Tuesday 29 October 2013

Bert's First Time in the Big Boy Bath & Tiddley Pom Review...

This week saw another milestone for our gorgeous son, Bert. He has now outgrown the baby bath (he's so long!) and had his first dip in the 'big boy bath' on Sunday. 

When he was first born he hated bath time - I think he felt exposed and vulnerable, and didn't like the sensation of the water. Then at 7 weeks old we took him swimming, and since then he's been a total water baby! 

He loved the big bath this week as he could stretch out and kick his legs freely - god help us when he's even bigger, it will be a very splashy time! 

Tiddley Pom

The lovely people at Tiddley Pom Natural Baby Spa sent Bert and I some of their baby spa bath time products to try out - and his first time in the big bath seemed like the perfect time to try it out. 

We used the Tiddley Pom Organic Baby Wash in the bath, and it was lovely - with smells of English Lavender and Chamomile, it was such a relaxing scent, gentle but fragrant. It bubbled up nicely, and left Bert's skin feeling so soft & smelling even more delicious than he usually does. 

Tiddley Pom Natural Baby Spa offers ‘something different’. It’s a spa range for babies where the products compliment each other and it’s a way for mums and dads to bond with their babies. My baby aromatherapy, music and massage products can be used on their own but work even more effectively as a complete spa treatment.

little Bert having fun in the tub! & Tiddley Pom's fab products

After his bath we used Tiddley Pom Organic Nappy Balm  on his bottom, and this was definitely my favourite product out of the two - it smells heavenly, it has a lovely silky texture, and seems to moisturise and soothe Bert's delicate little bum! 

Here's what Tiddley Pom say about their products:

Try our soothing, fragrant Organic Nappy Balm, designed to protect and nourish your precious baby's skin.
This specially-designed nappy cream is silky and smooth, helping to restore your baby's natural acid mantle layer as it protects.
Our Organic Baby Wash is the perfect treat for your baby's skin at bath time. It soothes and cleanes with an infusion of English Lavender and Chamomile oils. Ideal for delicate new born baby skin.
Size: 200ml
The Baby wash is priced at £9.99 for 200ml, and the Nappy Balm is priced at £7.99 for a tub. All of Tiddley Pom's products are organic, gentle on baby skin, and they are infused with aromatherapy oils to help calm your little ones. Although pricier than some baby washes & balms they really are in another league compared to their supermarket brand contemporaries. Also, because of their great quality a little of each product goes a long way. 
Bert and I certainly loved them! 
bath time fun!

Bye for now

Mrs B & Baby Bert
xxx

Disclaimer: We were sent 1 x Tiddley Pom Baby wash, and 1 x Tiddley Pom Nappy Balm for the purpose of this review. All pictures and opinions are my own. 


Sunday 27 October 2013

Sunday Brunch... Sausage and Fennel Frittata

This lovely recipe is the perfect alternative to a fry up, and works brilliantly as a Sunday brunch meal. Serves 3 people at 368 calories per serving - considerably less than a fried breakfast! 

I got this recipe from the magnificent Mr Gordon Ramsay's new day time show (the only good part of day time TV!) 'Home Cooking', where he cooks with his kids. I've adapted the recipe slightly, and have just made it for my husband and sister - it's scrummy! 

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
teaspoon of Fennel seeds
4 x low calorie sausages (such as Tesco 'Light Choices' cumberland sausages) out of their skins and torn up into small chunks. 
6 medium eggs
60g grated parmesan cheese & a small amount for grating on the top
handful of fresh basil, chopped
salt & pepper

Method

1. Pre heat the grill to the highest temperature
2. Fry the onion on a medium heat with the fennel seeds until softened in a large frying pan.
3. Add the torn up sausage meat and cook until sausage pieces almost cooked through.
4. Mix the 6 eggs, add grated parmesan, chopped basil and salt/pepper and mix with a fork.
5. Pour the mixture over the sausage/onion, then use wooden spoon to mix round so all the sausage is coated in the egg mix and it is evenly distributed around the pan. 
6. Cook for a few minutes on the hob, until you can lift the frittata at once edge with a spatula and it is light/golden brown underneath.
7. Grate a small amount of parmesan over the top of the frittata and then place under a hot grill until the cheese is lightly browned and the egg is cooked through.
8. Slice and serve! 

just starting to cook the egg

grilled and ready to slice

yum yum - all ready for slicing up

t'ah d'ah - a lovely brunch dish. 

It would be 552 calories for half the frittata if you have a bigger appetite, or fancy a breakfast/brunch treat. 

Happy Sunday Brunch to my lovely readers!
Enjoy

Mrs B 

xxxx

Thursday 24 October 2013

Pampers New Baby Sensitive Challenge & HILARIOUS accounts of Bert's nappy changes

We have recently been using Pampers New Baby Sensitive nappies, as part of a challenge sponsored by BritMums. We were sent a months supply of Pampers sensitive nappies to use on little Bert, and report back on how we've got on. 


In all honesty, these are genuinely the best nappies we have tried out, and we've tried quite a few! 

Why are they so good? They don't leak! All the supermarket-own brand nappies that we have tried (Tesco, Aldi and Sainsburys) have all at one time or another, leaked. This is so annoying as it makes the changing process more labour-intensive, and means going through more clothes, and distressing little Bert who gets all wet and uncomfortable. We've used Pampers Sensitive nappies for a few weeks now and not a single one has leaked. In fact, Bert slept for 11 hours in a Pampers Sensitive nappy one night, and there wasn't even a drop of leakage - oh my that was a full nappy! 

These nappies seem very soft on Bert's skin, and he hasn't had any irritation from using them. They have cute fun designs on the front, and a brilliant wetness indicator strip - yellow when dry, blue when wet - this saves the waste of changing a dry nappy! 

Pampers Sensitive Nappy

dry nappy with yellow stripe

very wet nappy with blue stripe! 

It is also worth noting that these nappies have a great fit, they are size 2 which says weight range 6-13lbs, Bert has grown out of supermarket own brand size 2, but Pampers still fit nicely. This is great as each Pampers Sensitive size seems to be usable for longer, which is only a good thing and saves wasting the end-of-the-pack that no longer fit nappies! 

Bert seems to be happy with them, and he is surely the most reliable reviewer of us all?

Bert feeling very happy in his Pampers Sensitive nappy! 

The Truth Behind Nappy Changes

Bert has had some hilarious nappy changes in the 9 weeks he's been around - including managing to poo up his back, which in turn went on my lap (through a supermarket own-brand nappy) and puke in his own ear simultaneously! What an achievement! 

He also has been known to PROJECTILE-POO!! I genuinely did not know this was possible until I had a baby of my own. Bert was having his first professional photo shoot a few weeks ago when I could smell that he'd pooed - I rushed to change him, took off the dirty nappy, lifted his legs to wipe and POW! out came a projectile poo (he obviously hadn't finished - silly Mummy!) It went EVERYWHERE, all up my arm, all over the mat, the floor, his own legs and feet! Wow, that was a memorable nappy change! 

Bert moments after his projectile poo! Butter wouldn't melt! 


My husband sums up the nappy change brilliantly in his hilarious description of changing Bert from his blog Child, Man Child:

"The nappy changes on the whole work a bit like this, we have them down to a well oiled pitstop now.

-          Lay baby down
-          Remove baby-grow, cursing as you can’t work out how to get it off, or even undo the iron-strong poppers
-          Remove nappy while holding breathe and prepare yourself for what is inside
-          Catch wee suddenly shooting out over the carpet and quickly use nappy as a wee-shield to deflect the wee, accidentally all over baby's own hair
-          Try to sooth baby crying with dummy which gets spit out immediately into a puddle of wee
-          Use wipes/cotton wool/anything to hand to mop up wee and clean the baby
-          Once all clean, baby will then poo
-          Use wipes/cotton wool/anything to hand to clean up poo and baby again
-          Try to attach new nappy
-          Wrestle legs of the strongest baby ever born, deflect kicks
-          Attach one side of new nappy, then baby poos again
-          Use wipes/cotton wool/anything to hand to clean up poo and baby AGAIN
-          Try to attach 2nd new nappy
-          Wrestle legs of the strongest baby ever born, deflect kicks
-          Attach new nappy
-          Adjust earplugs as crying still constant
-          Find new baby clothes
-          Curse as try and work out how it fixes onto baby, as it has 3000 poppers that attach in random places, wonder if you have brought a baby-grow for a baby octopus rather than a human
-          Get baby-grow over the head, round the body, wrestle arms into shape, find out legs don’t fit as baby’s feet are so large
-          Remove baby-grow and search for one without legs
-          Ask wife to watch baby while you hunt around the house for new baby-grow without legs
-          Eventually end up cutting the feet out of a normal baby-grow with scissors, just so you can fit his legs in it
-          Attempt to wrestle baby into it AGAIN
-          Finally get baby-grow on and cue a quiet cute-again baby"

You might laugh but this is SO TRUE! 

Hence why we need a nice reliable nappy to make the process that little bit smoother. 

Pampers Sensitive nappies are priced at £10.99 for 56 size 2 nappies (20p per nappy), and are currently on offer at Tesco until 11.11.13 for 2 packs for £12 - what a bargain! 

Check out the Pampers website here for all the products available and have a peek at their Facebook page here.

What nappies do you use? 

Have you had any disastrous nappy changes?

Mrs B

xxx


Disclaimer: This post and review are part of a sponsored project with BritMums. All opinions are my own.

A Little Bird Told Me....


When the people at Little Bird Told Me offered to send Bert and I one of their lovely play mats to review, we jumped at the chance! I'm definitely up for trying out anything that little Bert might enjoy, and might make our time at home together more fun.

I think an activity/play mat is a vital part of a new baby kit, and is so multi-functional - as well as being educational & stimulating for your newborn, they also provide a comfy spot for your tot to lay, have 'tummy time' and kick away their wind!

We were sent the Softly Snail Multi-Activity Playgym from the range called Curious Caterpillar And Friends. It is priced at £65.



My first impressions upon receiving this play mat was delight at how beautiful it is! It is made up of gorgeous bright colours which make it suitable for both boys and girls alike, and it is oh so soft! The base of the mat is so squishy and looks unbelievably comfortable - in fact both me and my hubby both said we wish they did one for adults!

The mat is quick as easy to put together using velcro tabs to stick the arches to the base, and plastic loops to hook on the toys and musical flower.

It comes with 3 hook on toys - a caterpillar, snail and bumble bee - all of which have different textures and incorporate either rattles or scrunchy material. The mat also has a musical flower with a butterfly which plays the "twinkle twinkle little star"tune when you pull the butterfly away from the flower- no batteries required! This was a major plus for me, as it is a rarity to find a baby product that doesn't need batteries replacing every 10 seconds!

The body of the snail on the base is crunchy to the touch - a sound which I have found Bert to love! It really seems to be helping him discover his limbs, he is beginning to realise the cause and effect of what happens when his limbs touch the scrunchy material. This feature is also handy for parents - you can hear immediately if your baby is awake and moving around because of the "scrunch" "crunch" sounds :-)

The shell of the snail on the play mat is soft, squishy and perfect for your tot to lie comfortably, it has a door which opens to reveal  a mirror for your baby to look into, with Caterpillar motif and the word 'peepo', this will be great for Bert once he becomes more aware of himself, and can hold his head up for a longer period of time.

In the meantime, the play mat comes with a "tummy time" cushion, to pop under Bert when I place him on his front to help him build up his neck strength.

 Bert playing and napping on his lovely mat! 

The base mat is also washable - fabulous - as any parent will know that babies just love to puke, wee, and poo on anything remotely pretty and nice! We will definitely be washing the mat, and storing it away ready for when we decide to have Baby Bishop No.2, and in the meantime it'll get tons of usage from little Bert.

Bert really does seem to love it, and has never complained when I've laid him down on it. He's played, and had naps on the mat, and I know he'll only get more and more interested in the toys as he develops, and once he's too small to play under the arches, I can remove them and use the base as a play mat with the toys off the arches instead. Brilliant!

My Little Mr having fun!

Little Bird Told Me really seem to have thought of everything with this mat, and we are very proud owners indeed. 

Not only do Little Bird Told Me produce fab play mats, they also sell a gorgeous range of mobiles, soft toys, rockers, baby on board signs, and the most fabulous rocking horses I've ever seen! Here's a peek of my favourite items on their website - a Little Bird Told Me wish list, if you will...

Doodle and Crumb Infant Rocker £85

Curious Caterpillar Infant Rocker £85



Rufus & Ted Rocking Horse £120

Softly Snail Activity Fun House £25

Bye for now

Bert and Mrs B

xxx

Disclaimer: We were sent this play mat for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are  my own. Pictures are courtesy of Little Bird Told Me, and the collages of photos are my own. 

Wednesday 23 October 2013

Rose Gold Love!

It is definitely a recent trend and I am totally smitten with it. From gorgeous watches and jewellery to amazing Gatsby-style dresses, I love it all. 

With thanks to Pinterest (I can spend HOURS on Pinterest without getting remotely bored!) I have put together a collection of my favourite rose-gold items....stunning! 

This is total rose gold porn. :-)



And here are some gorgeous rose gold jewellery pieces by my favourite jewellery designer Alyssa Smith...



Do you love rose-gold? Will you have any rose-gold items on your Christmas wish list?

Here are two that are on mine...

This gorgeous scarf from Next....

£12.50 Next

And this stunning watch from Anthropologie...

£78 from Anthropologie


Pretty please Father Christmas, I've been very good this year! 

:-)

Mrs B
xxx

To see more rose gold items, or find out more information on the images above then visit my ROSE GOLD LOVE page on Pinterest. Please remember to follow me. 

Thanks lovelies. x

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Rob Ryan and Tatty Devine - I am IN LOVE :-)

So, one of my favourite artists (paper cutter) Rob Ryan has just released an exclusive collection of jewellery in collaboration with the wonderful Tatty Devine, urban Uk-based jewellery designers. The jewellery is exclusively available from Selfridges, and only went on sale yesterday.

I am completely and utterly over-excited about this launch - and can't stop staring at the amazing pieces! I wanted to share my favourite items from the collection with you - what do you think? Are they your taste? Will they make it onto your Christmas list? They are definitely on mine. 

Keep It Safe Locket Earrings Silver £95

A Knot To Help You Remember Ring Silver £95



Dream A Dream Necklace Silver £225

Every Beat Of My Heart Necklace Silver £575

Crown of Hearts Ring Silver £125

My absolute favourites are the 'Dream A Dream' necklace, and 'A Knot To Help You Remember' ring, although it is almost impossible to choose as it is all so lovely! 

To see the whole collection head over to Tatty Devine's Pinterest board here

For those of your who aren't familiar with the work of Rob Ryan here are some of my very favourite pieces by this amazing man. All of his work is produced by hand using the ancient art form of paper cutting...






And here are the Rob Ryan pieces I am already lucky enough to own...

Rob Ryan change purse

Believe In People mug

Bells plate collection 

Couples Mugs 

Bells vase

Bells notebook 

I just adore his work and am always amazed at how intricate his work is - I am *excited squeal* going to be attending a lecture by Rob Ryan at the V&A museum in a few weeks entitled "You Can Still Do A Lot With A Small Brain", where Rob will talk all about his life and career up to this point. I am stupidly excited about it! 

Some other Rob Ryan lovelies on my 'wish list'....


Gorgeous 'Look Closer' silk scarf £85 from NV London Calcutta




Stunning Rob Ryan tiles £26 each - these would be amazing randomly scattered among the white tiles in my bathroom! 

I Walked And I Thought tape £10.50

I could look at his work all night long, but it's late and before I know it i'll be getting my early morning Bert-shaped wake up call :-) 

I hope you gorgeous lot have enjoyed Rob's loveliness as much as me...I'm off to bed to dream of that gorgeous jewellery. 

Na'night

Mrs B

xxxx





Friday 18 October 2013

Chorizo and Red Pepper Spelt Flour Pizza (wheat free)

I have another recipe to share with you today - a yummy homemade pizza using spelt flour, an ingredient I hadn't used before. 

Spelt is a cereal grain in the wheat family, it contains less calories than wheat flour and is higher in protein. Great for anyone with a wheat intolerance. 

This pizza is really fun to make, full of fresh ingredients, and is lower in calories and fat than a typical takeaway pizza. It's the perfect dinner for two very hungry adults, or for 3 adults with a nice salad accompaniment. Obviously you can mix and match toppings, be creative! This is my favourite topping combination...

For the base:

200g spelt flour
135ml warm water
5g dried yeast
40ml olive oil
20ml skimmed milk
pinch of salt

For the spicy sauce:

tin tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
handful of fresh basil leaves
sprinkle of dried chilli flakes
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika

For the toppings:

150g half fat cheddar cheese
90g spanish chorizo sausage
1/2 red bell pepper

Method:

1. Pre heat oven to 200. Mix the warm water with dried yeast and stir. Add to the other dough ingredients and mix for 15 minutes with a dough hook on your food mixer (or by hand if you don't have a mixer) until stretchy and pliable. 

2. Oil a bowl, place in the dough, cover in cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for one hour. 

3. While the dough is rising add your sauce ingredients into a food processor and blitz. Place in a pan and reduce on the hob until thick and sticky, perfect for spreading on the pizza base. 

spicy tomato sauce

4. Chop your pizza toppings ready to place on your base. 

5. After the dough has risen roll it out to a 25cm size disc, place on an oiled baking sheet and cover in cling film, leave for a further 25 mins to rise. 



6. Once risen cover the base in the spicy tomato sauce, leaving a 2cm crust around the edge. Sprinkle on grated cheese, and then add your toppings.




7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. 


I served 1/3rd of the pizza with a scrummy tomato, avocado and mozarella salad with olives, basil and balsamic vinegar! Yum! 

686 calories per 1/3 of the pizza - a lovely Friday night treat! 

Obviously you could lower the calories by using different toppings such as:

-ham and pineapple
-mixed veg
-tuna and sweetcorn
-chicken and pepper
-sausage, onion and tomato
-chicken, pesto and olives

The pizza tasted so scrummy; the base has a wholemeal bread taste, a nice crust and a soft doughy bottom. I really recommend this recipe and it would be perfect to make with kids. 

Enjoy guys! 

Love 

Mrs B

xxx