enough shelter/shade from the rain or sun should it have got too much either way? Yes, tents everywhere and what with the FREE suncream, hats and ponchos weather certainly wouldn’t have ruined any aspect of the day!

Is it worth the ticket price and would you go back? Yes! Of course we would, it was superb! We all just wish it could be a few more times a year really! Some of my friends got early bird tickets and others found great discount codes making the ticket prices extremely affordable!

Here are some of my fave pics from our wonderful fun day at Lollibop!

   

Hoola hooping, crafting and having a laze in the sunshine! It’s not all about fireworks, there is also an old fashioned village fete feel to the day which somehow blends with the mega exciting things!

 

  

Dancing with my girl, Mister Maker and face painting!

 

For more information on the festival and to make sure you know all about next year’s event please see the website www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

 

Berry Entertaining!

Because we had such success with the FREE app we tried last time on our BlackBerry PlayBook I wanted to try a few more freebies out and the one we’ve found we love this week has got to be Perico Pirate. Basically, we were playing around looking for games and books and this one popped up because it’s kind of both really! It’s also a little like a platform game from the games consoles of my own youth and with extremely clear spoken instructions as well as written, this is perfect for Florence’s age; she mastered the art of it in minutes with it quickly becoming the one she asks for ALL the time! Each page of the story which takes you through a pirate tale with a funny little green parrot following you all the way through has a different activity as well as telling the tale and this, I think, is why it’s SO popular with our little girl!

She’s never been particularly content to just sit and listen to a story (unless she’s extremely tired) and I always have to act out, give props and make them all singing and all dancing! (It’s a good job I’m an actress eh!) With a PlayBook you kind of get this with the normal stories, they instantly by way of the nature of the media, become more interesting than just lying down listening to a story but with Perico Pirate it’s a little bit more so than that even! As I said, each page has a different activity but with each activity comes a little discipline which I was surprised but pleased to realise Florence has the capabilities of performing! One is waking up all the pirates by various different means, tapping them, ringing a bell or pushing them off the plank! You have to work out by trial and error as well as using common sense by looking around you how for how to do each one. Another is collecting all the red berries which are muddled up with other colours encouraging co-ordination and eye to detail. There are lots of pages and activities, drawing and different challenges but the most fun one has got to be ‘teaching the parrot to talk’ and Florence very often just stays on this page for ages! The parrot repeats everything you say to it in a speeded up parrot voice and this has evoked many wonderful giggles from Florence who has been encouraged by her daddy to teach the parrot to say things like ‘Smelly Mummy!’ (HUH! THE CHEEK!) We LOVE this app and use it all the time because basically, Florence asks for it all the time! Great for lots of skills, super for a little time filler and wonderfully entertaining even if you’re just listening in! With this being one which doesn’t ever get old I’m amazed it’s a FREE one – good old BlackBerry!

 

 

For more information on the BlackBerry PlayBook and all BlackBerry products please see http://uk.blackberry.com/

Those apps sure do keep children occupied don’t they! I think they’re superb for travel and holidays! Talking of holidays, I can’t believe the school’s summer is nearly at and end and just as we’re about to jet off on our holiday too! Luckily for us we can still go in term time which makes it cheaper but lots of my pals have had to go in the peak time and now they’re all home and getting ready for the start of term! I wonder what it’ll be like when that’s the case in our house? Florence is starting pre school in January so really not very long away till we get a taster! I suppose when the children go to school its one lot of hard work out of the way but a whole new sort arriving! Soon there will be school uniforms to have clean and ironed… Gosh, makes me worn out just thinking about it! For those of you that already have the worries of buying school uniforms and keeping them looking good, you might want to take a look at this video from Asda! They’ve really put their new George school uniform through its paces to test it’s strength, durability and quality over a military assault course by soldiers and kids. This fantastic action video really demonstrates how the uniforms were tested by the soldiers. Definitely one for savvy penny smart mums! Take a look – definitely worth investing in quality like this because who knows what those little ones get up to whilst in smart uniforms at school all day and at least you know this way that even if they have been leaping on assault courses their clothes will stand the test of time!

SEE THE VIDEO HERE

MY LIFE WITH 2! WEEKS 15 & 16!

Well, this past fortnight has been busy, busy, busy but in an unusual sort of way! I’ve been out sans children loads and even though I had a great time, I’m definitely glad to be back to normal again now. Well, gearing up for holiday isn’t that normal but you know what I mean! So, as I mentioned above we did the Lollibop Festival which was great, then we went as a family to the Foodies Festival then the day after that I went to V with my best friend for her hen do! A trio of very different festivals and we had fun at all three of them! I was then lucky enough to go and see the AMAZING ‘Rock of Ages’ in the West End with Jonny and the day after that I went out for a meal with some gal pals! I’ve been gallivanting all over the place, it’s a wonder my children remember who I am! I don’t go out for months on end then all this in the space of one week! I’m so not used to it and now feel exhausted! Florence has gone to stay at my Mum’s for a couple of days which is lovely as it means I get a bit of time to relax and recover and I also get some special time with Jimmy! We’re going to a baby rhyme time tomorrow and I can’t wait as usually he only gets to tag along at Florence’s activities! He’s rolling both ways now too as of this week – what a clever boy

 

Enjoying time with my girl friends at V!

Going to a music festival was fantastic fun and made me feel very young! I was worried about going as Jimmy is so young and I never could have left Florence at the same age due to her not taking a bottle but I knew Jimmy would be fine and he absolutely was! Jonny took them both for a picnic then to a friend’s birthday party and they had a great day too which is such a relief! I’ve passed that hurdle now, I know I can do it and will feel fine doing it again. There’s just a bit more planning involved when it comes to being out and I expressed like a maniac for the weeks preceding in order to make it work! Freezing milk has been made mega simple by the fact that I’ve been using freezer storage bags by Lansinoh and for that reason I am going to have to make them my ‘Must Have of the Week’. I’ve only ever used re-usable pots before and that made sense to me because of the fact they are to be kept and used again. However, I had not realised how little room a storage bag takes up in comparison. I have used Lansinoh products before, their nipple cream is the only one I have ever found to work and I recommend it to everyone but I had no idea they made breast pumps and storage bags and lots of other things too! Basically the storage bags are the easiest thing in the world to use and super handy, I can’t believe I’ve only just found them! They come in a pack like a packet of wet wipes where you draw one out at a time, are pre sterilised so you don’t have to worry about that side of things and open and close with complete ease. The best bit about them for me, is that you can then store them with the milk inside completely flat! Simply tear off the perforated top and pour the milk in from the pump then push the air out with your fingers; seal it with the double seal, write the date and fl oz amount on the strip provided and lay it flat in the freezer! This really does take up very little room! The other benefit to storing them flat is that they are then quicker to defrost although you can also freeze them standing up and the bag has a bottom which allows this without problems. Another point is that when pouring the milk in or out nothing gets lost, it has a very easy pour indeed! These bags are brilliant and I thoroughly recommend them! I love breast feeding but being able to bottle feed from time to time sure makes life easier sometimes and not just when you have a special event to attend, sometimes it’s just  nice to have a whole nights sleep while someone else does the night shift and these bags totally make that possible! I’m taking the Lansinoh Manual Breast Pump with me on holiday soon so I’ll let you know how I get on with that when I get home!

 

The super Lansinoh milk storage bags!

I’m so looking forward to my holiday but have some mega packing to do before hand. My next post will be about that  I’m sure so see you soon and in the meantime follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby

Hey, one quick P.S! I’m always up for a freebie and Bizziebaby have some excellent tickets for trade shows to give away via down load! Bizziebaby are a company which provide real Mummy reviews of practically every baby product on the market! (You can even become a reviewer for them yourself for just £5 a year!) For FREE tickets to either the Back Pain Show – London | 22 – 23 February 2013 | Olympia or The Allergy and Free From 2012 Show North –  Liverpool | 27-28 October 2012 | BT Convention Centre then just click on the links! If you suffer from back pain or have allergies then these one-stop-shop style shows are going to be the place for you! Meet professionals in the fields and find out information to help you all for free courtesy of Bizziebaby!

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

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When I was expecting Florence with no clue as to what looking after a new born baby entailed I had very clear fixed ideas about the type of gear I would need to help me. I was barking for I literally knew nothing and chose almost everything by what it looked like and its price! I did know about buggies (I’ve weirdly always been a buggy addict) but as for everything else… Well, let’s just say a fair amount of money was spent and fair amount of it may as well have been put down the drain! Had I known then what I know now and I might not have been so out of pocket at the end of the day while Florence would have had the right toys to begin with rather than ‘in the end’! This is why I like to review, for the benefit of myself and others and I always try to be as honest as possible. I have, over time, found some really rather great products and certain makes keep coming back time and again with more and more fantastic items I just can’t imagine how we lived without. One of these makes is Tiny Love and here I am again about to tell you about another of their toys which is, quite frankly, an absolute winner!

Having reviewed many Tiny Love products with my children in the past, I absolutely jumped up and down at the chance to play with the latest creation from the brand I adore and the new 3-in-1 Rocker Napper is not a disappointment in the slightest – as if I thought it might have been! Just three of the things I like about other Tiny Love products we have (they range from play mats, bouncy seats, play gyms and individual toys) are that they are all made well, they provide plenty of entertainment and they all, every single one of them, do what they promise and more! The 3-in-1 Rocker Napper is absolutely no exception I can tell you and from the moment I put it together my boy has been enjoying both lazy and playful times in his new chair! (His sister has also tried to have a go but we have managed to persuade her otherwise)! Jimmy must think he’s spoilt rotten for it’s his second Tiny Love chair now (we reviewed the Gymini Buncer a few weeks ago) and although we didn’t obviously need another one and only have one for the purposes of review, I’m mighty glad we’ve got to try this one out as well because it’s also pretty fantastic although in very different ways! Where the other chair is for your baby to focus on being busy in while remembering that he can relax should he need to, I’d say this one focuses more on the relaxation whilst still giving plenty of stimulation at the same time. In my opinion they’re both wonderful but this one is probably a little comfier and therefore I have to say would be my ideal choice for a new born. It’s quite unlike any other chair I have seen for the 0-6 month age range and it provides a unique element in that it can be reclined completely and this provides a perfect napping environment. (The manufacturers recommend that it is not used for prolonged periods of sleep but to be honest it looks far comfier than your average moses basket – still, I wouldn’t go against what they advise!) Here’s how we’ve been getting on:

We have the chair in red (It also comes in brown but the red is the latest colour and I think the one I would choose as we have red sofas). Sometimes when I have something in a box I don’t get it out for ages as I often feel putting things together can be daunting and you need to wait until you have plenty of time. I honestly knew though that with Tiny Love it would be easy and as expected that was the case. Everything slotted together with ease and it was just as the pictures dictated in the instructions (my only criticism would be that the pictures could be a little bigger). There were four screws in the main chair and one for each battery cover (one on the chair and one on the toy), these were incredibly easy to do and everything else just slotted or tied into place.

 

     Putting the chair together!

Now I must just say before I move on to anything else that it took me around 20 minutes to build this chair. As soon as it was built I popped Jimmy in it and he fell asleep after around 10 minutes of playing with the mobile. Amazing! The mobile, (requires 3 x AAA batteries – not included) which is the shape of a flower and can be moved 360 degrees round (an excellent feature for getting the baby in and out of the chair), plays a few different pieces of music and has lights which flash against pictures on the underside of the petals. It has two different volumes and is relatively gentle on the adult ear. It also has two hanging toys, one mirrored flower with crinkly crackly petals and a rattling snail; both can be lowered to whichever height suits your baby. Jimmy is now grabbing for his toys so I placed his a little higher than you would a new born. The best feature however is the fact that you can leave the mobile on and it will turn itself off when the baby sleeps working on a sensor for when he wakes up again!

  

He plays, he’s happy and then he sleeps!

There is also a vibration on the chair (requires 1 x C battery – not included) which I know Jimmy finds quite soothing and is the same as with his other chair. The thing with this one is that the button is in a really well hidden place at the side which is excellent for us because it’s not terribly noticeable for Florence; I find when there’s a button wildly on display she’s gonna push it and inevitably the batteries wear out! The chair also is on a stand which rocks either with the movement of the baby or by someone pushing it. Another toddler plus with this one is that even if pushed really hard the chair won’t go too vigorously, a major bonus as Jimmy may very well get whiplash otherwise! Babies, well my babies anyway, do like motion and this chair has it in abundance but if you want to stop it from rocking then it simply has stands at each end which can be put down with a little push.

 

The stand at the back – there is also one at the front.

As I said, this chair is really quite unique and I think you’d struggle to find something that was even remotely similar if I’m honest, for lots of reasons but also because it has not two but three different recline positions! Jimmy likes to sit in the most upright position and then be reclined when he’s sleeping but I think as a new born the in between position would be fantastic because babies so very often are lying flat on their backs and just aren’t big enough to sit more upright even though they would be more stimulated if they could. This middle position will be perfect for an interested newborn like mine both were and they would still be comfy because of the padded mattress! The fabric on the walls surrounding the seat move with the chair as it changes position making it feel cosier when flat and more open and engaging when up and it’s super quick and hassle free to move the chair one handed with the pull and release of a lever on the back; click it into the desired position and you’re done!

   

Flat, in the middle and in the upright positions!

 

Yet again, I am very happy to recommend a Tiny Love product! Just look at another picture of my contented little baby enjoying his time in the chair!

To find out more about this and all Tiny Love products please see www.tinylove.com and you can buy the 3-in-1 Rocker Napper from Mothercare on line now!

See you back here in a few days for my regular post and in the meantime follow me on Twitter@rocknrollerbaby

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

 

Final day now and desert is on the cards! How can you ruin a desert? Well, I very often do but this one is fool proof because even I made it and the family loved it last night so I hope you do too!

Just to remind you of the ‘rules’ to the challenge that Asda have set me: Asda have asked me if I will produce some recipes using fresh and seasonal fruit and veg and set the theme to be The Great British Summer! I also have set myself some guidelines; I want my recipes to be very simple and easy to do, I want them to be appealing to children and I also want them to be adaptable so I will be offering alternate twists to change the dish slightly for differing tastes… Oh and don’t forget to enter the competition below the recipe; it’s to win £50 of Asda vouchers – that’d really come in handy wouldn’t it?

For my grand finale and the desert course of the week I am making Fruity Tarty Yummy! (The name we gave it while eating)!

 

Ingredients

 

Champador Petit Four pastry tartlets (£1.98 at Asda for 16)

 

A selectionof fruit (I’ve used Asda peaches -£1 a pack, 1 pack of Asda Strawberries – £3 for two packs, Asda raspberries – £1 a pack and Sharon fruit £1 for a pack of three). (It was a wonder I had any peaches left for this desert as Jonny said they are the sweetest peaches he has ever had in his whole life!)

 

100g of caster sugar (£1.48 for 1kg by Silver Spoon from Asda)

 

Asda Chosen by you ready to serve custard (£0.58 for 500g)

 

Asda crème fraiche (£1.00 for 300ml)

Asda Extra Special Australian Eucalyptus honey (£2.98 for 340g)

 

Serves 4 as a desert at a rough cost of £1.55 per portion.

 

Whip together the crème fraiche and carton of custard using a hand whisk as you would to whip double cream. Add most of the sugar (leaving a little for dusting) and spread evenly over the base of the tartlets.

 

Slice and arrange the fruit, sprinkle with the remanding sugar, drizzle with honey and serve!

 

If you fancy something a bit different try my alternate recipes:

You could always make your own pastry or indeed custard from scratch!

 

The fruit can be changed for whatever season and you can go as exotic or basic as you like – I know for a fact Florence would love it with tinned mandarin oranges!

 

Instead of making little individual tarts how about making one big one? Alternatively use meringue cases instead of pastry!

Another quick and easy desert using the same ingredients is baked peaches with a drizzle of honey and served with a spoonful of the creme fraiche!

And onto the competition!

 

To allow you to go into Asda stores and pick up your own selection of fresh fruit and veg, Asda would like to give one lucky reader of my blog £50 worth of Asda vouchers! For your chance to win email me at rocknrollerbaby@hotmail.co.uk by midnight on 23^rd August 2012 stating your name and address. For more chances to win follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby and see my Tweets for instructions! 

 

Ok, so my recipes haven’t been the most challenging but they’ve been jolly tasty even if I do say so myself! They’ve also been amazingly cost effective! Two traits which are aces with children so I hope I’ve at least given you some summer food inspiration if nothing else!

 

See you back here tomorrow for my main course recipe!

 

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

 

Second day and the family survived the starter, Florence even ate the whole bowl and she’s VERY picky when it comes to eating so I’m not doing too badly, I think! Onto my main course today and it’s another vegetarian option. I’m not veggie myself but I often prefer non meat dishes, especially in the summer – apart from on the Barbie of course!

Just to remind you of the ‘rules’ to the challenge that Asda have set me: Asda have asked me if I will produce some recipes using fresh and seasonal fruit and veg and set the theme to be The Great British Summer! I also have set myself some guidelines; I want my recipes to be very simple and easy to do, I want them to be appealing to children and I also want them to be adaptable so I will be offering alternate twists to change the dish slightly for differing tastes… Oh and don’t forget to enter the competition below the recipe; it’s to win £50 of Asda vouchers – that’d really come in handy wouldn’t it?

For my main course of the week I shall be cooking Jeweled stuffed peppers with a light beetroot side salad

 

Ingredients

 

 

4 Asda mixed peppers (£1.00 for three)

 

4 small cups of Asda easy cook white rice (£1.58 for 1kg)

 

A cup of Asda Pine Nuts (£2.50 for 100g)

 

A cup of Asda Raisin and Sultana mix from the ‘Chosen by you range’ (£1.93 for 250g)

 

1 Asda vegetable stock cube (£0.66 for 120g)

 

Asda Greek feta cheese (£1.50 for 200g)

 

1 cup of Asda Chosen by you freshly frozen garden peas (£1.40 for 1kg)

 

Asda little gem lettuce (£0.78 for two)

 

Asda whole Cucumber (£0.80)

Asda Extra Special cocktail beetroot with raspberry and mint (£1.15 for 150g) (I love beetroot but these are something else and SO inexpensive! If you bought something similar in a deli they’d be 4 times the price!)

 

Sal and Pepper to taste

 

Cut the tops of the peppers (x4) and drizzle with olive oil then season. Pop in a preheated oven with the tops as well (170C/325F/Gas 3) for 15 minutes.

 

While the peppers are roasting boil the rice with the stock cube and in another pan toast the pine nuts with the raisins and sultanas. Toss the peas in just before the rice is done then mix the pine nuts etc into cooked, drained rice. Break up the feta to stir into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper and stuff into the peppers. Replace the pepper lids and place back in the oven for 20 minutes.

 

Chop the lettuce and cucumber and pour over the beetroot with its juice as a dressing. (perhaps drizzle over a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar if to your taste) Serve.

 

Serves 4 as a main course at a rough cost of £2.00 per portion.

 

 

There are hardly any calories in this dish; it’s super filling while great for a diet but if you fancy something a bit different try my alternate recipes:

Instead of using rice try it with cous cous and beans?

 

This dish would be totally yummy with minced beef or lamb, seasoned and mixed in with the rice or cus cus!

 

Buy tiny peppers and make it for the little ones as a lunch surprise all on its own!

 

And onto the competition!

 

To allow you to go into Asda stores and pick up your own selection of fresh fruit and veg, Asda would like to give one lucky reader of my blog £50 worth of Asda vouchers! For your chance to win email me at rocknrollerbaby@hotmail.co.uk by midnight on 23^rd August 2012 stating your name and address. For more chances to win follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby and see my Tweets for instructions! 

 

See you back here tomorrow for my main course recipe!

 

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Asda Summer Food Challenge day 1

 

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

 

I’m not going to be doing my usual blog entry this week because I’ve been set a challenge by Asda instead (plus they’re offering my readers a rather brilliant competition to go with it – read on for that)! Never one to shy away from something of this nature I have leapt head first at the task they have set me despite the fact it uses none of my natural skills! It’s a cooking one you see and I am not, in any way, a creative or indeed very accomplished chef. Nevertheless I am going to give it my best shot and over the next three days try to produce some food that not only will impress my family (it won’t take much, Jonny very often gets presented with a sandwich for his supper – if it’s toasted he considers that a hot meal) but also something which might be inspiring enough to be replicated by you, whoever you are!

First of all I have to let you know the ‘rules’ to the challenge! So, Asda have asked me if I will produce some recipes using fresh and seasonal fruit and veg and set the theme to be The Great British Summer! I have to tell you also that I have set myself some guidelines too. Firstly I want my recipes to be very simple and easy to do (like I said, I’m no chef), I want them to be appealing to children and I also want them to be adaptable so I will be offering alternate twists to change the dish slightly for differing tastes… Here goes then – and do let me know what you think! (Jonny once ate, and enjoyed, onion rolls with chocolate spread so I’m not entirely sure I can rely on his palette to give me an accurate score!) Oh and don’t forget to enter the competition below the recipe; it’s to win £50 of Asda vouchers – in the words of a lovely (proper) cook I admire (Ina Garten), ‘how good is that?’

As my starter of the week I shall be cooking summer tomato soup with basil jus

 

Ingredients

 

220g pack of ‘Asda Extra Special’ sweet vine ripened tomatoes (2 packs for £3) (These are SO delicious and sweet and taste like they have the sunshine in them – lovely!)

 

A 400g can of Italian chopped tomatoes with chilli from the ‘Asda Chosen by you’ range (£0.68)

 

5 tablespoons of Asda Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (£2.50 for 500ml)

 

2 cloves of (finely chopped) garlic (£0.27 for a whole bulb from Asda)

 

1 (finely chopped) large onion (£0.90 per kg at Asda)

 

1.5 tablespoons of Asda red wine vinegar (£0.80 for 350ml)

 

1 pint of vegetable stock – I use 1 Asda vegetable stock cube (£0.66 for 120g)

 

2 teaspoons of Swartz fennel seeds (£1.62 for 28g from Asda)

 

A good handful of basil leaves – I have a pot of Asda’s growing basil which I water and it has lasted for 4 months now (£0.76 each)

 

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

 

Firstly select a pan which is both oven and hob friendly and pour in 4 of the tbs of olive oil. Place the tomatoes (still on the vine) and onions on top and sprinkle with the fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Place in a pre heated oven (225C/425F/Gas 7) for half an hour.

Remove from the oven and place on the hob over a moderate heat. Remove the vine and add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes before adding the red wine vinegar and can of tomatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes and then add the stock. Simmer for a further 15 minutes.

 

While the soup is simmering bash the basil together with the remaining olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. This can be drizzled over the top of the soup when served. Remove the soup from the stove, blend, chill and voila – ready!

 

Serves 4 as a starter at a rough cost of £1 per portion.

 

This is really punchy because of the vinegar but if you fancy something a bit different try my alternate recipes:

How about serving hot with a glug of fresh cream to give it a richer warmer feel in the winter?

 

If you fancy giving it an Asian influence then halve the vinegar and add a can of coconut milk and serve hot or cold!

 

Just try it as it is but warm and serve with crusty bread for a healthy evening supper in itself!

 

And onto the competition!

 

To allow you to go into Asda stores and pick up your own selection of fresh fruit and veg, Asda would like to give one lucky reader of my blog £50 worth of Asda vouchers! For your chance to win email me at rocknrollerbaby@hotmail.co.uk by midnight on 23^rd August 2012 stating your name and address. For more chances to win follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby and see my Tweets for instructions! 

 

See you back here tomorrow for my main course recipe!

 

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

I don’t know about you but I have found myself, since becoming a mummy, feeling rather guilty almost daily. Guilty for all sorts of things and talking to my friends I think this is just par for the course with the mummy role. I find myself wondering if I am doing the right thing all the flipping time and sometimes it’s enough to drive me bonkers or perhaps I am already bonkers to be worrying and feeling guilty like this in the first place? Some of the main questions buzzing round my brain and inducing guilt at the moment are: ‘Should I be spending more time with Florence and less time with Jimmy?’ ‘Should I be spending more time with Jimmy and less time with Florence?’ ‘Should I chat to Florence and not my friends as we walk to whichever activity we’re going to?’ ‘Do I tell her off too much, shout and say no more than necessary?’ ‘Am I expanding their minds and intellect in the right ways, doing the right activities with them, neglecting them when I write, clean, go to the loo…? Do I let them watch too much television and when they are watching should I be watching with them and having a conversation about what we’re watching instead of using the time to get on with something? Oh the list is endless, I literally feel guilty for everything, even if I logically can see that I have needs too and if I need a wee wee, well, I should go!

It’s not just those things either! I worry that I’m a bad mum in other ways too and feel guilty for lots more other than the every day. For instance, I’m going on holiday in 3 weeks and I would like to have a little alcohol in the evenings (already I’m feeling guilty)! I know that only a trace of alcohol goes through into breast milk but I still would rather not feed ‘just in case’! I had thought a while ago that I would just give him formula, I never did with Florence and it did make me feel guilty thinking it but logically I could see there would be no harm done, his main milk supply would still be mine and plenty of babies have formula 100% of the time and they’re ok… But, as the time draws near I’m starting to feel too guilty about the prospect and am now planning on expressing every day instead… I’ll take some formula cartons (I’ve no idea how to mix the powder as I’ve never ever used formula before) as a last resort option but I know in my mind that I won’t be happy if I use them…

And that brings me onto my best friend’s hen do… I’ve been expressing like billio for the last few weeks knowing that I’ll be spending the day at the V festival in Chelmsford and leaving Jonny with the children for absolutely hours! I feel guilty about this too! I never left Florence, couldn’t have done actually as she wouldn’t take a bottle though I’m not sure I’d have left her even if she would have done! But I’m going to leave Jimmy and I feel guilty even though I know he’s going to be absolutely fine with his Daddy! I suppose feeling guilty for doing anything not perfectly is just something I will have to live with now that I have children and accept that the worrying about the things I feel guilty about is now my natural state… Is it just me?

 

Was feeling guilty that I didn’t bring them to the beach on a sunnier day – if it had been sunnier I no doubt would have felt guilty that I’d brought them on a day which was too hot?! (Am I mad?)

 

DONKEY WATCH

 

Donkey Rides in Cromer!

 

When visiting my Mum last we took a trip on the train to Cromer, home of the crab and with us we took Le Donk so he could soak up a bit of sea air and parade himself along the sea front! We created a whole new meaning to the term ‘donkey rides on the beach’ and perhaps with the classiest ‘donkey ride’ ever my children, Mum, Donkey and I found our spot on the sand where we ate fish and chips straight from the paper, danced in and out of the sea and paddled in the rock pools! I have never, ever had a buggy which goes over sand without a struggle, until now! I kind of expected it to be easier to push on the sand than other buggies because, well, it’s Le Donk and he is easy generally but I hadn’t expected it to be as easy as it was. The sand was wet and fairly compacted as the tide had only just gone out, this is obviously made it easier to walk on generally but I was still very impressed at Le Donk’s skills!

 

Us doing ‘Donkey rides’ on Cromer Beach!

I knew the Cameleon has a two wheel function meaning you can flip it so that only the back wheels are in use, then you can pull it; I had no idea that the Donkey also has a beach function but obviously he does – well, he is perfect! I actually found no need to apply the function though as with no struggle at all it was easy to push him across sand and pebbles as he stands normally! He provided a stress free day from the word go, easy to get up the low step train doors, small enough to fit in the tiny carriage on the local train, light enough to lift down the odd step here and there in Cromer and easy to push across sand! Lots of admiring glances (as always) and comments on what a fabulous buggy he is and I have to say, every time someone pays him a compliment, I am always in agreement! See what we and Le Donk got up to in Cromer!

 

Cromer train station where our day began!

 

Having a play on the beach!

 

Jimmy takes a snooze! (Note Le Donk’s Team GB flag)!

 

You simply can’t go to Cromer without popping to the amooooosements (as we say it in Norfolk)!

 

The promenade and top of the cliffs!

 

On the pier where we tried crabbing (and tied the line to Le Donk’s handle bar) and visited the lifeboat!

 

And an ice cream at the end of the day! I should have taken Le Donk as a double but we had lots of stuff to take, buckets and spades etc so I made the decision to make use of his side basket when a single… Big mistake as I ended up with ice cream in my hair courtesy of Miss Florence in her back sling!

 

 

For more information on the ‘Donkey’ and all other ‘Bugaboo’ products please see their website www.bugaboo.com. It’s also worth noting that ‘When you choose a ‘Bugaboo’ product (now available in more than 50 countries) you are choosing a company which is a proud (PRODUCT) RED™ partner. ‘Bugaboo’ contributes a portion of its profits across all products – to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa, with the goal of ending mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015.

 

We haven’t been on as many traditional days out recently because the sun has been so wonderful that we’ve found time in the park has been just as exciting but we were having withdrawals from thrill seeking and decided a day at a theme park would be just the ticket. I decided to take my brothers, sister, Florence and Jimmy when we visited Chessington World of Adventures on probably the hottest day of the year so far! I know usually when you visit a theme park the clouds come out and it rains but this time, perhaps because Chessington have a FREE revisit policy if it rains for over an hour of your day, the sun was gloriously hot. Too hot dare I say it? Chessington World of Adventures is not just a theme park but a zoo as well and I was interested to see how the two combined, would it be possible to have two days out in one?

We arrived and sat down in the beautiful gardens to feed Jimmy and become acquainted with the park map which I have to say I found a little confusing. The park is very large which on the one hand is great for the animals as they have space but when it comes to the rides I found them all to be spaced out just that little bit too much. It was often a long walk from one ride to the next which coupled with long queues wasn’t particularly brilliant. Despite being the summer holidays and a lovely day to boot I didn’t think the park seemed very crowded but waiting times for rides were still half an hour plus, even on the baby rides (of which there are not many). They do however have a parent swap facility where you can pick up a card for free then if some of your party queue up and go on the ride and get the card stamped the person left holding the babies can then go straight on with one other person without standing in line at all. In theory this is a super idea. In reality it really only worked twice for us as two other times the ride broke down just as we swapped! Not their fault obviously but they were not very forgiving and wouldn’t let us go on a different ride instead. Another ride, THE ride in fact, the one we had all been looking forward to since looking at the website (Vampire) was also out of action, ALL day! Three of the major rides, by lunch time, were not working which was a bit of a shame.

I went on three rides; there simply wasn’t enough time to go on any more. True I had to stand with the little ones most of the time but I would have expected maybe to have managed more than three rides considering we were at the park from when it opened until the close of the day. My brothers and sister only managed four more than me and poor little Florence also only got a go on four rides because again a couple of the little ones were not working and the ones that were had massive queues. Looking at the way they were doing the queues for the baby rides seemed very inefficient but there we are. She also couldn’t go in the soft play area as we had no socks with us and they wouldn’t allow it without so one of the things she could have done was also out. Why would you wear socks on the hottest day of the year and I obviously hadn’t thought to take any. I had however, having been to the wonderful Legoland which is owned by the same company, Merlin Entertainment last year, taken a swimming costume expecting there to be a splash area but no such luck.

Florence did enjoy the ‘Madagascar’ show which is on at various times throughout the day but having watched that after lunch and realising that yet more rides were not in operation, we (me and the babies) decided to give up on the theme park at about 3pm and went to have a look around the zoo. By this time I was a little fed up but we had a nice time looking at the animals; they all seemed happy and had roomy cages. I did however find it an absolute nightmare trying to navigate my way round by looking at the map and could hear other people similarly grumbling. Finding the gorillas became an absolute mission and I was directed by staff back and forth to no avail. Perhaps it was just me being hot, bothered and annoyed with the theme park but I found it impossible and eventually a very polite member of staff walked me there. We loved the gorillas and big cats and it was the highlight of the day. We got to see a tiny new baby gorilla and I sat and fed my baby right up against the glass (as the only place to sit was a rock in front of it) and when the mummy gorilla saw me she went off and got her baby and sat down right in front of me also breast feeding while we looked each other in the eye. It was a very surreal moment but it made the day and is something I won’t forget!

All in all I don’t think Chessington World of Adventures is a park for a party of children with differing heights; my sister is 11 and we had to split up and go off in groups or nothing would have got done and no one would have got to go on anything as we would have all just spent the day waiting around for other people (not that that wasn’t the case anyway). The baby rides are not particularly brilliant and the queuing is unreasonable for little ones so I wouldn’t take such young children again. True the zoo is fantastic but I’m not sure the ticket prices warrant just being able to look round the zoo and a trip to another solely dedicated zoo might be better. It was a shame that some rides were not working the day we went and I could be being unfair in my assessment of the park as the rest of the rides were probably saturated because of this fact. I found some of the staff to be unfriendly and un-compromising (although others were delightfully helpful) and I just found that the day didn’t flow as it seems to with other Merlin owned attractions at which we have always had an excellent time in the past. I’d say Chessington is geared right up for the 10 – 15 year olds, the rides are thrilling but not too daring and that age is the right height for most things there. We won’t be going back with the little ones any time soon as it just wasn’t the day for us but my family had a nice time and we’re pleased we tried it. It was just right for my sister and if they can fix the rides and make the queues a bit better I’m sure she’d be delighted to go back!

 

Even these rides had massive queues!

 

The Bubble ride was a bit scary for Florence and despite them saying it was suitable for babies, considering we got heavily squirted with water; I wouldn’t take Jimmy on it again until he’s a lot older! (Their faces say it all)!

 

 

 

But we did enjoy some of the park!

 

The zoo was the clear winner of the day especially the meerkats (Florence’s favourite)!

 

Florence showing where the mummy gorilla feeds from – just like her mummy!!

For individual, group, discounted, annual and multiple day ticket prices please see the website www.chessington.com.

 

Countdown to Lollibob!

 

ONLY 1 WEEK to go!

This time next week and we’ll be Lollibopping the day away! Woooooooooo hoooooooo! Can’t wait! My sister in law and nephew Arthur are coming with us and we’re all very excited! Florence is excited about seeing PoppyCat, the ZingZillas and is beside herself about the Mister Maker show in the Lollipalladium! Jimmy will really enjoy the Baby Sensory and I’m just looking forward to seeing their faces on the day, ALL day! If it’s anything like last year it’ll be smiles all round from start to finish! Bring it on and fingers crossed for the weather!! There’s STILL time to get tickets but hurry!

For more information and how to book tickets please see www.lollibopfestival.co.uk.

 

 

 

Berry Entertaining!

 

For our first app review on the BlackBerry PlayBook we wanted to look at something fairly simple, Florence is only 2 years old after all! In actual fact it turns out she’s far more capable and can use more complex apps on the PlayBook than I initially gave her credit for but nevertheless she thoroughly enjoys the simpler applications too! So we tried out Kids Preschool Puzzle Lite by Intellijoy which is a FREE app made for BlackBerry.

The FREE app comes with 20 puzzles to solve which are made up of numbers, letters, objects and animals. There is an outline of the object you are about to make and using the jigsaw pieces which are differently coloured you fit them inside the shape outline until the puzzle is complete and then the puzzle turns into a detailed picture of the puzzle.

 

I thought it was really great because it doesn’t require minute precision yet you do need to get the pieces in roughly the right place before they will click into place. This obviously ensures that the child needs to be putting the piece in the right place, so using and developing co-ordination skills but they don’t need to be old enough to have refined motor skills – perfect for a two year old then! As soon as the puzzle is solved and the object revealed in detail, the written name of it also appears in the bottom left hand corner which effortlessly encourages word recognition and stimulates an interest in reading! There’s a good variety but at £3 for the full application with over 100 different puzzles it’s not one that will break the bank. We found it to be entertaining and fun as well as encouraging learning for Florence and she enjoys playing on this simple but effective application. (She enjoys the PlayBook in general truth be told)! This is definitely an app for keeping little ones entertained when you’re busy trying to get on  with something as it’s not just plonking them down in front of a TV programme but also helps to expand their mind. For this reason we’re giving it a double thumbs up!

 

Florence putting a puzzle together using Kids Preschool Puzzle Lite.

 

For more information on the BlackBerry PlayBook and all BlackBerry products please see http://uk.blackberry.com/

 

MY LIFE WITH 2! WEEK 14!

This week has been quieter than normal I would say! We’ve spent a bit of time at home and staying close to the park. The Olympics makes me not want to venture too far and especially not to travel on the tube but we’ve been watching the sport avidly and enjoying every second of Team GB’s successes! Can’t wait to go out onto the flats near my house and watch the closing fireworks on Sunday!

 

Come on Team GB! Look at this cute GB athlete I was sent in the post! It’s from a company called Biscuiteers! They make cakes and biscuits which can be sent as gifts or cards through the post! Brilliant, I loved it! (Thank you to Azaria for sending it to me)!

 

Not as much as Florence did though! I gave him to her as a ‘toilet triumph present’! She’s completely dry during the day times now and her nappy is hardly used at night. I’m wondering when to go nappy-less over night?

A friend of mine had a birthday party at the Lambourne End Outdoor Centre at the weekend which was fun! There’s loads of outdoor activities to do there and even farm animals which Florence loved feeding! The centre is a charity and gives the opportunity to under privileged children to explore and play outdoors with all of their amenities which is excellent don’t you think? My friend hired the place for her husband’s 40^th and we had a fantastic time; we all had a go at archery and climbing and Jonny and Florence even went for an outdoor swim! Jonny only went in because Florence was desperate but as soon as he jumped in she decided it was too cold for her and instead threw balls for daddy to catch! He was, as I’m sure you can imagine, thrilled to be in an icy outdoor pool!

      

Us enjoying out door activities at a friend’s party this weekend just gone!

We also had loads of fun at the new Edmonton Mothercare and ELC store at the weekend where we took full advantage of all the free things they have on offer! Florence met the Gruffalo, had her face painted and did some Diddi Dance and I got to take Jimmy to a Mama Baby Bliss massage and yoga class which was fantastic! I’ve been applying the techniques every night since and Jimmy’s been enjoying the massage no end making him even more sleepy than normal! I told all my friends about the store so there were loads of us Stone families playing in the giant HappyLand houses and having fun in the new look store which is utterly fabulous! Can’t wait to go back this month and do some more of the free classes they have on offer! For a full listing on what’s on for FREE this month in Mothercare, Edmonton please see my previous blog post Cars and Bras.

    

Florence thoroughly enjoyed playing at the Edmonton Mothercare and ELC store!

 

She even sat at the front of the Mama Baby Bliss massage class and helped to teach the class with a baby dolly!

After having tried the classes out this week in Edmonton I’m making Mama Baby Bliss classes my ‘Must Have of the Week’! They promote using all natural products (something I am newly into), welcome the older ones to ‘help’ and join in and I honestly think massage and yoga does wonders for babies! Ever since I’ve been using the techniques Jimmy has had much better ‘movements’ and has not been constipated at all! Thanks very much Mothercare and ELC, without you I’d never have got to know Mama Baby Bliss!

For information, prices and to find a class near you please see the website www.mamababybliss.com.

 

Did you WIN tickets to The Baby Show Manchester

The must go to event for parents and parents to be?

 

The UK’s leading baby and parenting show is coming to Manchester this August and to celebrate, The Baby Show is teaming up with Rocknrollerbaby to offer you the chance to win tickets to this essential event on 31^st August – 2^nd September at EventCity, Manchester.

The Baby Show in association with Made for Mums and sponsored by Fisher-Price is the perfect place to visit for all parents and parents-to-be who want to find the latest maternity and nursery products on the market – all from the very best UK and international brands! The show will feature 200 must-have brands including Fisher-Price, Babies R Us, Mamas & Papas, and Mothercare, as well asniche and designer products.  Visitors will be able to enjoy special offers, great entertainment and hear from baby care experts all in one place.  What’s more, EventCity, Manchester offers first class first facilities and has over 3000 FREE car parking spaces.

The Baby Show also boasts expert speakers on hand to give support, guidance and advice to all visitors, including midwives from Channel 4’s award-winning show ‘One Born Every Minute’ and baby food and nutrition expert Annabel Karmel. The Baby Show has become an essential event in all parents’ calendars and has also attracted a celebrity following with stars including Una Healy, Stacey Solomon and Chantelle Houghton spotted searching for the best products at earlier shows this year!

With everything in one place and with the added bonus of exclusive offers and expert advice, you’ll find everything you need without the stress of the high street! For more information, visit www.thebabyshow.co.uk

The winners of my competition to win tickets to the show are: Louise Bragg from Wigan, Jane Smithies from Atherton and Daniel Versteeg from Nottingham.If you weren’t lucky enough to win tickets to the show then do get your tickets from the website mentioned above and have a great day!

See you back here next week when we will be ready to off to Lollibop and I will be off to V festival on the Sunday – hope my nerves (and guilt) hold off!

In the meantime follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

I was recently asked if I would like to try a Natural Facelift Massage and have a Manual Lymphatic Drainage treatment to my body. I had no idea what they were but hearing the words ‘treatment’ and ‘massage’ I naturally accepted immediately. My body after all has been through some major stuff recently what with having a baby and all the damages labour caused, I felt it was probably due a treat or two! After googling the treatments I realised they are not just your average common or garden beauty salon favourites but something quite entirely different and very few therapists actually have the qualifications to perform such specialised massages with effect. I noted the therapist I was going to see is really one on her own, at least in London anyway! Paola Bassanese who runs Energya in North London and has been voted ‘Best Practitioner of Complimentary Medicine’ by the Institute of Complimentary and Natural Medicine is not only a therapist but also a wellbeing speaker, writer and social media expert! She knows her stuff then!

 

Paola Bassanese

 

I didn’t really think much more about it until the day but just presumed I knew what I was in for. I’ve been for facials and massages before and let’s face it, how different can they all be? Having just visited the Weleda Institute and begun to take an interest in more natural skin care I definitely noticed the ‘complimentary therapy’ and natural approach to her treatments but I guess I just presumed this would mean she used paraffin free oils and lotions, I had absolutely no idea what it actually meant or what was in store fore me!

I braved the tube on a phenomenally hot day and set off for North London and The Albany Club where Paola runs her business from. Arriving at the private members only fitness centre is like walking into an oasis in the middle of the desert, a calm in the centre of the eye of a storm if you will as surrounding this tranquil location is typical busy London life, blocks of flats and traffic, hotels and hustle bustle… Walking into the cool and beautiful reception area is immediately welcoming and to be honest, sets the mood for an hour of pampering just perfectly. I followed Paola up the flights of stairs to the eaves of the building where her treatment rooms are, signed her disclaimer and de robed… Here I was, ready and waiting to be pampered.

I’ll have to admit I was initially disappointed to learn that the treatments I was to experience do not require any oils or lotions at all. Paola explained to me that she does indeed use oils and just as I suspected, all natural ones with nothing bad in them but that for this treatment (which is paid for by the hour) nothing was required. She explained this means it is suitable for everyone, sensitivities not being a problem and pregnancy not a concern (Paola also specilises in pregnancy massage). Ok, I thought, fair enough but I’d still like some oils, something to make it feel like I was having something done. I just couldn’t see how I would come away feeling lovely unless I felt oily and smelt divine… Oh well, we would see.

Paola started on my face with little tiny finger movements, pinching and pushing but ever so very gently. It felt quite pleasant but not really like a massage and then… After about 5 minutes the relaxation kicked in. I suddenly felt very zen and was struggling to keep up the conversation as I was talking to her throughout in order to ask her questions so that I could write a review; I could have quite easily fallen asleep. I didn’t even really notice when she finished and moved on to my body, it just felt like my whole face was tingling and still receiving a workout… When she moved down to my arms and then my legs she explained that she could feel the water and it moving. I was advised I may need the loo more that evening and feel extremely tired afterwards.

Standing up at the end of the massage I felt light headed and as if I may be floating. Looking in the mirror was quite shocking as I guess I hadn’t really expected instant results but my face felt plumper in all the right places, looked refreshed and younger and my body felt like I’d had a bit of a work out. The pictures of before and after just don’t do it justice but there really was a very noticeable difference! I was impressed and I felt fantastic.

 

Before and After.

 

I went from hot and bothered tube traveller to relaxed and glowing in just under an hour! Pretty good eh… And the treatments have so many benefits; the Manual Lymphatic Drainage can help with sinus congestion, water retention, oedema and boost the immune system. The gentle massage works on lymph vessels which carry toxins and excess fluid. I think it’s a great way to start a detox and exercise programme and it really gave me inspiration to be healthier and look after my body more. I loved it. Having the non-invasive treatment to rejuvenate and relax while improving my complexion with the Natural Facelift Massage was something I would never have chosen but would have time and time again now that I have seen the results! I asked Paola, after looking at her perfectly glowing and radiant complexion, if she massages her own face in this way? ‘Every day’ was her response and you can see it works!

To make an appointment with Paola you can contact her on (07803) 961669 or email her at paola@energya.co.uk. She offers a range of treatments with varying prices (of which there are often discounted packages) and for more information, please see her website www.energya.co.uk.

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

I’ve always thought using all natural products is a lovely idea but never really delved much deeper than that and it wasn’t until the week before last when Jimmy and I visited the Weleda Institute in Ilkeston that I really understood why we should be using natural products, not just on our babies but on ourselves too! I had no idea about skin care products and what goes into them. I had presumed that if something said it was natural/organic then, well, it would be but it seems that with skin care, including that for our babies, unlike with food the standards are entirely different and they can be called natural and can be classed organic just if they have one product in them that is! The rest of course can just be utter pap! I also never realised that as a substitute for dearer oils paraffins are often used and really and truly, aside from acting as a barrier on the skin, they do nothing much else… A synthetic oil which sits on the skin is not moisturising or healing in any way. It’s just greasy! If you are wanting to stop an area from getting wet then it does the job well and can be used for treatments to provide that result but if you are after something to moisturise and heal or prevent then you really need a proper moisturiser with natural oils and shea butter or coco butter etc. You’d be surprised at the most famous brands of baby creams and what goes into them!

I had no idea that so many products, products I have reviewed and are specifically designed for babies or pregnant bumps contain things which you just really wouldn’t want on your child or your bump. I simply hadn’t paid any attention to that side whatsoever! When I reviewed Weleda’s stretch mark oil I said I thought it was a product which worked exceptionally well but I dwelled on the price which is higher than most on the market and it was because I didn’t understand why. Having been to the institute and visited the gardens where they grow, in house, most of their own products and spoken with their team of pharmacists, gardeners and management I can now see why this product is more expensive. Who else grows the natural ingredients themselves, refuses to buy any extra they may need from the open market because they won’t compromise their philosophy and practise what they preach? Who else, when reading the inky print on their packaging can honestly say that what they advertise is 100% what you get? Well let me tell you, not many!

I had an idea of what Weleda was in my head and it was all skewed. I thought it was a big international company and they certainly had some ethics but were probably like most other companies and nothing special. I hadn’t really put two and two together and realised that the herbal Arnica tablets my Doctor recommended for my terrible tear and infection after giving birth to Jimmy were made by the same company that made my stretch mark oil. I mean, I know he said Weleda and my friend bought me Weleda ones but I just didn’t think about it. I realised that the Arnica tablets helped. No end actually! They reduced the swelling for sure but I just didn’t think about who had made them and why they had worked so well. Having visited the institute, I know the reasons now. Weleda make things which work, are ethical, natural and which are researched by their team of scientists to within an inch. When they say something helps for hair loss, I don’t now think ‘really, bet it doesn’t’! I think, ‘yes, ok, what is it?’ The ingredients have been grown by John, the head gardener who retires at the end of next month but who has been with Weleda for 30 years and his small team of four. He showed me round his garden and I think I may now have a love of gardening (bit of a shame with no garden eh)! The meadows, the pond, the bees, fields, trees… He has a story and a reason behind each plant growing from nettles (which are essential for any garden) to the most well known of natural remedy plants (Echinacea, Camomile, Calendula etc). He explained how everything is harvested, what they do with them and why. It was simply fascinating.

Right now in the Weleda garden, the Calendula is ready for the picking (did you know one flower is not just one flower but hundreds of flowers?) and John showed me how to harvest before taking me back to the institute and teaching me how to make it into a tincture. I did this by hand, something which they do in the factory too when small batches are needed, it’s not all about machinery you know! Chopped and with organic alcohol applied it was then ready for making into a cream, well if we’d had time to leave it 10 days it would have been but luckily they had some they’d made earlier and one of their pharmacists to show me how! So, what’s added? I chose the natural oil of almond and shea butter. Other ingredients are also required, something to make it all bind together but everything they use is natural and there are no compromises with Weleda!

So, Weleda is a big international company, they have sister branches all round the world and they do share sometimes. Some things are only produced in certain countries for instance but if you buy Weleda in this country, chances are it will be a product which has been UK produced from start to finish. Check the packaging and see what the address says. You will always know when buying Weleda that it is the best possible product you could be buying and they are not just ethical with their products but with their whole company too which as a buyer makes it all the more appealing. Stepping into Weleda is like stepping back in time when companies cared about their employees and provided them with an environment which made them want to go back to work every day. Staff turnover is minimal and it’s easy to see why. They have an in house cook who prepares (knowing everyone’s dietary requirements) home cooked food daily and this is subsidised heavily by Weleda for each employee (they often use ingredients grown by the gardeners too). Everyone, regardless of position in the company, sits together in a big garden room overlooking beautiful grounds and eats lunch. The day I was there we had home made blue cheese quiche, stuffed mushrooms and salads followed by a giant home made Victoria sponge and cherry scones… It’s a wonder the staff aren’t all the size of houses! They all looked happy, they were all smiling and who wouldn’t be with weekly access to an on sight masseur and the option to see a Doctor with herbalist training when required? I came away having started my Weleda journey and wishing I could work with them all and I urge everyone to start their journey with Weleda too. (By the way, I’m currently using the Camomile teething granules and they are superb, calm Jimmy instantly and definitely help him with his gums)!

 

 

The stunning Weleda gardens!

 

 

Breastfeeding Jimmy in the sling while picking Calendula, how ‘earth mummy’ am I?!

 

 

Doesn’t this look like a lovely place to work!

 

 

Head gardener John guides me while I make my own Calendula tincture!

 

And it’s made into a cream by a Pharmacist!

 

DONKEY WATCH

 

Donkey is a Beatle (Not a Zebra)!

My husband is a musician, has always been a big Beatles fan and when Florence was born and his music room began it’s journey into nursery with the removal of Jonny’s equipment slowly happening every few months as and when life with children dictated it he deliberately always left his framed picture of the fab four hanging on the wall. The room is now all but handed over to the babies but that picture hangs firmly in its place as a reminder that once upon a time the room belonged to music! Florence recently began asking who those boys are? And after trying to explain to her that those boys are actually now older than Granddad and Grandpa it seemed more appropriate to play her some of the songs. She actually loves them, probably not as much as Daddy but every day she says ‘Let’s have some of those Beatles boys music on the radio’. How sweet she is! Anyway, Le Donk also sometimes gets in on the action and has a little dance with us so we thought we’d take him up to Abbey Road and let him meet the zebra made famous on the front of the Abbey Road album cover! Well, zebra’s no donkey but I think Le Donk had a little love heart in his eye when he met and walked all over her!

See what we got up to on our mammoth journey using trains, tubes and buses to get to Abbey Road! We travelled mainly on the over ground in London which although the actual trains are absolutely sorted for the likes of Le Donk and easy to get on and park up, getting to the plat form in the first place can be a bit of a mission unless there’s two of you. If my Mum hadn’t been travelling with me then I would have opted for buses but we got a great groove on the two of us. I simply popped Jimmy’s bassinet off as soon as we got to steps and my Mum carried that with him inside it up the stairs while holding Florence’s hand who walked. I then bumped Le Donk up and down them accordingly. Not a great fiasco or faff but in this day and age it does leave me wondering why transport in London is not more wheel friendly. What on earth do people in wheel chairs do? I mean The Bugaboo buggies, including the Donkey are light and easy to carry but I have friends with other buggies, especially those doubles where one seat is underneath the other and they’re SO heavy! Thank goodness I have a Bugaboo and can still manage eh!

 

 

 

The famous zebra crossing at Abbey Road, we made several journeys across, Le Donk was quite keen on her!

 

 

This is Le Donk with us outside the Abbey Road recording studios where the fab four made the Abbey Road album!

 

 

We had loads of fun showing off Le Donk at Abbey Road!

 

 

Travelling on the over ground was easy once on the platform but loads of steps up, still with two of us it was easy enough!

 

For more information on the ‘Donkey’ and all other ‘Bugaboo’ products please see their website www.bugaboo.com. It’s also worth noting that ‘When you choose a ‘Bugaboo’ product (now available in more than 50 countries) you are choosing a company which is a proud (PRODUCT) RED™ partner. ‘Bugaboo’ contributes a portion of its profits across all products – to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa, with the goal of ending mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2015.

 

Berry Entertaining!

Keeping Florence entertained when at home is hard enough these days let alone when on a car journey; we are always doing some sort of activity at home be it craft work, baking or something else, she is just not a child who wants to sit and just be. She also plays great games with her toys and is absolutely fantastic at it, she has such an imagination and I just adore watching her acting out scenarios with her HappyLand characters and baby dolls. She is always busy, her mind always on the go and so when we travel the journeys are becoming increasingly harder and harder because she is simply bored! And who can blame her, being expected to sit and wait is an extremely tall order for a tiny tot of two and we decided a while ago that we needed a solution. I think I’ve found it.

Florence is very much a modern toddler, a girl of the times if you will and likes nothing more than playing around on Jonny’s phone. She likes to look at the pictures we’ve taken and somehow, as if by instinct she just knows exactly what to do and how to use it? We’re very much BlackBerry people in this house, I couldn’t imagine how my days would function without mine? My BlackBerry Curve is my phone, where I pick up and send my texts and emails from, control my diary, how I keep up to date with FaceBook and Twitter and when I’m out on the go I take hundreds of pictures using the camera. If I didn’t have my BlackBerry, I would be lost! After seeing mine, Jonny quickly converted and he too now relies on the trusty berry, although he has a much more up to date one than me. I keep meaning to use my upgrade but never have the time and this very much entertains Florence and Jonny as they think it’s very funny that Mummy’s phone doesn’t have a touch screen. Modern toddler Florence often says ‘you’re phone’s not working Mummy’, as she tries to scroll on to the next picture by stroking the screen to no effect!

Knowing how much entertainment Florence gets from our phones means I have recently been looking at tablets. Whenever we have been to events where tablets have been available to play with or to a friend’s house that has one, Florence has been mesmerised and I just knew it was going to be the way forward. I knew for travelling and holidays she would get great benefits from one. Last year for our hols we took a portable DVD player for instance and it was fantastic but bulky and we obviously had to then take a load of DVD’s too, a tablet would be awesome because she could watch her fave programmes while away and some, for they do far more than that! Now I hadn’t realised until recently that BlackBerry make their own tablet, the BlackBerry PlayBook! Well, being the BlackBerry girl that I am it seemed a no brainer to look into one of those and I’m so glad I did for we are not disappointed, not disappointed at all! Did you know for instance that they can do everything other tablets can do but actually quite a bit more as well?! With the PlayBook you can download the photographs you take, a feature trait not shared with some of the other well known tablets but one I really like because I take loads of pictures! They’re also a fraction of the price of some tablets so frankly, after having used one; I can’t see why you’d pay more for less with another brand? I’m going to talk about our PlayBook in my blog every week, I’ll bring you an initial review next week and then reviews of various apps and updates on how we’re getting on after that but so far, all I can say is that it’s revolutionised our car journeys… And Florence (who thinks it’s her own personal PlayBook) is gleeful! See you back here next week to find out exactly what we like about it!

 

Florence uses the ‘BlackBerry PlayBook’ in the car recently!

For more information on the BlackBerry PlayBook and all BlackBerry products please see http://uk.blackberry.com/

Countdown to Lollibob!

 

2 weeks to go!

 

With the sunshine out there’s no better time to plan a day in the park and why just a day in the park when it could be a day in Regent’s Park over the LOLLIBOP weekend! I’ve said it many times but I’ll always say it again, Lollibop was one of the best days out we had last year and we’d be mad to miss it again this summer! Florence is beyond excited about it and truth be told so am I! Now that we’ve become acquainted for the first time with Moshi Monsters we’re really keen to join in the Moshi Mash Up tournament which will be taking place every day from 10.30am with the final each day at 4.30pm where finalists can compete for a trophy! Every one who enters gets a free pack of Mash Up cards and if you already have some there will be the opportunity to trade with others on the day so make sure you bring your collection with you on the day!

 

For more information and how to book tickets please see www.lollibopfestival.co.uk.

  

Now you might remember from previous posts that I’m just a little bit into cleaning! I love my house when it’s tidy and clean and even if I’ve spent all day making it shine and am completely exhausted it’s a great feeling! Jonny is very good really and he does his bit too (he might even be a bit more fanatical than me at times) but he doesn’t always do things to my specifications! It could be clean but he often leaves smeary marks on the oven door where he’s wiped it but not polished and I can’t stand that! It’s the same with the kitchen floor, I like there to be no marks whatsoever when it’s clean, even water ones from cleaning it drive me berserk! On wooden floors I often find myself lying on my tummy picking up stray pieces of fluff and shining small marks after I’ve already hovered and washed them! (I know, I’m a bit mental probably)! I’m also forever on my hands and knees sniffing the carpet to ensure there are no whiffs from previous Florence spillages! I’ve no idea why we chose pale carpets but we did and keeping them looking great is a main household priority for me! The day Florence had dog poo on her shoes and Jonny didn’t notice before she’d trailed it round sticks in my head and makes me shudder every time I think of it! I am mega delighted then that we now have a Vax Bare Floor Pro S2ST because it has made cleaning floors and refreshing carpets soooooo much easier and what’s more, it does it to MY specifications!

When it arrived I took a quick look at it and thought I was going to have to get Jonny to put it together but after a brief flick through the manual I thought I’d give it a go myself and actually I found it extremely simple to assemble with the components clicking into place easily. Using it was no different and after following the instructions I found it to be a breeze from the word go! The twin tank technology means the floor can be cleaned with steam and detergent giving good results, if you can find a place to stand and admire the floor after cleaning which has sunshine directly on it then you’ll notice absolutely no smears! Seriously! My Mum (I let her have a go too as she was so impressed with my results) has a laminate tiled kitchen floor which has a tendency to go streaky when cleaned by mop or hand if you don’t buff it after its dry. We found her kitchen took 5 minutes to clean using the mop and dried in a few minutes even and gleaming. It comes with a coral pad which is intended for textured surfaces and my stone bathroom floor also looked beautiful afterwards. General cleaning with it involves little effort which is fab as I am so used to ‘really having to go for it’ with the floor; one or two brief passes produces perfect results! Stubborn marks require just that little bit of extra time passing the cleaning head over them but nothing like getting on your hands and knees scrubbing, nothing at all! There are also two smoother cleaning pads provided for smooth floors like my Mum’s kitchen. I am very impressed and I know I sound like an advert but I really do love this product as it really does work this well!. This is an effortless way to clean hard floors quickly with the bonus that they are also rendered germ free (what could be better with small children?) There is also glider provided which makes it possible to freshen a carpet or rug, again this is easy to do and fab with little ones!

 

 

For more information on the Vax Bare Floor Pro S2ST(£99.99) please see the website www.vax.co.uk

MY LIFE WITH 2! WEEK 13!

This week I’m cheering Florence on with a big hurrah because she is and entirely of her own decision really, dry! She’s not worn nappies in the day time for over a week and we’ve only had ONE accident. It all started when my Mum started giving her a penny for her purse every time she spent one on the big girl’s toilet. That was the week before last and she was still in nappies but asking to go so we removed it for her when she did. Then back home I said to her that if she did a poo on the toilet she could have a little treat. We put a box together of little presents which she chooses one of every time she has a toilet victory and it just seemed to work! A couple of days after that she said ‘no nappy please Mummy, I’d like my Dora the Explorer knickers on today’ and it’s been like that ever since! I’m stupidly proud of her, she’s been amazing! We were in a shop the other day and she said she needed a wee, we had to wait for the toilet to be unlocked and it took about 5 minutes but she held on! She’s totally brilliant and I’m chuffed to bits! (It saves lots of money too and also means she can go to nursery in January as they wouldn’t have taken her if she was still in nappies)!

Some of the little gifts we’ve been giving her are the Olympic products from Adsa which she loves (she’s a massive jubilympic fan and LOVES the Union Jack, although she thinks it’s called a ‘Jubilee’!! Asda are selling lots of official Team GB merchandise for the Olympics which are perfect as little treats for Florence and means we are supporting the team at the same time! Last week she had the duck I talked about which is super cute and this week she’s chosen from her box, a magnetic snow storm (£3) which is now on our fridge sticking a picture of her and I to it, a black taxi with a Union Jack on the roof and a Union Jack racing car! (cars are from £2).

 

 Some of the Asda Team GB merchandise and Florence with her taxi!

Jimmy is also being a little amazing lovely, sleeping brilliantly (as per usual) and he’s now rolling over! Florence rolled over at about this age so it doesn’t surprise me but I knew she was early to do so and had expected, especially as he is a boy that he may do things a bit later (they seem to don’t they?) but he’s done it and the look of determination on his face is brilliant! He’s also doing proper giggling now which is fantastic and just brings a smile to my own face! I love to watch his personality grow and to hear someone laugh, properly laugh brings such character to them don’t you think?

He also went swimming for the first time this week which was lovely to watch. I was lucky and had a friend on hand to help with the both of them plus the instructor in the pool lent a hand. It really wore both of them out, which is just great! My ‘Must Have of the Week’ is actually Jimmy’s swim nappy which is made by Bambino Mio It’s fantastic and we love it! It has a cotton lining for softness on baby skin, is light weight and comfortable with an elasticated waist band and leg cuffs to ensure no leakage. It comes in sizes which range from 11lb to 34lb and there are loads of colours and prints to choose from. I think this is a brilliant product because not only does it do the job but it’s a two in one; this is Jimmy’s swim nappy and his trunks and frankly saves lots of money by being so! I remember with Florence paying nearly £6 for a pack of about 8 swim nappies and then they just go straight in the bin after the swim which with a tiny one doesn’t really last long? Madness and just throwing money away really, especially when you can buy one of these from Bambino Mio! I love the fact that the waist band has a draw string which can be tightened or loosened accordingly and feel this nappy will last Jimmy quite a while! It also dries really quickly I noticed which is great for when we go on holiday in September. I’m not even going to get him a second costume as he really won’t need one!

 

Jimmy excited and giggling pre first swim. He’s wearing his ‘Bambino Mio’ swim nappy in ‘Blue Spot’.

 

For more information see http://uk.bambinomio.com/uk.

 

Aside from swimming and potty training it’s been a busy summer week and we’ve been absolutely LOVING the sunshine! I’m not sure what it’s like round the rest of the country but with the Olympics and the sunshine it’s felt like we’re on holiday in London this week. The atmosphere here is super and living so close to Stratford like we do means we’re right in the thick of things! True there’s helicopters flying at all hours, the parking restrictions are a little infuriating and public transport is a nightmare but hey, this is once in a lifetime right! I’m still hoping to get tickets for something but even if we don’t there’s always BT London Live which is being held in parks in London. We went to Victoria Park at the weekend where as well as seeing the sporting events on giant screens there’s loads to do and a stage with live music! We went to see Rasta Mouse play which was awesome. He and Da Easy Crew have a new album out soon and we’re a bit devoted in this house so will be following him round his gigs this summer if we can! We really enjoyed our day at BT London Live and there is lots going on there for free, children especially are catered for. With an interactive sports science exhibit and Discover (our good old Stratford favourite story centre) providing crafting activities for children it was much fun. We played tennis, watched music and had fun dodging the rain showers. It’s even FREE to get in, the only annoying thing being that you can’t take food and drinks in with you, not even water (baby food and drink excepted)! Food and drink in there is also massively over priced and well out of our price range so that does put me off a bit… But we had a lovely afternoon, it felt like a festival and we’re very glad we went!

 

Trying our hand at tennis at ‘BT London Live’ in Victoria Park!

 

 

Getting creative by making Olympic medals and torches in the ‘Discover’ tent!

 

 

Live action on the big screen!

 

Jimmy and Jonny waiting to go into ‘The Zone’ the interactive sports and science exhibit which was really fun!

 

Bit of building!

 

Bit of dancing!

 

 

Bit of excitement building for Rasta Mouse!

 

And… There’s a mouse in this house and someone can’t take her eyes away!

 

WIN tickets to The Baby Show Manchester

The must go to event for parents and parents to be

 

The UK’s leading baby and parenting show is coming to Manchester this August and to celebrate, The Baby Show is teaming up with Rocknrollerbaby to offer you the chance to win tickets to this essential event on 31^st August – 2^nd September at EventCity, Manchester.

 

The Baby Show in association with Made for Mums and sponsored by Fisher-Price is the perfect place to visit for all parents and parents-to-be who want to find the latest maternity and nursery products on the market – all from the very best UK and international brands! The show will feature 200 must-have brands including Fisher-Price, Babies R Us, Mamas & Papas, and Mothercare, as well asniche and designer products.  Visitors will be able to enjoy special offers, great entertainment and hear from baby care experts all in one place.  What’s more, EventCity, Manchester offers first class first facilities and has over 3000 FREE car parking spaces.

 

The Baby Show also boasts expert speakers on hand to give support, guidance and advice to all visitors, including midwives from Channel 4’s award-winning show ‘One Born Every Minute’ and baby food and nutrition expert Annabel Karmel. The Baby Show has become an essential event in all parents’ calendars and has also attracted a celebrity following with stars including Una Healy, Stacey Solomon and Chantelle Houghton spotted searching for the best products at earlier shows this year!

 

With everything in one place and with the added bonus of exclusive offers and expert advice, you’ll find everything you need without the stress of the high street!

For more information and to buy tickets please visit www.thebabyshow.co.uk

For the chance to get your hands on FREE tickets for The Baby Show in Manchester, simply enter by emailing me at rocknrollerbaby@hotmail.co.uk with Manchester Baby Show in the title and your name and address in the email by Wednesday 8^th August.

So, that’s it for this week! You may have noticed that I’ve moved from Live Journal to WordPress! I’m going to do my best to make my blog look awesome in the coming weeks but I’m not terribly technical so please do bear with me…

In the meantime follow me on Twitter @rocknrollerbaby

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)

Askamum love my blog, ooo-errr how exciting!

I’ve moved my blog to WordPress! I’ve posted in my archive and am starting afresh over here, hope you like the new style which I will hopefully make even better in the coming weeks and months! I’ll be posting as normal in my usual style on Friday but I wanted to begin my WordPress journey with another new beginning and write this special post to start with. Last night I was very kindly invited to the launch of the new look Mothercare and Early Learning Store in Edmonton, North London. I was quite excited to go out in the evening, on my own, wearing a dress which didn’t have easy access for breast feeding and knowing there might be a glass of wine or two I expressed loads of milk for Jonny to play Mummy with while I was out! Just before I left, Florence was playing with her toys in such a sweet way and it seemed apt that she was taking her HappyLand characters, including the queen on a make believe trip to the farm via the bus while I was off to meet the people who are behind the brilliant collection of toys she loves so much!

Florence just before I left for the Mothercare and Early Learning Centre launch with her favourite toys of the moment!

 

Now it just so happens that I live fairly close to the Edmonton Store, which is on an industrial estate, so I know it well but I haven’t been in a while. I was totally gobsmacked when I saw what they’d done to the place! It’s HUGE! I mean, of course it can’t really be any bigger than it was before but it’s had a makeover which means the whole space is so much more inviting and because the ceiling is now white it just seems bigger somehow. From the centre of the room you can literally see everything in the store which is brilliant because you don’t have to waste any time trying to find what you’re looking for. Saying that, the new store is actually the sort of place you wouldn’t mind wasting any time in! Edmonton Mothercare and Early Learning Centre is no longer a place to trek to when you need something but actually, a bit of a day out really! I can hear you laughing but seriously, and not just for the baby gadget lovers like me I promise, this isn’t even just about shopping anymore!

The centre of the room from up stairs. As you can see, it’s light, bright, well spaced out and gives a great view of where everything is.

The vista downstairs looking up to the left and you can still see everything even though it’s on another floor! (By the way, that windmill is a play house)!

Obviously you can buy all your baby gear, clothes and maternity essentials (of which all have some fab new ranges which I’ve spoken of before and will do so again soon) and the toys are still upstairs in the Early Learning Centre ready for purchase but did you know that you can also pop in to have a coffee in Costa, let the children play in the play areas, turn up for special visits from favourite characters such as Peppa Pig and the Grufallo (bet that got your attention) and visit their new mumspace where there will be classes like Lazy Daisy baby massage, Jo Jingles music and Diddi Dance sessions as well as expectant parent groups taking place and other exciting weekly activities? No? Well you do now and the play areas are awesome! A Little Tikes fenced off section with loads of toys and then all around the Early learning Centre are toys and play houses! Fantastic!

The play areas.

 

My favourite dress in the new affordable range, this is JUST £9!

I had a nosy round the store and found things I know Florence would be squealing with delight at, the giant child sized HappyLand characters and rocket style space ship as the lift for starters, meaning this is the sort of shopping she would actually enjoy and because of that will almost certainly be the sort of shopping Jonny will tolerate and let me enjoy! Already I am planning my next trip!

A giant HappyLand space man stands guard by the rocket style space ship Lift!

Mothercare has had a bad rap in the past for various things and I think it’s fair to say they have got it wrong on occasions but after listening to their brand new CEO Simon Calver, who has a young family himself with number two imminent and having seen this new store with my own eyes I am confident that what the company wants is to be better, to be the best in fact and most importantly to be what us Mums really want! They’ve listened to what we’ve said in the past and boy have they acted on it! Simon made a speech last night and what drew my attention most was the fact that he said the stores are now all about bras and cars. He said they recognised that when they meet us for the first time those are the areas we are interested in; we need to be fitted for bras and we need a car seat so every member of staff is now going to be trained to give advice in both areas and there will always be 6 people on the floor at any given time ready and waiting to help with these tricky areas which need the most advice. This isn’t just in Edmonton either but throughout ALL stores! Fabulous news and something other stores could take a tip from I think! I recently waited 2 hours for someone to become available in a major high street department store just to have my bra size measured for a nursing bra which is infuriating and now I know what Mothercare are offering I see no need to even try anywhere else really!

He also spoke about the feeding and changing areas which have been decorated beautifully. I’ve noticed in the past that some Mothercare stores, such as the one in Norwich, have exceptional feeding areas and then others not so much but I was reassured last night that this will not be the case anymore and that everywhere will be perfect! They still have a few tweaks to make, it wasn’t quite there yet but they were falling over themselves to hear what I thought they should do to make it so and I told them that the Norwich store is all they need to look at, comfy chairs, a water machine and a box of breast pads! I have no doubt that they will take it on board and make some little changes to the areas very soon. Saying that, it’s already quite a nice spot for feeding and the wall paper in the corridor alone is worth going to have look at, I’d even have it in my house! It’s retro covers from Mothercare’s magazine from the 60s onwards!

The retro magazine cover wall!

 

All in all I am super impressed with the store, I’m impressed with the new ranges (the low cost clothes are adorable), I’m impressed with the concessions in store such as Pixifoto and Clarks, I’m impressed with what’s on offer in the mumspace (Full listing for August below) and I’m impressed with their attitude! Well done Mothercare and keep up the good work rolling this kind of thing out to all your other stores!

Mumspace, within the store is, as I said a place where classes and events for all the family will be taking place. For the month of August these will all be FREE (with the exception of Palmers Green Puppet Theatre at £3 per child) on a first come first served basis and in the future they hope to hold more FREE events for families which is excellent in light of the fact this government seems hell bent on closing SureStart resources! Take a look what’s on this month in Edmonton:

 

MUMSPACE – What’s on in August?

What is the store offering FREE for the month of August? Well quite a lot really! Take a look below for the time table:

Saturday 4^th Baby Sensory development classes – 10am to 3pm

Sunday 5^th MamaBabyBliss – baby massage, body yoga demos and Disco Duck pre-school dance taster sessions – 11am to 4pm

Tuesday 7^th Diddi Dance – 10am to 10.45am

Wednesday 8^th Tiny Talk baby signing – 10.30am to 11am

Saturday 11^th Jo Jingles with Big Jo! – sessions all day

Sunday 12^th Baby and Me Club expectant parent event 10am to 12 noon

Monday 13^th Tiny Talk baby signing – 10.30am to 11am

Tuesday 14^th Lazy Daisy baby massage and baby yoga – 11am to 12.30pm

Wednesday 15^th Jo Jingles, music, singing and movement – 10am to 12 noon

Friday 17^th Jo Jingles, music, singing and movement – 10am to 12 noon

Tuesday 21^st Lazy Daisy birthing class – 11am to 12.30pm

Friday 24^th Jo Jingles, music, singing and movement – 10am to 12 noon

Tuesday 28^th Lazy Daisy baby massage and baby yoga – 11am to 12.30pm

Saturday 25^th – Monday 27^th Palmers Green Puppet Theatre Performances 1pm & 5pm

And in the Early Learning Centre Play Area the activities are as follows:

Saturday 4^th Entertainment and face painters, Gruffalo in Store – 10am to 4pm

Sunday 5^th Entertainment and face painters, Gruffalo and Peppa Pig in Store – 10am to 4pm

Saturday 11^th Teddy Bears Picnic

Sunday 12^th Teddy Bears Picnic

Saturday 18^th Pirates and Fairies – 10am to 4pm

Sunday 19^th Pop-up-Tales, stories created and brought to life using puppets, songs, parachutes, bubbles, movement and fun – 11am to 3pm

Tuesday 21^st Diddi Dancing – 2pm – 2.45pm

Saturday 25^th – Monday 27^th Palmers Green Puppet Theatre, family friendly puppet theatre story telling 12 noon to 4pm

(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)