The Petit Mom

Buy British - Summer Finds

2012-05-25T19:31:00.000+01:00

It seems the weather has changed from being cold and wet to being very hot and dry rather suddenly. So this week I've a few summery finds made here to the UK for you to enjoy, maybe you'll find something you'll want to buy!

Got a young girl in need of some summer dresses? Look no further than this beautiful Yellow Sunny Flower Dress which is funky, bright and cheerful. It's just perfect for those days outdoors in the garden.

It's perfect weather to get outdoors and have fun with the family. I love this idea (we don't have a gate yet at our allotment but man I'd totally get this if we get one!) just add a little door and windows for elves and gnomes to pop into your garden and have fun. You can pop it on to the gate when your kids are in bed or at school and then tell them you spoke to the elves/faires/gnomes/smurfs and said it was okay for them to come visit whenever they like. They will be looking for little friends in the garden for many sunny days.

I've noticed the 50's style of fashion is been creeping back in to our lives. Well... I say that as if I was around for the 50's but you know what I mean. I have to admit I have a bit of a soft spot for that era and missed out on it (I was born in the 80's and far too young to even remember that era) so I'm happy to see it springing back into the fashion industry. This Black and Pink Rock and Roll Polka Dot Dress is only £35 (excludes shipping) and is made here in the UK, brilliant!

I will always try my best to find something for both girls and boys and I just adore this Mushroom Shirt. It's soft, light and super cool! Dottie will make your shirt fit your child when you make your order with her and you can buy more from her with only an extra £1.50 per item on postage. I always like people who do additional item postage for less.

Whilst I totally recommend you enjoy the sunshine this weekend don't be stupid like me, get some sun screen on you - Otherwise you'll look like a roast chicken!

I believe the word you are looking for is "ouch". Thanks for reading!

The Baby Show - Interviews with Trunki, Stokke, Close Parent, Smartipants & Pourty

2012-05-20T19:44:00.000+01:00

The Baby Show at Birmingham NEC this year was brilliant, and to see so many more cloth nappy companies here compared to ExCeL was a positive thing for me, especially when I spoke to them and they all said how they got loads of interest so many thanks to The Baby Show and big cheer to all the brands who travelled far and wide to show their beautiful products off to the mums and mums-to-be*.

I had the chance to interview some of the companies today using the wonders of Audioboo to capture these. Check them all out if you haven't already!

Thank you for those who suffered the wrath of Petit Boy who kept running around and even decided during the Pourty interview to lay flat on the floor in people's way. Kids these days, right?!

*Dads were also around as were Grandmas but it is always down to what mummy thinks about a product, right girls? Mwahahaha!

The Baby Show - Top 10 Must-Have Baby Products

2012-05-18T20:13:00.000+01:00

Top 10 must-haves at The Baby Show NEC
Innovative new products in abundance at parenting show

Taking place this weekend and now in its tenth year, The Baby Show remains shopping heaven for new mums and mums to-be. Here, we share with you the ten hottest products at the show.

1. Bouncing fun with Fisher-Price

Baby will be bouncing around in delight in this gorgeous Jumperoo! With all the great features mum has come to expect, plus a new specially designed space-saving frame. With 360 degrees of fun, baby’s bounces will activate music, lights and rewards! Three-position height adjustments enable a custom fit and comfortable, safe bouncing fun for baby. Featuring a removable seat for cleaning, the Jumperoo folds for storage. Suitable when a baby can hold their head independently, this one-of-a-kind product is definitely one to check out with your little one! Usually £100, it’s £75 at the show!

2. Unique new car seat from Britax

Say hello to the new generation of car seats, with Britax’s brand new TRIFIX. The TRIFIX is the first seat to feature a revolutionary ISOFIX + installation system providing complete and unrivalled protection for your little one. It combines three unique Britax technologies; the patented and proven pivot link ISOFIX system reduces the seats forward rotation, V-Tether controls and absorbs frontal forces by adding a third anchorage point, New, wider, ISOFIX fixings further improve side impact protection.

3. Exclusive to the show, it’s the Marks & Spencer maternity range
Usually only available online, you can view this beautiful maternity range from Marks & Spencer at The Baby Show. There are some gorgeous v-neck dresses perfect for summer and flared and bootleg jeans that support and grow as you do.

4. Tasty new treats for your little one with Plum Baby
Take babies on a taste adventure with the new products from Plum. Organic baby food brand, Plum, is launching a new range of stage three (10+months) meals, enabling mini adventurers to taste flavours from around the world; no wok or paella pan required. Be sure to try the scrummy Mediterranean paella and salmon.

5. Carry in style with the My Carrier from Stokke
The new Stokke MyCarrier is a new unique 3 in 1 baby carrier that allows you to keep your baby close, maintaining your symbiotic harmony as your child grows. Adjustable and really easy to use Stokke® MyCarrier grows with your child adapting to their ever changing needs as they develop and grow.

6. Mothercare makes bathing easy

The Mothercare Aqua Pod is a unique extra long bath mat with a special support for your baby, and allows you to keep both hands free to wash your little one or join in bath time games.

7. New cotbed with Babies R Us makes the perfect sleep option

A Contemporary, fresh, brand new Cotbed from Babies R Us. With three mattress positions, two split ends for easy conversion into a toddler bed. Co-ordinates with Babies R Us Dresser, Wardrobe, Tall Boys and Storage / Toy Box, available in White or Antique. This was £199.99 but now at £129.99, great value!

8. iBaby Monitor allows you to keep a watchful eye

Wherever you are, the iBaby Monitor keeps your baby close with a simple swipe of your iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad! Innovative and most certainly a must-have for 2012, the iBaby Monitor is ideal for the modern mum, allowing you to immediately respond to your baby through two-way audio and one touch response. iBaby knows that babies move and traditional baby monitors don’t, the iBaby Monitor follows your little one with an up/down or left/right swipe of your iOS 4.0+ touch screen or click of your PC mouse.

9. Sit in style with the Baby Snug from Mamas & Papas

The Baby Snug is the ideal first seat as it grows and adjusts with your baby and is ergonomically designed to provide support and comfort for your little one. It is also easy to clean and lightweight.

10. Want something a little different then look no further than Poco Nido
A gorgeous new range of clothing and footwear, this is perfect for those wanting something super sweet and different. The shoes look like they have just come off this year’s catwalk, especially with the cat design!

For more information on The Baby Show log on to www.thebabyshow.co.uk.

Buy British

2012-05-17T17:24:00.000+01:00

I'm a big fan of hand-made products and use to make jewellery in my bedroom as I had to give up my job seeker's allowance because they were being ~~prats~~ rather mean about my situation (long story but basically if you live where there's no buses or trains and don't own a car then you're stuffed when comes to the JSA). I use to buy lots of hand-made stuff back when I started blogging many MANY years ago (has it really been 10 years since I started blogging? Wow...) and now I want to show you some amazing products made here in the UK buy crafty brits. I shall hopefully be doing this weekly so stay tuned!

I'm a sucker for art but this lady has so many pretty wall art inspired by her allotment. They are originals so only got 1 of each in stock and cost just £8.25 each so you could have maybe 3 of these in your hallway to give a bit of British wildlife into your home. Check out Littlebirdy Designs for all her work.

These days finding a knitted cardigan isn't easy and when you do find one they aren't cheap so this is where you find British at it's best as there are loads of amazing knitters out there. I picked this one because it's well crafted and non-gender specific, perfect if you hare keeping it a secret or if you want something that can be used for future kids. And for under £4 it's a bargain!

Finally I found this beauty. Okay it's expensive but I want to show a mixture of prices and products you can find made by British people. I'm a fan of the space stuff as it's a whole area that is beyond our wildest dreams and kids always dream and imagine such wonderful things. For £75 you can get this hand-painted table and two chairs. Sadly it's collection only but if you live nearby then grab it before it's too late... go on!

Trichotillomania and Me

2012-05-16T15:21:00.001+01:00

I decided to do this as a podcast, it also gave me an excuse to try out iPadio too. Hope it works!

Link to Wikipedia page on Trichotillomania.

CybHer Round-up via Audioboo

2012-05-14T14:09:00.002+01:00

It's hard to really blog about stuff when you are away, specially when you have a glass of wine in one hand and an iPhone in the other tweeting about the amazing day you just had. Oh and talking to some of the most awesome female bloggers I know and then staring out a hotel window at an Ugly Naked Guy* until midnight.

So here's some Audioboo podcasts I did in London after the amazing event.

Thanks to the CybHer team, Stokke, Sian To, High Tea Cast, Virgin Trains staff (they helped me open my earphones - I hate annoying plastic packages), Di Coke, Leather Satchel Company, Freya and... oh gosh just all of you for being there!

Out and About in London. Yes they have electrical plug sockets all around the parks in London, didn't you know?

(*If you ever watched Friends you will know about Ugly Naked Guy, well after a few drinks a few of us went back to one of the blogger's hotel room for some fizz and opposite her room was a gentleman's flat and he was naked with his curtains wide open. It got tweeted about and will never be forgotten)

Disclaimer: Ugly Naked Guy is Copyright of those people who wrote Friends. Also at around midnight I spotted him wearing what was either a small towel around his waist or a black skirt so I guess we should rename him Semi-Naked Guy.

CybHer 2012 - The Excitement Is Building!

2012-05-09T20:39:00.000+01:00

I was trying to think of a good way to explain how I am currently feeling as CybHer 2012 draws nearer each day, instead I shall use a video which sums it up nicely.

Before you ask, yes I have watched My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and oh my god it's amazing. Don't look at me like I'm crazy, watch it yourself before you judge!

Anyway it's thanks to Stokke that I am able to go to CybHer this year. I was so happy to get a sponsor that I even promised to dye my hair the same pink as CybHer's pink logo. I did it and got it cut as well. If you are going to CybHer this year I'm pretty sure you will spot me even though I'm 5'3" tall. So I kept my word and I love being a pink head.

I use to hate pink as a kid, probably because I was a tomboy (still am one) and wanted to keep away from the girly pink stereotype you get in girl's clothes and toys. I was the sort of kid that wore black boy's t-shirts with Sonic the Hedgehog on them, even if they were too big for me I wouldn't wear any of that girly pink stuff. Then when I became a teenager things changed and I recognised that pink can be a funky colour often used in alternative fashion and by college I found myself loving being unique and different. Today I still love being unique, perhaps more toned down then before (I use to walk around with big expensive goth boots - which by the way are not very good to wear when you have a driving lesson) and have happily embraced pink in my lifestyle, not as a girly colour but as a colour that is bright and vibrant.

Anyway back on the subject of CybHer. I've started to pack my suitcase, I say suitcase because although I am only staying for one night I get the feeling I'll be returning home with more stuff than I went down with so I figured I'd bring my suitcase with me so I can stuff anything I get into one bag (I hope!) and not fall over too much due to so many bags filled with awesome. I was also impressed to have gotten my business cards from Moo today! They estimated they would arrive on the Friday so I was well chuffed that they came and look wonderful. I'm also going to pack my Kindle with me so I can read Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (better known as The Bloggess) whose book is bloody brilliant and has had me laughing for hours so far so would totally recommend it whether you have a Kindle or not (there's a Hardback and soon a Paperback version).

The event is doing it's bit for the environment and using QR-Readers instead of paper versions of the schedule. I'm still pondering about what I'm going to do but so far this is what I'll be going for.

Sesson 1 - Digital Diaries
Sesson 2 - Pump up the Volume
Sesson 3 - The Rise of The Thrifty Blogger OR Ask a Blogger Geek
Sesson 4 - Is There a Book in Your Blog?
Session 5 - Portrait Photography Workshop OR Cheeky Chats with The Powder Room

I hate making choices as if there was a way I'd go to ALL of the stuff at the event, but unless I somehow clone myself in the next few hours that isn't going to be possible.

I shall do some more video blog posts in the next few days, promise!

What I'm Wearing @ CybHer 2012

2012-05-08T12:49:00.001+01:00

Since I'm starting another blog up soon Called Wannabe Punk Chick and everyone was saying I should just wear something that I like and feel is me I decided to go be my more alternative self instead of being in boring jeans and whatnot.

Criminal Damage Tee

Ebay - £5.00

Bleeding Heart Hot Pants

Blue Banana - £15.00

Blue Banana Tights

Blue Banana - £3.99

IronFist Skull Shoes

Ebay - £35.00

I also have back-up boots incase it's not the right weather for my shoes or if I get tired of being in heels. Seriously these are really comfortable and although they cost £35 second hand they are normally £70 brand new so I still got myself a good bargain there for shoes that look fab and feel great. I'm also going to grab some back-up tights incase it's a bit too cold. Perhaps I should wear skin coloured ones under these ones to hide my frozen chicken thighs?

Also I will have pink hair. I've finally been able to strip as much of my "black" hair off. Woohoo!

Silent Sunday - 22/05/2012

2012-04-22T16:35:00.001+01:00

My Little Camera Addict

2012-04-19T07:30:00.000+01:00

This isn't the first time he's done this but since he chatters on this clip I decided to upload it as seeing a tiny baby size nose for 5 seconds is pretty boring (which is what we usually find on our iPad).

BlogCamp Meet & Greet

2012-04-18T14:26:00.000+01:00

Okay so Blogcamp is this Saturday so I'm a tad behind writing this up. Oh well here you go, enjoy getting to know the lady behind Petit Mom a little (no pun intended... or was it!) bit more.

Name: Helen

Blog: Petit Mom

Twitter: @petitmew

My Blog’s About: Parenting, Cloth Nappies and Urban Family Life

Likes: British comedy, dying my hair crazy colours, Domino's pizza, tattoos, blogging, video games, my iPhone, photography, Ebaying, finding a bargain, bourbon biscuits, My Little Pony (yes I admit it, I own several that sit around my computer), cloth nappies and Twitter.

Dislikes: Horror movies, sweetcorn, people who smoke infront of children (specially when they blow the smoke right infront of the child's face), ITV News, Jeremy Paxman and my natural hair colour.

What I Wore Wednesday: Blythe Girl

2012-04-04T23:40:00.000+01:00

Yes I'm terrible at taking photographs of myself so you have to put up with video version of me instead!
Blythe T-ShirtCriminal Damage Jeans
That's basically it!

Small & Pointless Note: The mug was from Evolution, Birmingham Bullring. I use to work there and have a thing for mugs so when I saw this one I had to abuse my staff discount and buy it as a Christmas present for myself.

Brit Mums BiB Awards: Thank You for Getting me Shortlisted!

2012-04-03T17:59:00.000+01:00

If you'd like to vote for me you can do so here or you can go to Brit Mum's Blog to check the whole list out!

Birthday Boy: Has It Been Two Years Already?!

2012-04-02T14:52:00.000+01:00

Next week for most kids it's Easter time and currently many parents have their children at home for the Easter Holiday period, but in the Petit Household (Or Flat-hold? Err... let's stick with household!) our little man will be celebrating his birthday as he turns 2 years old.

I sometimes wonder what it'll be like for him when he's older. On the plus side he will never have to spend his birthday during school time, but then again some of his friends may go away for a week, though to be honest I think he's lucky. One thing I always wanted to do on my birthday was to go to Alton Towers, but sadly my birthday is before the theme park re-opens so this will never be possible (we tend to go as a couple for our anniversaries instead!). Of course the downside is if we wanted to go somewhere for his birthday the prices go up! I thought about how he'd love to go to see Thomas with his mummy and daddy (he went with his Auntie and cousin and loved it) and they has Thomas themed bedrooms so I had to check these out. £135 for 1 night during Easter period but the week after his birthday? £80 per night. Not impressed! But lucky for us it's about 40-45 minutes drive from where we live, but still an amazing shock to see big price differences.

I thought I'd post a few of my favourite pictures of Petit Boy over the last 2 years and write a little about why I picked these pictures.

Not even a day old, very special picture.

First smile!

Weaning and loving it.

Like Father, Like Son.

Cruising around Tesco in the trolley.

COLOURFUL BALLS!

Reading Peter Rabbit before bed time.

Every kid loves Thomas.

Silent Sunday - 01/04/2012

2012-04-01T18:44:00.001+01:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Nights

2012-03-27T01:06:00.002+01:00

I admit I am very lucky as a first time mother to have a son who will sleep through the night from 7pm and most mornings doesn't get up at the earliest 8am. I wish I had "The Answer" for other parents but I honestly don't and just recommend you get into a routine early in their lives and stick to it. Also Moses baskets are evil, tilt the top end upward with a yellow pages it was the best thing we did for those first few weeks of hell.

Our good nights are our normal nights when he sleeps perfectly, bad nights are when he wakes up crying and takes a bit of time to get him settled down (with parental help usually) and our ugly nights are rare and tend to consist of either vomit, diahoerra or refusing to sleep until its pasted bedtime for mummies and daddies. Yesterday was an ugly night and tonight is (or was... I'm still waiting!) a bad night.

Last night Petit Boy had a bath and since the sun was still beaming through the window of my parents' baby room (they set up their old office into a room for their grandson) we dried him off, put a nappy on and then his dressing gown. He was calm and enjoyed relaxing with a while, but then jut moments before bed time he was laughing loudly at... I have no idea what! He just stood at the door and randomly would laugh. Sadly he refused to sleep until past 10pm.

Tonight is a bad night, close to ugly as I feel so knackered (only myself to blame as stayed up til midnight chatting to my mom the night before) and as I drifted off I heard a soft cry, assuming Petit Boy just woke for a whimper and went back to sleep. Sadly he didn't and continued to cry with more emotion behind it. I picks him up and he ended up on the double bed with me. Bad idea! Before when I had this problem he'd lay flat and wouldn't move much, perfect for me as could sleep without too much worry. Now he's nearly two years old he moves in his sleep like crazy! The photograph in this blog post was taken of him on my parents' guest bed where I should be sleeping, instead you see a small boy up-side-down, taking up both sides of the bed. Charming!

I'm writing this mostly to remind myself I do have it lucky, but also to tell others that even us lucky mothers do have bad nights too. We can relate somewhat, and we do wish we could help those who have bed time troubles. Maybe one day I will find out what I'm doing and write a book, who knows!

Cybher Meet and Greet

2012-03-22T21:13:00.000Z

I'm super excited about going to my first blogging event and even more excited that it's Cybher, the UK's first all female blogging event so all sorts of female bloggers will be there and not just mummy bloggers. So I guess I should start by telling you a little about me.

Since I change my hair colour fairly often here's a photograph of me with purple-ish hair that was taken randomly by my fiancé mid-nom. As you can see I was pulling a god awful face but it's the only photograph I have of me with my eyes open. Be warned, photographers, I have a magical power where I always blink in every photograph.

Name : Helen Grounds
Blog : Petit Mom
Twitter ID : @petitmew
Height : 5'3" if I want to feel good about myself. 5'2" if I'm honest.
Hair : Erm... depends what I feel like, hoping to be pink for Cybher but currently it's long and black.

Five things you should know about me...
1. I use to run an event in Leicester, it was stressful but I still had a buttload of fun and would love to do it again.
2. I'm getting married on 29th July 2012 so soon I will be Mrs Petit Mom!
3. I love radio and use to run live podcasting for a sci-fi event in London which meant I met some amazing guests. I've also been interviewed by Peter Levy on BBC Humberside Radio about cloth nappies.
4. I have a tattoo of my wedding invites designed by Hello Lucky who then contacted me and said the designer wanted to offer me free invitations for my wedding, how awesome is that?!
5. I'm into alternative fashion and love to reconstruct t-shirts, dye my hair and daydream of future tattoos - should always think hard about a tattoo before getting it!

Oh man I can't wait. I hope to see Transatlantic Blonde, Super Lucky Di, GeekMummy (met her a few times but doesn't stop me wanting to meet her again for a cuppa!), Multiple Mummy, Fi from Childcare Is Fun (again met her before but any excuse for some cake)... I just want to chat with everyone and enjoy all the seasons that will be happening! Hope to see some of you there.

Also you can check out who else is coming over at Geek Is The New Chic or perhaps you want to join in the Meet & Greet. Grab you badges too to show you're coming!

Understanding Words

2012-03-19T14:08:00.000Z

Ever since the list of 25 words that toddlers should know by the age of 2 years came out we've been rather concerned about Petit Boy, perhaps I'm more worried because when we go to our local baby club he gets to mingle with girls and boys who are younger than him but can say words he cannot. For example nearly all the toddlers can say "bye-bye" or at least wave when we are saying goodbye to one another, Petit Boy however does not say bye-bye and he does not wave either. I have ignored it for a long time and just thought he'll learn soon enough but in 3 weeks time he'll be 2 years old. I'm beginning to panic a little bit. I mean he will learn them in his own time, right? Every child is different I shouldn't expect him to be learning at the same speed as other children, right? But still... I can't help but be a little bit worried about his speech, surely all parents worry at some point?

I guess what I should do is make a list here on the words he can say, would love to hear from others on what words their toddler(s) said by the age of 2 years.

Daaa (mummy, daddy, nana, anyone that's close family)
Mum (sometimes he called me 'mum' with the last m being held for a long time)
Oh dear!
Eye
Nos (Nose)
Mmf (Mouth - he's still trying to grasp this word)
Chush (Train - usually said when he wants his Thomas toy but has said it for Percy too)
Car
One
Four
Fife (Five - the v sound isn't something he's tried yet)
Sss (Six - this is brand new as of yesterday and he is trying hard to get the sound right)
Up
Dog
Baff (Bath - he doesn't say this as often as he use to but he can say it)
Shush (Don't know why this sound but it means 'high five'. If we ask for a high five he says "SHUSH!" and gives us a high five. He will then demand everyone gives him at least 2 high fives each)
Yay (who doesn't say yay when they are cheering?!)
Wow!
Round
Roundround (his word for the washing machine as it spins round and round. It use to be 'wahwah' the noise it makes when spinning but lately this has become roundround)
Ov (Oven, last few days he's been allowed to come into the kitchen as long as I'm with him and I've said he can ome in. We've been pointing at some of the appliances and 'Ov' is the start of learning what the oven is)
Torc (Clock, this is today's new word which I've been saying to him when pointing at a clock or a watch)

He has also learnt the meaning of some words but cannot say them such as:
Kiss - he will either lean his forehead/cheek towards person asking for kiss. Sometimes he'll press his lips against theirs.
Cuddle - he will run up and give you a cuddle. At night time I ask for a cuddle and he wraps his arms around me then will go to bed without any trouble.
Drink - when we ask if he'd like a drink he knows what we mean, sadly he doesn't always understand what we mean when we then ask "can you give me your cup please?".
Hair - we have been asking him to point to body parts and started with the head. He can say some of these words but hair is one he has yet to say but fully understands what it is. We'll work on ears soon!
Dinner - we soon learnt not to say "do you want your dinner?" as the response is screams and pushing us (normally me) into the kitchen. Now we just say "Dinner time!" and he'll go towards his highchair.
No - he fully understands this and will shake his head when he means no, just doesn't say it.
Nod/Yes - he can nod his head too, though only times he does tends to be when singing "If you're happy and your know it... nod your head!" otherwise if we ask him if he can nod his head he'll just shake it instead. Doh!
Nappy - worst word to say to him. "You need a clean nappy on" before you know it he's ran off and all you can hear is what sounds like a child being abused. That noise is Petit Boy telling me his thoughts on nappy changing. He will even see I have a clean nappy in my hand and know what it means. I cannot imagine what our neighbours think we're doing to him but if they ever read this it's just a nappy change, promise!
Bed - depending how he feels depends how he reacts to this word, but he does understand what we mean by bed time and will go into his cot with little to no hassle. It's the changing bit he fights over (see: Nappy).
Thomas - "Where's Thomas?" or if Thomas has fallen "Kiss Thomas better". He knows Thomas is the blue train with the number 1 on the side. And yes he does kiss Thomas better if he drops Thomas, See my Silent Sunday as proof.

I think that's most of the things he understands and can say. A lot of the things he's learnt lately are from some apps he has now got on the iPad. They are interactive and he's quickly mastered new skills and new words. If you own an iPad I recommend checking out GeekMummy as every Friday she does an app roundup for babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers that range from being free to costing £4.99 (I don't think I've seen her show anything more than that) and gives you a good insight on each app.

Silent Sunday - 18/03/2012

2012-03-18T16:12:00.000Z

Nights Are My Personal Hell

2012-03-07T01:24:00.001Z

I'm writing this on my iPhone in bed trying to sleep but my eyes won't stay shut, my brain won't turn off and oh my god I have this annoying song stuck in my head that won't leave me alone.

Lately night times have become my own personal Hell. My partner will fall asleep quickly and begin to snore and I am sandwiched with him on my right and a wall on my left (our bed is against a wall so I can't even leave the bed without disturbing him). My brain decides to go into crazy mode and tunes from television shows will loop in my head, my brain will remind me of things I need to do and I'm left here laying on my side playing games on my iPhone just to keep me sane. Sorry but after 3 hours of Numberjacks theme on a loop in your head you do find some sort of relief from Scramble with Friends and Twitter.

I've considered taking something to help me sleep, but I have a fear of Petit Boy waking up and not hearing him because I'm dosed up. It's daft because he sleeps through the night perfectly and now he's using a cot quilt he's even better than ever before.

Perhaps I should seek some sort of help to get me to rest at night time. I can't stay awake in bed til my body just gives up from being so bloody tired, it's not right and pretty sure by healthy either.

Love to hear from others who find themselves unable to sleep at night.

John Crane and iPad 2

2012-03-06T17:07:00.000Z

Okay I admit this one I had help with from the people behind John Crane, but the moment I heard they were on one of the iPad 2 adverts I had to search it out and get a screenshot. And sure enough that amazing balance bike was in the background. Sneaky as it's in the background of what is on the iPad 2.

Sneaky, Apple... but someone spotted it and now I've added it to my collection.

John Crane is EVERYWHERE!

2012-03-02T16:11:00.000Z

Okay that's a bit of an overreaction. I saw for a second a green dumper truck that looked like a John Crane toy. Thankfully for me Cbeebies shows their morning programmes again in the afternoon. This was Same Smile, a show I rather like as imagination into child's play and shows you everyone is the same but some people like things different, in this case today was about favourite places and one of the boys took a panda with him to see his Grandma. Now time for the spot the John Crane toy game!

Can you see it? Okay it's not exactly hidden but that was the first moment it was shown and then it just couldn't stop hogging the lime-light!

The boy picks it up and tells his Grandma he wants to give this Pintoy Green Dumper Truck as a gift for the panda to remember the fun day they had together. What a lovely gift, don't you agree?

Handed over, look how happy she is with a beautiful wooden dumper truck! As always any gifts the children give to the pandas to remember their special day together it goes in the Same Smile Suitcase which apparently also holds some sort of digital sparkly stuff.

The other gift is bike stickers as the other little boy took one of the pandas on a bike ride and they added stickers to the bike and gave one to the panda he had with him, bless!

So as before here's the offical photograph from John Crane's website as proof:

What helps with finding their products is John Crane has a rather unit look to them compared to other wooden toys so even though I had not seen this green truck before I just had a feeling by the shape that it was theirs. Also saw something else by John Crane in the opening theme of Same Smile. Can you find it?

Only on the screen for a short time but yes it's the same red balance bike that I posted about in the Typhoo advert!

Okay I need to stop doing this, that or get a job with John Crane spotting their products on TV. Does that have a job title? Toy Finder? Product Hunter? Probably just Crazy Lady That Watches Way Too Much Kid's TV.

I Spy With My Little Eye... Stokke, Tommee Tippee and John Crane!

2012-03-01T16:16:00.000Z

A while back I tweeted to John Crane about noticing a bike I was very sure was one of theirs. Sure enough they confirmed it and seemed chuffed that I had such eagle eyes (which isn't true as I wear super thick glasses and without them can't see past my nose). The bike was a Tidlo Balance Bike. Want proof?

Ben Fogle trying to get the washing machine on (he can climb mountains but apparently can't use a washing machine) and in the background is a red wooden balance bike. Can you see it? Here is the actual bike with the exact same two red dots on the side.

I thought to myself "oh nice catch" and that would be that. But today whilst putting Petit Boy's socks on we had Cbeebies on. At the time it was Numberjacks and crazy things were happening to people. A woman was in her lounge-dining room and I saw something that looked familiar. I tweeted to Stokke and their PR in a way that probably made me seem like a foaming-at-the-mouth crazy person. I told them the exact episode name and then started to watch the show via the iPlayer. Sure enough the lady came back and I caught a screenshot... whilst she was being hit by pink electric but please ignore that.

Earlier in the episode you could see a total of three Tripp Trapps, but here you can only really see the blue one (there's one around the other side of the table but hard to pick out). Now I can't really tell which Tripp Trapp colour it is but that blue one is setup for a baby and here's proof:

The Tripp Trapp in that Numberjacks episode looks pretty old and well used (surely they could have given it a lick of paint beforehand?!) so I couldn't say whether they sell that exact colour anymore or perhaps the lighting makes it look different.

So how did I notice these? Well I'm a weird person for starters, I notice very random things and ignore the important thing that I should be watching or listening to. I mean I can barely remember what happened in that Numberjacks episode (I know 3 was sent out but that's about it) and I had seen the Typhoo advert so many times I wasn't really listening to Ben anymore (sorry Ben, I like you but when you hear an advert 10 times a day you just sort of block it out) when I spotted the balance bike.

So this a new skill of mine? Should start sitting infront of my TV or PC scanning adverts and programs for product placements of our much loved baby products?

I should also point out in nearly every formula milk advert they use a Tommee Tippee sippy cup but with the logo removed for obvious reasons. I knew this because we had the exact same one. I should point out I'm showing this as an example, not because I'm against boob milk (it's your choice after all!).

One thing I did like about this advert is seeing a girl being given a BLUE cup. Yes girls can enjoy boy colours too, maybe we'll start seeing boys drinking from a pink cup.. we shall see! Here's the original cup.

Basically I guess what I'm saying is... if you are crazy like me you will easily spot some interesting placements of much loved products. Many of which don't realise they have been used and so will be surprised when someone tells them and moreso when they get a screenshot or link to youtube video!

Babysaurus Needs Your Votes!

2012-02-29T13:58:00.000Z

Some of you may already know I setup a cloth nappy website called Babysaurus and could use some extra funds to help the website grow and the Babysaurus name out there. So I applied at Enterprise Nation's Funds 100 and told them my idea and looking for £500. It's not a huge amount but it'll do a buttload for the business so this is where you people come in and help me out.

Basically I need you to vote for Babysaurus. Every vote is worth £1. Don't worry you don't pay a single penny, it's free to vote and once I hit 500 votes I will have my funds and Babysaurus will be one happy dinosaur (he might even get a few dino friends to join him on his website!).

Please can you spare a bit of time to vote for Babysaurus on Enterprise Nation's website. You can Find Babysaurus' Funding Page here. I promise it won't take too long and it'll be a huge help for me and Babysaurus. Thank you!

Silent Sunday - 26/02/2012

2012-02-26T17:33:00.001Z