SafeTSleep

SafeTSleep for babies aged 0-36 months


Safe, snug, swaddling sleepwrap
Provides security, comfort and better sleep
Allows natural movements
Ideal for reflux babies

Helps prevent, correct misshapen (flat) heads

Great for travelling

For use in Moses Basket, Bassinet, Cradle, Cot/Crib and Standard Single Bed

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER - £5.00 off RRP (£44.95) for a limited period only. Enter code STS1 at the checkout! http://www.breastpumps.co.uk/acatalog/SafeTSleep.html

NM X

Get your Dream Toys for less‏

This morning the Toy Retailers Association released its list of hot products for children this Christmas. With none of the toys priced over £50, the list was designed to help parents score highly with their children without breaking the bank but, why pay full price for the most popular toys if you don’t need to?

By logging onto vouchercodes.co.uk you’ll come across a wide range of offers and discounts from leading toy retailers. Inevitably, your little ones will have asked for more than one favourite from the list so make the most of the special codes and enjoy discounts on the must have toys this Christmas, or get them delivered to your door at no extra cost to save you fighting for the last toy in the shops. You’ll have to be quick though the best offers from vouchercodes.co.uk don’t last long…

The Toy Shop
Free Delivery on Orders Over £30 at The Toy Shop
Code: no code needed
Expires: 31/10/09
http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/thetoyshop.com

The Toy Shop Stocks:
Kidi Zoom Multimedia Digital Camera
Bakugan Battle Pack
Bendaroos Megapack
GX Racers Tightrope Terror
Lego Games Minotaurus
Monopoly City
Sylvanian Families Caravan

Argos
Free Delivery and a £5 gift voucher on orders over £50 at Argos
Code: AFD
Expires: 01/11/09
http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/argos.co.uk

Argos Stocks:
Princess Peppa's Palace
Bakugan Battle Pack
Battle Strikers Set
Ben 10 Alien Force
Bendaroos Mega Pack
Go Go Hamsters

Tesco Direct
£5 Off orders over £50 at Tesco
Code: TDX-DRET
Expires: 01/11/09
http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/direct.tesco.com

Tesco Stocks:
Kidizoom Multimedia Digital Camera
LEGO Games Minotaurus
Sylvanian Families Caravan
Transformers Movie 2 Voyagers Figures

Happy shopping, keep your eye out for more Christmas posts coming soon

NM X

Halloween Goodies

It will soon be Halloween and its one of my favourite time of the year. I love the chill in the air, the chance to digg out my thick woolly jumpers and eat yummy stews and soups!

But best of all its a great excuse to get dressed up and be a big child and even better this year I have BG to dress up!!

If you having a party this year (it falls on a Saturday) or are just looking for somthing to entertain the kids, well I've got some great ranges for you, what ever your budget!

Asda

Have a collection of costumes starting at £6 they include a Glow in the dark Skeleton £6, Hero Spider Witch Costume £6, and a Caped Vampire Costume £10.

They also have some cool themed t-shirts and wellies! starting from £3.

For the party they have selected party food 2 for £3 plus a selection of great spooky biscuits and cakes form thier bakery, for more details see here and checkout their fab halloween partywear selection prices start from £1, my favorite is the Creepy Champagne Flutes!

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's have a small collection of costumes including a Cat, witch and skeleton they are all £9. They also have a collection decorations instore including a spooky CD!

They do have some great recipes and ideas for you to try including Halloween Ghosts and a Spooky Swamp Monster!

Tesco

Tesco are currently offering their halloween costumes at a introductory price, they have both children and adult costumes including this cute Pumpkin costume and this Teen Ghost Pirate Costume .

They have also got some great offers for Halloween and some fab recipes

Matalan

Matalan have one of the best ranges I have seen, prices range from £2 for a pair of strippy tights to £50 for a adult Werewolfs Costume, which looks awesome!

Check out their full range of costumes here, which include this cute Spider Tabard £6 and this girls sleepsuit £5

M&S

Have a great collection of adult and kids costumes starting from £2 they include this fab Baby Witch Outfit £9.50 (I've actually got this for BG) and this Mummy Cuddles T-shirt £2

Instore

Have 3 for 2 on their Halloween range, and with hats and broomsticks at 99p you can't go wrong!
To help make you life at little easier The Great Toy Guide have some great reviews on the latest Halloween costumes, these are real reviews by real parents!

And lastly Viloet Posey is holding a Halloween party over at her blog so be sure to check that out!

Whatever you are doing have a great time

NM X

Have We Lost The Art Of Story Telling?

The smoothie maker innocent and children's author Francesca Simon have been working on a new kids writing project based on the old game of consequences. Children all over the UK will be invited to get involved in creating a series of 26 stories, each inspired by innocent’s new alphabet fridge magnets (available in special multi-packs of kid’s smoothies).

A survey on UK parents which shows that an over-whelming 95% have lost the art of story telling (creating a make believe story for their children at bedtime). and another 58% have to rely on their children to help them make up a story. We hope the project with innocent and Francesca will help get both kids and parents inspired to create imaginative and fun stories again

To kick things off, Francesca has written the opening line to every story – but as of October 19th, it'll be over to children across the UK to decide what happens next. All they need to do is log onto www.innocentkids.com/magnets and click on the letter of the alphabet that takes their fancy.

The idea is simple.

Choose your letter and story
Read what’s already been written
Then add your own line

It’s as easy as that. Everyday a winning line will be chosen and the competition will start over again. We have lots of support from primary schools who will all be taking part in the first week of the game, so we hope it's going to be something the nation's kids really get behind

Breastfeeding Video from Bounty

Breastfeeding – what you should know
Tips to help both you and baby get the most from it

Breastfeeding is natural and has benefits for both mums and babies. It should be easy and trouble-free, and a good start helps to ensure that is a happy experience.

To establish breastfeeding, the early days are crucial and when it comes to technique, you may need guidance from a midwife or breastfeeding counsellor. Also, there is a lot of information available from reliable sources like Bounty, the UK’s favourite parenting club.

In this close-up video clip, we offer guidance with latching-on and positioning tips for both you and baby as well as highlight the signs that help you know that all is going well to make that special time a happy one for you both.

To watch our guide to breastfeeding,

Click here to see the video

Hope this have been useful for you

NM X

Maternity Lingere Research - Have Your Say!

Womama have designed a range of lingerie for Spring Summer 2010, and we'd love to hear from UK mothers to see if you'd like our product to be available here.

Womama was born in New Zealand, the name being inspired by the wonder and excitement of becoming a parent.

The range is designed to make women feel beautiful and more confident with garments that are feminine, graceful and above all comfortable.

All our bras are fashioned with an organic cotton lining and come in 2 shapes - Evolve & Balcony. Evolve is a fuller cup bra (up to F cup) and can be worn every day. It is designed for mothers who seek support and comfort with nursing functionality.

The Balcony style is a classic design that will make any mother to be or nursing mum feel special and elegant. This design is available up to a DD cup. We don't go up to a K cup at present, as this is a new range so until we have a better market share we have to concentrate on the core sizes, but larger sizes are in our future sights!

We do, however, offer lingerie that is both pretty and feminine, yet practical and comfortable. Our products are produced to a very high standard and are designed to wear well and last.

All feature a flat seam against the nipple to reduce the risk of irritation and have one handed maternity clips.

Our bras are likely to retail at £35, our matching knickers at £15 and our nightie at £59.

Please do let us know what you think of the range as we'd love to hear your thoughts!

What's your favourite design?

What do you think of the price?

What cup size are you?

What lingerie do you normally buy and would you consider Womama's range instead?

We look forward to hearing from you

Emma Dexter, Womama UK Pearl

Rose

Lily

Daisy

Blogger Basics With Sandy - Lesson 2 Adding Images

Lesson 2 – Adding Images

They say a picture paints a thousand words and this is certainly true when you’re blogging. Relevant photographs and other images will make your blog post stand out. If you would like to know how to add an image to your blog post, this is the lesson for you.

The How To…

In Blogger, when you are typing your blog post, click on the ‘Add Image’ icon. This will open an ‘Upload Image’ window.

If the image you wish to upload is saved on your computer you should click on the ‘Choose File’ button. Double click on the image.
.
If the image you wish to upload is on the internet you will need to copy and paste the URL into the ‘URL’ box. You can do this by right-clicking on the image and selecting ‘Copy image url’ and then CTRL and V or right-click and ‘paste’ into the ‘URL’ box.

You can then choose where you want to place the image on the post in the ‘Layout’ section, and what size you want the image to be.

Once you have chosen these options, click on ‘Upload Photo’, then ‘Done’

You should now have an image in your post. If it’s not what you were expecting, for example it may be too large; you can delete it and try again.

Image Hints and Tips

If you want to use an image you have found on the internet please check the copyright situation. You may find that an image is ‘creative commons’. This means you can use the image, but you should give credit to the photographer. You can do this by adding the sentence ‘Image Credit: Jo Blogs/website url’.

If you’re not sure, it’s best to assume that the image is copyright and you should not use it without permission.

I have found that it’s best to add any images you would like to use before you start typing your blog post. I find if you add an image later it can confuse Blogger and change the font you are typing in. I then find it infuriating trying to correct the font. This may be a quirk of Blogger, or it could just be me!

One excellent use of an image that you may have seen on blogs is ‘Wordless Wednesday’. It’s an easy way to use images on your blog. You can add a caption and quickly share a family snap or amusing cartoon.

***

Next time on Blogger Basics: Lesson 3 - Adding Video

If you have any questions please ask, either in the comments here, or you will find my email address on my blog Baby Baby

Review - Precious Parcels

I recently had the pleasure to try out and review Precious Parcels service and products.

Precious Parcels offers a unique selection of handmade gifts and decorative treats.Room plaques, new arrival keepsakes and much more.

Precious Parcels is run and owned by Natalie, this is what she says about herself and her business..

Precious Parcels was set up by myself in October 2008.

I work from home in Nottinghamshire where I create all the gifts and decorations.

I began making plaques purely as a hobby. I've always enjoyed making things and as I was at home looking after our son, George, I thought it would be an ideal time to get creative. A few friends suggested I listed some of my work on Ebay to see if anyone liked it, and when the first few items sold I continued to make more... and more.... Much to my surprise I sold over 300 items in the first 5 weeks!

Almost a year later the product range has more than doubled, I have extra hands helping with production and 14 other businesses selling my products.

Natalie asked me to order a plaque of my own choosing and review the process from start to finish.

The first thing you notice when you go on to the site is the pictures of the plaques they are very clear and inviting. The links in the sidebar are bold and clear and you are not overloaded with information, there is a great balance.

I had a good look through all the sections which include Baby, For Him, For Her, Marriage and For the Home.

Next to each product is box to add your personalised name or message, I like that this is next to the product and you don't have to wait until you go through to the checkout. There is also a drop down box with a choice of colours for some of the plaques.

Its so simple to order just fill in you pernalistaion and then click on buy now. You then go through to the next page where you can check the message/name/age etc and there is also a box to write any special intructions in.

Once you are happy with what you want, you pay. You can do this by using pay pal, which is what I did or click checkout where you can add you card details and address.

This is what I had a "When I need love and cuddles.." made for BG's nana. You can find it in the For Her section

I have had BG's name added to the heart but thats a secret!

Once I made the order I got a confirmation email through and I had it delivered 5 days later and it is gorgeuous!!

Its well made, good quality and the picture doesn't give it justice and it only cost £6.95!! That's a great price for a great product.

The real test was would BG's nana like it? She loved it and it now takes pride of place in her kitchen. What she loved the most is that it was persnal to her, she likes to be called nana but its hard to find gifts with that one plus she had the added bonus of having BG's name on it.

Precious Parcels offers fantastic gifts and really good prices, P&P is only £1.95 in the UK, I would definatlty recomend this site. Its user friendly and the checkout process is quick and simple.

The plaques are fantastic and Natalie will also make custom orders so if there is something you can't see contact her here

I will be buying some Christmas presents from Precious Parcels this year, there is a fab Christmas range !

If you are looking for something unqiue then this is the place for you!

NM X

Frugal Recipes from Andrea Daly

A few weeks ago on one my something for the weekend posts I pointed you in the direction of Andrea Daly from the Accidental Businessmum and her Frugal recipes for cookies and flapjacks.

Well she is kindly sharing some more recipes with us!

I'll let Andrea introduce herself;

My name is Andrea and I live in Coventry with my OH (Other Half) Pete. Between us we have four children and would describe ourselves as a very modern ’Pick ‘n’ mix’ family.

Why the AccidentalBusinessMum?

Up until June 2007, I was working as a therapist and lecturer in Complementary Therapies at a Further Education College. I then went on maternity leave to have baby no:3.

Whilst on maternity leave I started to help my Other Half with his business, BeingaMillionaire. He was getting a steady flow of orders but wasn’t very good at posting them! I took over on that side and then got sucked into dealing with orders, sending samples and before I knew it I was running the thing!!

Pretty soon I was learning how to drive traffic to the site and could hold my own when discussing pings, jpegs and tweets…. all of this by accident!

I gave up my job, began working from home and here I am, 18months later and still going strong.

Savoury Spaghetti
I'm starting to become a little obsessed with feeding my family frugally. Even when I have the cash to do a 'big' shop, I still find myself counting the pennies.

The benefit is that more money can go towards other things like holidays and treats.


I recently dug out an old recipe that I used to make when I first became a vegetarian almost 25 years ago. I thought I would try it out on the kids..again!



My poor kids, I'm sure that one day they would like sit down to a pork chop and boiled potatoes.

This is a cheap and tasty alternative to Spaghetti Bolognase and serves 4/5 hungry people.

You'll need the following:


100g Green Lentils
1 can chopped tomatoes
550ml vegetable stock made with a stock cube
1 chopped Onion
1 crushed garlic clove
Pinch of dried basil
Salt and pepper
300g Spaghetti
Blue Cheese to crumble over the top.



1.Put all the ingredients in a bowl except the cheese and spaghetti


2. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20mins or until the lentils become soft


3. Cook the Spaghetti according to the packet instructions


4. Drain the spaghetti, spoon over the sauce and crumble blue cheese over the top.


I had forgotten how great it tasted and the kids lapped it up. None of them are keen on blue cheese so they had a strong cheddar grated over instead and lots of black pepper...yum!!!



A great accompaniment to this and any pasta dish is:



Cheesy Garlic Bread.



This couldn't easier or cheaper!


Buy a double pack of part baked baguettes. I get mine from Sainsbury's basic range, 29p per pack.


Add a generous teaspoon of garlic paste to a large knob of butter and mix.


Make deep cuts across the bread and spread the garlic butter in between.


Grate generous helpings of cheese over the bread and bake in the oven 200C/Gas mark 6 for 8-10 mins.



If you're serving it up for friends, you can sprinkle chopped parsley over the top to make it look really posh!


The bread and the pasta dish together costs around £3 for five people if you buy basic.

I made ours to have after we had been standing in the cold watching middle boy play football. I think it tasted even better because we were so cold and hungry!!

That sounds so yummy!! Can't wait to try it.

If you make this let us know how it was!

NM X

The Tale Of Two Reviews

People may mock Twitter but for me its a great support system and a great place to get information quickly.

A little while ago there was a conversation about toys and some mums started to discuss the The Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo, two of these mum's agreed to write a review on it, so here they are!

The first is from Tola who runs Chocolat A Toi . Tola is Mumpreneur who LOOOVES designing chocolate wrappers, enjoys organising events, networking and the buzz of life!

Here is her take on the Jumperoo:-

Do you have a very clingy yet curiously intelligent tot? Then this is the toy for you. The Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo. My daughter was just about 5 months when I got her this toy. I was seriously searching for something she could be occupied with while I cooked and cleaned the house.

After much searching on the internet, I found the Rainforest Jumperoo by Fisher-Price on Amazon. It was quite expensive but I was ready to be hands-free and willing to pay anything just to grab a bite or load the washer. Then I decided to read the reviews. I came across one from a Mum of 3 who said she really couldn't afford the toy but eventually bought it because like me she was desperate. Her experience? Worth it. And 6 months later, I can say so too!

DD loved the toy instantly. It's extremely colourful. She would sit in it and play for several minutes while I cleaned, cooked and chatted with her. DD had battled Reflux even before we came home from hospital and I loved the fact that I could feed her in the Jumperoo. She was in an upright position while eating and afterwards.

When she did start to jump though it was a different story because she would then be sick on the toy's seat rim. Was I glad to find out that the fabric was not only machine washable but also tumble dry friendly on a low setting and has survived the wash so far.

The Jumperoo has several lights, rolling toys, hanging toys that DD loved to chew but also helped me keep track of how tall she had grown. It has two very funky tunes that even her Nan now knows. DD absolutely loves music. You can set the music to play continuously for 4 minutes or at intervals to reward baby for jumping!

Before DD stopped sitting in her Jumperoo, about when she started cruising - early in her eleventh month, she loved to sit in there and watch Big Cook Little Cook and all her other CBeebies friends. She would often fall asleep in there after a good meal and goodbye lullaby from In the Night Garden.

I spent £86 on the Jumperoo. Have I recouped my investment? Definitely and I still am because now DD takes daring steps, holding on to it as she cruises.

As of today,these are the best prices Ive seen:
£65.99 new - Argos Fisher Price Deluxe Rainforest Jumperoo
£63.90 new - All-in-one-place Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo
£84.99 new - Amazon
Also check E-bay and Amazon MarketPlace

At the mo' , I wont be selling mine - see below, except next L.O doesn't like it. However, if you're looking to buy one that has never been used do contact me via my blog. Here's to happy Jumperooing!

Here is Kims from KiddyCat review:-

To Jumperoo or not to Jumperoo? That is my question.

Do you find that you are being bombarded with information on what is and is not good for your baby’s development? Should you use a baby walker, a door bouncer or what about an activity centre? Does it really matter? What is important is the how the baby is stimulated while they play and that comes from human interaction during their play time.

I am mum to 2 young boys and the owner of KiddyCat – The kids Cataogue. I have created my business to help mums out by introducing only the products that I found useful with my own children. I found that there was so much information on the market and all I really wanted was to find a website that only sold really useful things that I would honestly use. And KiddyCat was born.

My youngest is now 14 months and we decided to invest in a play activity station for him. He was 6 months old when we introduced J to the Rainforest Jumperoo. The Jumperoo retails at between £75.00 to £85.00 and I really found I got my money’s worth.

The rainforest Jumperoo is made by Fisher Price and I found that it not only allows the baby to strengthen their legs by bouncing, it also stimulates their imagination with the range of activities and music. There are options of 2 different music settings, one that is constant and the second that is played only when the toy is touched.

The Jumperoo also grows with your child’s physical and mental ability too so it isn’t just a one minute wonder. The activities have the ability to be guided by you, you can use the characters for story telling, the music for development and you can also, depending on your child’s ability, get them to turn around to other activities. The range of activities allows the jumperoo to become a long term investment that provides new stimulating activities at each play session.

My son is now running around and has grown out of his Jumperoo and I will shortly be looking for a new home for it. Why not check out MumsyouLike.co.uk for some secondhand activity stations. And don’t forget you can join KiddyCat’s website to receive our latest deals and newsletters.

Thank you ladies, two great reviews from two great Mumprenuers!

NM X

Tesco Greener Living

Get off your trolley on Tesco Greener Living Trying to live a greener, environmentally accountable life can be very confusing (especially knowing what should be avoided or what should be prioritised).

And going 'green' doesn't just mean weighing up preferred eco-friendly washing products and toiletries for the family with a supermarket -- it means lifestyle.

Which is why Tesco has just launched Greener Living , to help the environmentally-aware shopper make the right decisions.

The site covers many aspects of going greener, including sections on ecofriendly travel and greener homes, an interactive house with lots of money-saving green tips and products, 'green days out' events for the kids and how to eat greener - all with sustainability in mind.

It also features updates on Tesco's own commitment to environmental responsibility. With the launch of the new site comes a hand achingly fun flash game.

The game is simple but challenging to play - can you collect the environmentally-friendly produce, while avoiding the energy-guzzlers and the pesky birds? Have a go and you could win one of five energy-efficient Indesit washing machines.

Click here to play the game




Good Luck

NM X

Review Rodeo

Hello and Welcome to October's Review Rodeo!

Hope you enjoy the reviews I have for you.

This first review is one of the best reviews I've read in a long time, Its from Maternal Tales from The South Coast. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to get fit read her review of these Skechers first!!

Next we have Totally Sonny and his thoughts on the Maxi Micro Scooter, did I mention Sonny is only 8!!

Over at Have a Lovely Time is a podcast no less on how Ford Listen to their customers.

Our Brits in Bosnia have been trying out Annabel Karmel on her fussy eaters

Want to know how a middle class family got on at (the new) Butlins? Then you must read A Modern Mothers review.

Claire at The Life Of A 20 Something Mum reviewed a new Disney show, Its Disney but not as we know it!!

Sandy at Baby Baby went on Blogger Blind Date to Pizza Express!

A Tired Mummy's Blog and Kelly Fairy at a Place Of My Own have both been testing Ecover cleaning products. Which reminds me I must do some cleaning so I can do my review!

Linda at you've got your hands full reviews the book The Noughtie Girl's Guide to Feminism by Ellie Levenson who just happens to be her friend, which makes writing the review just that little bit harder!

Right time for one from my archive, this is my review of Ella Announcements, who is Ella

Announcements? Go and have a look!!

And finally this is not technically a review but a review in the making! Bloggers unite in festive theatre campaign to boost children’s cancer charity, have a read and see how you could help!

Well thats it for another month, hope you find these reviews useful!

NM X

Review - Mummys Little Hampers

Have I got the best site for you!! Its called Mummy's Little Hamper and I wish it was around when I had Baby Girl last year.

This is what they say about themselves:-

Mummy's Little Hamper specialise in unique gifts for new Mums. Babies are showered with gorgeous gifts - and so they should. But don't forget Mum - we have a fabulous range of gift packages that show you are thinking of her... and what she has been missing. Its time for her to indulge again with another special delivery! So whether you know 'the foodie' or 'the coffee fanatic' Mummy's Little Hamper gives someone the opportunity to really spoil that new Mum in their life - and let's be honest, any Mum would love to receive any of these gifts at any time whether they have recently given birth to a new baby or not

Now I was lucky enough to have few goodies sent to me to try, including some yummy chocolate (they know the way to my heart!) and some lovely Fennel and Lemon Balm Tea

Its such a great service, they not only supply frozen meals, yummy desserts but pampering hampers and books it has everything that a mum, whether they have a new born or not wants.

I would have loved to received on of these hampers when BG was born (this site may still go on my Christmas list!) and when I was poorly a few months back, it would have been a godsend!

A lovely touch is that each hamper comes with a Baby Feeding Wheel so you can remember the last time you fed the baby, I gave my one to our friends that have recently had a baby and they are so grateful for it.

Their products are sourced from specialist and high quality suppliers. Prices start from £20 and you can add little extras to your hamper .

Even Chris Evans is a fan!!

So if you are looking a great new mummy present or old mummy present this is the site for you!

NM X