Jojo Maman Bebe: Fisherman's Jacket *REVIEW*

One of my all-time favourite clothes shops for maternity clothes and clothes for the kids is uber-stylish French brand Jojo Maman Bebe. 

I remember lusting after the clothes in my local JMB shop window (in Reigate, Surrey) when I was a teenager, and always thinking to myself "When I'm a grown up and have children of my own I'm going to shop here!" And now suddenly I find myself a bonafide grown up - I'm 30 in a couple of weeks, married, mortgage, two children and a cat to boot - wow, it genuinely feels like 5 minutes ago I was sneaking out of college lectures to head to the pub with my then boyfriend...how times change!!

I stuck to my word though, and have been shopping with Jojo Maman Bebe ever since I fell pregnant with Bert. I really adore the nautical theme lots of their clothes have (I'm the Queen of Breton Stripes if you didn't know already!) and the ultimate combination for me is a Breton stripe with my favourite colour - yellow. 

Each season I get so excited to see the new collection from Jojo Maman Bebe and when I was lucky enough to preview this year's AW16 collection I got particularly excited, especially when I saw this STUNNING Children's Fisherman's Jacket, priced at £35...

Breton stripes AND yellow! Isn't it darling?

The lovely people at Jojo Maman Bebe very kindly sent Bert a Fisherman's Jacket just in time for his start at pre-school in mid-September - HOW is my BABY old enough to start pre-school? *SOB*

We've been giving it a test run before the school term begins, and I think you'll agree that it's blooming cute! 

The Bertster testing out his new jacket in the garden

Look at that face!! 

Such sweet detailing - I do love all things nautical. And such a gorgeous colour! I won't be losing him in a crowd in a hurry! ;-) 

Bert wore his new jacket to the zoo on his 3rd Birthday weekend a few weeks ago, naturally Tigger had to come along too! 

Note the matching socks too ;-)

Looking suave in his new jacket... Whipsnade Zoo, 20th August 2016

Studying the map of the zoo - he takes his animals very seriously does our Bert! Look at those crossed legs! *cute*

I knew Bert would look absolutely adorable in his new jacket, and what's even cuter is that I have a very similar coat of my own from Joules: there's not that many years left where I'll be able to get away with matching my children, so I'm running with it while I can, haha!

Twinning with my boy! 

The quality of the clothes at Jojo Maman Bebe are exceptional - absolutely worth the slightly higher price tag in my opinion, and anyway they regularly have really fab sales where you can pick up absolute bargains, if at full price their clothes are usually out of your budget. 

JOJO MAMAN BEBE CHILDREN'S FISHERMAN'S JACKET £35

Description

The fisherman's jacket is one of our bestselling styles season after season, offering both classic style and brilliant protection from the elements. Designed to keep out wind and rain when out and about, it's a must have this winter. It's packed with lots of features for effective and comfortable wear, and comes in a great selection of colours.

Fit and features

Cotton lined for cosiness and comfort
Protects against wind and rain
Waterproof
Cosy wadding
Hood
Contrast stripe cotton jersey lining
Zip closure
Velcro storm flap
Pockets to front
Back: 100% Polyester
Pile: 100% PU
Lining: 100% Cotton
Machine washable at 30 degree

This is literally the perfect coat - cotton lining for comfort, wind and rain proof, pockets, zip and velcro fastenings, a hood and machine washable - it's every mum's dream! 

Most importantly - Bert LOVES wearing it - and not having to fight to get his coat on saves me an extra few minutes each day, so that can only be a good thing. 

Are you and your little ones all ready for the new school term? 

GOOD LUCK to all my readers who have kids starting school or pre-school in the next week or so, I hope all of their experiences are amazing! 

Mrs B 

xxx

*We were sent the Children's Fisherman's Jacket from Jojo Maman Bebe in exchange for this honest review.*

Degustabox: Monthly Food/Drink Subscription Box *Review & Offer Code*

Have you discovered Degustabox yet?

It's a brilliant monthly food subscription box - full to bursting with 10-15 items, most of which will be totally new to the market! 

Each box costs just £12.99 which is much cheaper than the retail cost of all the items together, and it is such a fun way to explore new food and drink items. 

I love the idea of not knowing what you're going to get until the box arrives, and then working your way through the items over the course of the month. 

Even if there are a few items in each box that aren't quite your taste, someone else in the family or a friend or neighbour might like to try it, or even the local food-bank, so I'd never be concerned about wasting items. 

OUR FIRST BOX - AUGUST

AUGUST 2016 BOX CONTENTS: 

Geeta's Mango Chutney

Geeta's Rogan Josh Paste

Geeta's Tikka Curry Paste

Rakusens Snackers Mini Crackers & Gluten Free Mini Crackers

Clipper Lime and Ginger Green Tea

Oloves Chilli & Oregano Olives

Willy Chase's Fit Popcorn - Goats Cheese, Red Onion & Thyme

Mahou San Miguel Lager

Dorset Cereals Bircher Muesli with scoop

LighterLife Nutrition Limited Aromatic Thai Noodles Nutri-Pot

LighterLife Nutrition Limited Moroccan Couscous Nutri-Pot

Fentimans Ltd Lime and Jasmine Sparkling Drink

Tabasco Sweet and Sticky Barbecue Marinade

Get More Vitamin Drinks Sparkling Lemon and Lime

What an exciting selection! 

We've only had the box a little under two weeks, and we've already used one of the curry pastes and the mango chutney for a weekday dinner, I had one of the Nutri-Pots for a speedy working lunch, both of the soft drinks have been consumed and Liam enjoyed the lager on one of the hot evenings we had last week. 

Liam enjoyed the lager with a lovely Mexican Taco dinner during the week...

Liam also totally loved the bag of Fit Popcorn and devoured it over the course of the week (I wasn't so sure, cheesy popcorn just isn't for me!)

Meanwhile, I've been working my way through the mini crackers, which are perfect for me - I eat this sort of food a lot, and am already a big fan of Rakusen's Matzo crackers! 

I'm about to try the Oloves olives with today's lunch, and the rest of the box contents are sitting in my kitchen cupboards waiting to be tasted...! 

Geeta's Rogan Josh Curry Paste - ready to cook up a quick and easy storm in the kitchen thanks to my August Degustabox! 

The BEST Mango Chutney I have ever tasted! Genuinely the nicest shop-bought one ever, its got great spice, but tons of flavour and it isn't overpoweringly sweet. 

Yum! Delicious curry using Geeta's Rogan Josh Curry Paste & Mango Chutney

I found the whole process of receiving a Degustabox really fun and exciting - it would make the perfect gift for someone who is particularly "foodie", especially those who are quite adventurous and willing to try anything! It would also be a fun way to encourage/challenge fussy eaters (children included) to try new things. 

I'm excited to see what will be in our next box! 

If you'd like to give Degustabox a try for yourself then receive £7 off your first box with this offer code... 

Use Code BLDEG15 to receive £7.00 off your first Degustabox! 

To find out more about Degustabox head to their social media platforms...

*We were sent the August 2016 Degustabox in exchange for this honest review*

Sylvanian Families Accessory Kit *REVIEW*

Hello Lovelies! 

Life is mad and hectic here at Chez Bishop - I'm still adjusting to life with two children and a very busy freelance career... my feet aren't touching the ground right now, but I'm hoping for a little more balance once Bert starts part-time pre-school in mid September. 

Hopefully normal service will resume here on the blog once I'm in a bit more of a routine and get better at managing my time. I'd like to get to a point where I feel like I'm covering all the bases well, instead of just about managing to keep the balls in the air, which is how I feel at the moment!! 

Needless to say, today's post will just be a quickie...

I wanted to share a gorgeous little package we received from our favourite toy brand Sylvanian Families.

Bert was sent Freya Rabbit from the Chocolate Rabbit family, after she's been on a special shopping trip. This figure is an exclusive collectors figure which is sent to all members of the Sylvanian Families Fan Club.

Freya Chocolate has been invited to a party at the Walnut Squirrel Family's house. 

She wanted to look her best so she went on a lovely shopping trip to the village boutique. 

Freya purchased a wonderful outfit to wear - a beautiful flower-patterned dress with a flower brooch. She also got some pretty earrings and a pink handbag to match perfectly with her dress. Freya is now all ready for the party!

As well as his new Freya, Bert was sent this fabulous Accessory Kit - full to bursting with bags, jewellery, hairbands and even some snazzy glasses for his ever-expanding Sylvanian collection.

Accessory Set priced at £6.99

Bert is a huge fan of imaginative play - and one of his favourite things to do is play with his Sylvanian collection and his dolls house. So of course, he had a field-day when he was let loose on his figures with oodles of accessories. 

He had a go at styling Freya all by himself, and I think he did a grand job! 

Doesn't she look fab? 

Freya Rabbit - complete with floral dress, handbag, necklace, flower brooch, hair bow and funky red glasses! 

If your little one has a budding Sylvanian collection like Bert, then this little accessory kit is a brilliant gift idea at just £6.99 - I hate to mention the 'C' word, but it would make an ace stocking filler too! 

Bye for now

Mrs B

xxx

**We were sent Freya Chocolate (collectable figure) and the Accessory Kit in exchange for this post.**

The Return of GBBO: Mrs Bishop's fave bakes...

Image from GBBO Facebook page

That's right, folks! 

Tonight sees the return of my favourite show on TV - The Great British Bake Off. 

In essence it is a baking competition for amateur home-bakers, who each week are challenged to bake their way through signature bakes, skills tests and show stoppers, with a Star Baker being crowned each week. At the end of every episode one of the contestants leaves the competition until just three bakers remain in the grand-final. 

I've been a huge fan of the show since its first series back in 2010, and through this little ol' blog of mine I have been lucky enough to meet, work with and get to know some of the contestants from previous years, including Edd Kimber who won the first ever series in 2010, the super-lovely Holly Bell who was runner-up in 2011, and Frances Quinn who won series 4 back in 2014.

Edd Kimber and myself, baking on a farm in Cambridge together for Flora.

Holly Bell and myself, baking in London together for Whitworths

As a keen home-baker I find the GBBO hugely inspiring. Sometimes, I watch and feel as if I could totally give the contestants a run-for-their-money and other times I admit defeat and sit and wonder at their incredible baking, flavour and design skills. 

If you haven't watched before then I urge you to give it a go tonight - even if you don't feel like you're "into baking", you are more than likely into eating delicious home baked goods, and so you'll be sure to enjoy plenty of mouth watering viewing. Saying that, I do strongly urge you to watch each week with your own homemade bake to enjoy while you watch, otherwise you'll find yourself in some sort of messy hangry-cake-rage every Wednesday evening, and no one wants that! 

Image from GBBO Facebook page

Bake Off wouldn't be Bake Off without the utterly fabulous presenters Mel and Sue, I adore their humour and think they bring an absolutely necessary element to the show, it would suffer hugely in their absence. 

Naturally, the judges are vital too: the lovely legend that is Mary Berry, and Mr Silver Fox himself, Paul Hollywood. They work so well together, have a crazy amount of chemistry and I get the impression they all have a whale-of-a-time filming each year. 

In readiness for the return of my favourite series I have been updating my bakeware collection courtesy of House of Fraser and their capsule baking collection from Dickins and Jones, isn't it pretty? My kitchen has never been so well equipped...

I'm hoping that the return of GBBO and the arrival of these fab new baking accessories and linens will spur me on to get my baking mojo back...I've not done a huge amount since Connie came along, its pretty hard to find the time to fit in any baking on top of everything else. 

The Dickins and Jones capsule bakeware collection including 'Farmers Market' linens range all from House of Fraser. 

I thought that in order to get your baking juices flowing in readiness for tonight's show that I'd share with you some of my favourite bakes/recipes from here on my blog...

Which will you bake first?

Just click on each picture to access the recipe/original post...

Peanut Banoffee Cake 

Homemade Bourbon Biscuits

Caramac Digestive Biscuits

Doughnut French Toast

Ferrero Rocher Brownies

BEST Fruit Cake

Homemade Bounty Bars

Olive and Feta Scones

Raw Chocolate Ice Cream

Viennese Whirls

Cherry Cognac Rock Cakes 

These are just a taster of my faves from the blog... I've got a long 'to bake' list of new recipe ideas that I'm dying to try, so watch this space and hopefully I'll share some new recipes with you all soon. 

Enjoy tonight's show my lovelies - I'm off to one of my girlfriends houses to watch with my closest mates, while we all enjoy sharing #cakefordinner (sometimes it's just got to be done!)

Mrs B

xxx

My Post-Second-Baby Body & a Lotus Caramelised Biscoff Cheesecake from English Cheesecake Company *REVIEW*

My Post-Second-Baby Body

Recent picture of moi - post Connie's arrival

Since a few weeks after Connie's arrival I've been making a conscious effort to eat well and exercise more in a bid to get back to my pre-Connie weight as soon as possible. I knew that this time round I would find putting on 'baby-weight' especially hard, having worked my socks off for two years previously to shift over 6 stone. 

During my pregnancy with Connie I was definitely far more sensible with my food and exercise than I was first time round with Bert, so although I allowed myself a few more calories than normal, and cut myself a little slack in those final weeks when I was feeling generally beach-whale like and fed up, I don't feel like I "ate for two" or lazed around the whole time. 

So, I was hopeful that my weight gain would be far less than my pregnancy with Bert (3 stone 11 lbs). As it turned out it wasn't actually that much better this time round and I gained a total of 2 stone 12 lbs. Still much more than I'd hoped for. I've only gone up one dress size, and I *think* I'm carrying it fairly well - people always seem genuinely surprised at how "heavy" I am...just shows you that weight can be deceiving. Maybe that's the way my body is predisposed to be, perhaps I put on weight far more easily than some, or maybe that's just an excuse, and I over-ate and under-execised even just a little bit, for 9 months - and that all adds up. 

I knew dealing with the weight gain was never going to be easy: I'd tried hard to mentally prepare myself for getting bigger, my shape changing, being unable to fit into my new wardrobe of size 12 clothes, but despite the mental preparation I'm finding it tougher than expected. I'm so eager to shift the pounds, but I'm also exhausted: trying to look after a three year old, 10 week old, run my freelance social media management business and cook, clean, shop and do the washing - as well as attempt to be a wife to Liam too (I fear I may be failing epic-ly on that front!) With all that in mind it's been hard at times not to let convenience win when it comes to food, and to swap a long walk for a few more hours in the office to get through my mountainous to-do list. 

That said, so far I've shifted 15lbs, and I am feeling better, closer to "me". I'm trying not to feel pressured (the pressure is coming 100% from me) - but I would be lying if I said that the extra weight I'm carrying is not stressing me out. It's making me feel a bit glum. 

Connie is of course absolutely worth every single pound of weight gain, and I wouldn't have it any other way - nethertheless, I'm sat here wishing I was able to wear my full-to-bursting size 12 wardrobe, rather than my makeshift size 14 capsule wardrobe (1 jeans, 1 chinos, a few tops and a sweatshirt!) 

Considerably rounder, but still loving life with my little brood! 

Despite the longing to reach my pre-preggo weight I'm still approaching my food, exercise and weight loss in general with balance and moderation, as I know this is the key to steady and most importantly, long-term weight loss. I'm focussing on controlling portion sizes, eating as much natural, un-processed food as possible, and counting calories (although all calories are not equal, so I'm trying not to get too het-up about an exact amount, more a round-about figure). I'm not cutting out any foods in particular (until next month when I'm challenging myself to attempt Sugar Free September *more on that in another post*) and I'm enjoying higher-calorie/sugary/fatty foods just in moderation - one slice of cake won't make you fat, just like one workout won't make you thin. 

Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake from English Cheesecake Company

With this in mind, I wanted to share with you an epic cheesecake I was kindly sent recently to review from The English Cheesecake Company. 

Still in the throws of life with a newborn, I still haven't quite got my baking mojo back - there genuinely aren't enough hours in the day for the most basic of things, so baking is a luxury that's had to fall by the wayside for now. I'm still regularly hosting/entertaining though, and our guests need to be fed, so when the offer of a Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake to feed 12 came pinging into my inbox, who was I to refuse?

If you've not discovered the wondrous joy that is Lotus Biscoff biscuits and biscuit spread then A) where have you been over the past few years and B) I demand you stop reading this post and go straight to the supermarket to buy some pronto - you won't regret it. These sweet, caramelised biscuits are a joy, and using them to make a cheesecake is a move of pure genius! 

I first discovered Lotus Spread (crunchy and smooth - think peanut butter in texture but made from biscuits!) back in Nov 2012 (read the post where I discovered it here) and it's had pretty much a permanent place in my kitchen cupboard since then. Hubby and Bert especially adore it, so this cheesecake was a treat with them in mind. 

If you've not discovered The English Cheesecake Company before, then let me introduce you. These guys produce top quality artisan cheesecakes, and deliver them frozen to your door - 8 hours in the fridge and these monsters are ready to devour. They are perfect for weddings, parties, large dinner parties, or even for taking into the office to feed your colleagues on special occasions - cheesecake says 'I love you guys' far more than a tray of ring doughnuts, trust me. 

Delivered frozen in a polystyrene box

So well packaged - with a label full of all the need-to-know info (ingredients, nutritional info, portion size, allergy info etc). 

The frozen cheesecake is wrapped in branded tissue paper, and looks high-end and luxurious even when wrapped! 

The frozen cheesecake, in the box ready for the fridge - 8 hours is a hard amount of time to wait to devour this beauty! Luckily for us, our was delivered at 11am, meaning it was ready just in time for dessert! 

Each cheesecake serves a suggested 12 people (I must admit we made ours serve 8... we like a lot of cheesecake, what can I say?) and they do a huge array of flavours from cinnamon bun streusel or pina colada flavour to cookies and cream or hazelnut praline. There are so many delectable flavours to choose from! Checkout their website for their full range of cakes, cheesecakes and mini cheesecakes. 

The Lotus Caramelised Biscoff Cheesecake from English Cheesecake Company in all it's glory! 

The Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake is priced at £25.00, so yes, it's definitely on the pricier side for a ready-to-serve dessert. But, I can promise you the quality of the cheesecake is incredible - it was easily the best cheesecake I've ever eaten and all my taste-testers agreed too! It was absolutely restaurant standard, and if you think about the price tag of a decent dessert in a high-end restaurant, then even if you make the cheesecake serve 8 like we did, it still only works out at £3.12p per portion and £2.08p per portion if you make it serve the recommended 12, which seems reasonable to me.  

It's not necessarily something you'd buy for just a regular-day (unless your stinking rich, in which case, go for it!) but instead I see it as a luxurious treat food reserved for uber-special occasions.

A very generous slice of Lotus cheesecake - it was worth every single calorie, trust me! 

The cheesecake is made up of a buttery biscuit-crumb base, topped with a thick, creamy, super-dense and cloying cream cheese mixture flavoured with the smooth Lotus spread, topped with a generous layer of crumbed Lotus biscuits. It really is just as good as it sounds. 

^^ Why not pin this for later ^^

It was so good that we all went back for a second slice the following day - what was that I was saying about one slice of cake won't make you fat - will two? ;-) 

Huge thanks to English Cheesecake Company for sending us the Lotus cheesecake in exchange for this review. 

Bye for now

Mrs B

xxx

Essential Things To Do Make Your Home Safe For Children

Our little ones are our pride and joy, aren't they? But parenting isn't always easy! There's so many things that as a parent you need to do to keep them safe. One of the most important things is making sure that your home environment is safe for your little ones. That’s why it's vital to make the transition from grown up house to child-proofed home.

I wasn't enthralled about making these changes to my own home pre-Bert, but, I now understand how important each of them are, and they have FOR SURE saved my bacon (or Bert's bacon I guess!) on multiple occasions when he otherwise would have hurt himself.

So, what do I need to check/get pre-little one's arrival?...

Baby gates

Ok, so unless they are a 'super' baby, you probably won't need your baby gates straight away, but it never hurts to be prepared does it? Baby gates are such a great thing for when they start walking. You know then that they will be safe and not able to wander off to any parts of the house that might prove dangerous (kitchen, stairs, bathroom etc).

Window Locks

Image

Window locks are also essential if you have little ones, especially if you have furniture like your sofa near to your windows. Remember that once they start crawling, they start climbing too! So you want to make sure that they can't use the window as an unsafe exit. You can also get windows that lock while they are open. They basically only open a tiny smidgen to let air in and keep your home well-ventilated, with the use of restrictors. This is a useful idea if you like to have a breeze in the room but still need a child proof safety feature. We have literally only just discovered that our windows can do this...and as a household with a house-cat who doesn't go outside (hence we never leave windows open) this discovery has been a god-send!

Heavy doors

Sometimes the safety risk of heavy doors with young children is one that is missed. We can become so used to it, that we just forget that the door is there and a potential risk. But consider those little fingers and how easy it is to get them trapped in a closing door. Ouch! That's why it's essential to have a latch, chain or stopper that holds the door in place when its open or stops its from closing fully into the frame. Then it can't swing back under its own weight and cause injury!

Corner covers

Corner covers are essential for table and cupboards with very sharp points, especially if they are at your toddler's level. You can get a nasty bump on the noggin from a sharp corner and of course, they can pose a real risk to the little one's eyes and face too! You can buy corner protectors from mothercare and online.

Pest control

Another safety issue that few parents think about is making sure that any pest control issues are sorted out. Remember your child will be crawling along the floor, often where the pests route is, so the risk of contamination is high.

Picture here

Some pests provide a direct risk to children and adults alike like wasps. Especially as it's so hard to know whether your little ones will have an allergic reaction. That's why it's so important to get these things sorted as soon as you see a hint of them. It's just not worth the risk. We had an issue a few years ago when we found we had a wasps nest in our front room wall - we got it sorted straight away as I was so scared of baby-Bert getting stung!

Water covers

Image link

If you have a pool or pond, it's very important that you take some safety measures into account once you have children. Most people cover their pools or ponds to some degree, but you need to make sure that you are using the right type of cover to protect your child. Netting and flexible covers are good for keeping out animals and debris like leaves, but they can pose a risk to humans: people can get caught up in them, and then find themselves stuck and unable to get out. Doesn't bare thinking about! Rigid covers are the best in terms of safety, as they will not give way, even if someone steps on them, making them a much safer option.

------------------------------

I hope this has been useful for all you new parents, child minders etc.

Have I missed anything? I hope I've covered all the basics!

Mrs B

xxx

(This is a collaborative post)