White Stuff, Stamford, Lincs

Last week was a very good week, I’m sure you’re ecstatic to learn! Little Old Me is coming out of a bit of a dark hole and is getting much happier and it’s a good thing.

• After acquiring 8 or 9 pushchairs, (I review pushchairs for MadeForMums website as well as this blog) and allowing them to take up a massive amount of space in our garage much to my husband’s dismay, I have managed to whittle down our collection to an all-time low TWO pushchairs. One in the boot of my car (Stokke Xplory) and one in the boot of hubby’s car (Baby Jogger City Mini). Where have they all gone? Well, mostly, to new families who will love them and use them in the way they were intended. They’ve fulfilled their destiny! Sob! My babies have grown up and left me! Oh goodness, I do go on. One pushchair found a new home through eBay, 3 pushchairs have been sold through a local 2nd hand shop and 2 more are on offer there as well. We sold 1 in a 2nd hand sale in June and one lovely pushchair was donated to a very lovely and deserving mum. That about covers it! I feel a bit lost now! Whatever shall I do with only 2 pushchairs??
• Little Miss and I got out of the house a fair few times this past week. So what you might ask? Well, for us it’s a big step. I’ve decided to NOT worry about the neighbours if our dog is barking (yes, I know he barks…he’s a neurotic mess!) and do what’s best for us and get out of the house.
• I had a fantabulosa day on Wednesday with a trip into Stamford for a White Stuff makeover, a bacon sandwich and some ME time! You can read all about it in White Stuff Mummy.
• There were some amazing posts, videos and photos taken not by me but by three selfless bloggers who were on an important mission in Bangladesh. “Blogladesh” was sponsored by Save the Children and Josie from Sleep is for the Weak, Eva from Nixd Minx and Sian from Mummy Tips have inspired us all and made us appreciate the lives we have no matter how challenging they may seem to us.
• I’ve taken a big step in my “career” and have begun to offer my Professional Blogging Services on this blog. We’ll see who wants to snap me up before I’m too busy to take on more work.

That’s pretty much the week in review at Cafe Bebe. Despite being struck down by Little Miss’ cold over the weekend, on Sunday the sun shone and the wind blew and it was time to enjoy a bit of Mummy & Little Miss time at the local park. I do love my daughter so…

Little Miss…the park down the road from our house…the sunshine and warm breeze…now that’s a good thing.

When I grow up...

When Little Miss grows up…I sincerely hope she doesn’t use this obvious talent to become Little Miss Pole Dancer of the Universe 2030! Please oh please let her become a doctor or something?

White Stuff, Stamford, Lincs, UK

I know I talked about White Stuff a week or so ago and waxed melodic about my love for their clothes. What can I say? I want to be a White Stuff Mummy? Their tag line is “Happiness in Every Stitch”! Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Me! Me! Pick Me!

Being the freelance journalist/blogger extraordinaire that I am (hardy-har-har), I decided to take the bull by the proverbial horns and contact White Stuff. I have a Blogger Event coming up in a couple of weeks and I need a smart ensemble to look, well…smart in. And you never know what you might get if you just ask.

In Stamford, a glorious market town about 10 miles from my home, a new White Stuff store has just opened. Hubby and Little Miss and I ventured into it while on stay-cation two weeks ago. As I walked from rack to rack, gently fingering the garments, I began to picture myself in each outfit and wondered if I might ever be able to afford to renovate my existing wardrobe into a White Stuff wardrobe. As I looked in my purse I decided maybe not, but a girl can dream. I love the comfy casualness of White Stuff clothes which allows you to feel fashionable yet comfortable. And I know I need to feel a bit more fashionable as my current state of fashion involves sweatshirts and leggings or jeans. Not trés sexy!

After pulling my head out of the clouds I noticed that the White Stuff employees had thought of everything in this Stamford store. They had constructed a tent/den in the middle of the store with off-cuts from Cath Kidston-esque fabrics and had even stocked it with a few toys to entertain the tiddlies! Little Miss was in seventh heaven. And it gave hubby a wee break while I wandered around the store. I am always in favour of stores who consider children and cater for the needs of harrassed parents! Well done White Stuff!

Back to reality and after emailing back and forth with the lovely Jackie in the White Stuff Press Office, I had the green light to select an outfit suitable for a parent blogger to attend a blogger awards event. Thank you, White Stuff, for being my Gok Wan! I entered the Stamford store a bit giddy at the task ahead as I was also child-free for the afternoon. A chunk of time to wander through a clothing store, unfettered. No pushchair, no “Mummy…I wanna…”, no ties. Just me and lots of lovely clothes. The supervisor, Nicki, welcomed me into the store and invited me to browse and see what I might want to start out with. I like that approach…laissez-faire is good for me. I can’t stand hovering! I get rather self-conscious.

I found several options and was escorted to the largest changing room of the lot. I felt a bit posh, to tell you the truth. I wriggled and wrestled and managed to find a few options that will more than fit the bill. Here’s a montage of my afternoon at White Stuff, Stamford:

Success! I ended up chosing a lovely dress and cardigan and a wee-accent piece in the form of a necklace. It’s fab. I feel all girlie and pretty. Hubby was most appreciative of the choice. Too bad he won’t be there to see me in it! We’ll have to have another celebration where I can wear it for him.

I might just look half-way decent, don’t you think? So, thank you to White Stuff for transforming this currently frumpy, slightly dumpy mummy into a White Stuff Mummy. Not a bad transformation I’d say. Now if I can just figure out how to purchase the rest of the Autumn collection…any suggestions are welcome!

Oh, and I ended the afternoon in Cafe Black with this to keep me company…what a day!

Bacon Sandwich + Mocha = Bliss

You’ve heard it before from me. You’ve heard it a fair few times from me. But this time, I mean it! I’m 3 months away from turning 40, I have a funky new hair cut which has given me back some of my chutzpah and a clearer view to the future. It’s time to do something about the PHYSICAL ME!

I’ve been working with Maclaren and Pushy Mothers to promote their Stroll Back to Shape programme and have been reviewing the Maclaren GTLX along the way. I have a LOT of experience with pushchairs. I have reviewed over 20 since I began blogging a year an a bit ago. I have reviewed some for this blog but most have been for MadeForMums website. Amazingly I have never reviewed a Maclaren! Maclarens are everywhere. They are very popular in the lightweight, “umbrella-type” stroller category in particular. The Maclaren GTLX is their “luxury” edition pushchair and it was most definitely an interesting pushchair to trial.

The Maclaren GTLX is an impressive pushchair. Gadgets abound on this model which allow you to know what time it is, what the temperature is and just how fast you’re walking while lighting the way at the same time! There is a Strollometer built in on the Maclaren GTLX as well as a “dashboard” housing a clock and temperature gauge in analog style. There are running board lights to make others aware of you and potentially light the path in front of you on a dim day or late night walk (not sure that you need to be walking late at night WITH your child but teething pain may make it a necessity).

The seat seems very comfortable, according to Little Miss who readily climbed up and had a seat within seconds of spotting the new pushchair! And I dare any toddler to try to get out of the carefully crafted 5 point harness! You have to be Houdini, I think! It’s exceptionally well secured. The seat can be forward or rear facing which is very comforting to parents of newborns and young babies. You can easily and smoothly recline the seat without disturbing a sleeping tot and can carry on calorie burning while they snooze away, safe under the large canopy/hood. You are also protected from rain and bugs with a rain cover and mosquito cover which are stowed in handy pockets on the back of the seat…genius touch!  I was also infinitely impressed with the amount of accessories that came with the Maclaren GTLX. There was a pushchair cover, wheel bag, changing bag with stroller straps, cup holder, carry cot and newborn insert, footmuff and shopping basket. It’s all you could ever need and then some.

One of the drawbacks to the Maclaren GTLX is its size. It’s a rather hefty beast at 14.2 kg and requires a pretty strong TWO hands for steering, especially on uneven ground. I was a bit disappointed when my right front wheel popped off while traversing a bit of rough terrain. It easily snapped back on but I don’t really expect my wheels to fall off! Storing the Maclaren GTLX is a bit of a challenge as well. Ideally you need to take off the seat and potentially, even the wheels to allow it to fit smoothly into your boot. I think you would be hard pressed to fit it into a small boot. The price is a bit steep as well (between £530-590 on various internet sites) but considering the amount of kit that comes with the system, you are getting pretty good value for money.

Maclaren GTLX à la Cafe Bebe

One of the bonuses of the Maclaren GTLX is the Strollometer. The Stroll Back to Shape programme really encourages new mums to get out and get fit with their babies. With the Strollometer you can easily track your progress and see how far you’re going and how fast which is a great incentive and motivator for a lot of mums. I found myself trying to keep my pace at a particular speed which made a great difference to the intensity of my walk. Doing this several times a week will take you far…just remember to come back home at the end of each journey!

This is my challenge to you then, mummies: Get out and Commit to Get Fit this Autumn! Keep yourself moving, burning calories, getting fresh air and getting out of the house. It will do you and your child a world of good. Next week I’ll be attending my first “buggy fitness” class in Stamford. I’m a bit frightened as I imagine most of the other mums will be more post-delivery than I am and will definitely not look 5 months pregnant like I do. I feel like I might need to wear a hi-vis vest that says “Not Pregnant, Just Fat” so I don’t get any “so…when’s the next one due” comments. Or I just need to say, “Yeah, due in February!” and smile. I will report back on my class and whether I’m able to move the next day or not. I’m looking forward to taking a CLASS again which forces me to commit and follow through which is something I’ve been lacking a ridiculous amount bit lately.

I challenge you to do something new this month. Take a class, take a walk, do some Wii Fit, do SOMETHING! And blog about it. Or maybe you have been blogging about it? Share your success here! I’m adding a MckLinky to the bottom of this post for you to add links to your fitness/mummy tummy/empowerment/pushchair posts. It’s always helpful to know that others out there are struggling and, hopefully, succeeding. Let’s do what we can to push each other forward this month! I’ll expect some results and you can expect them from me in return. Have a great September…commit to get fit!

Over the weekend my sister-in-law made a lovely meal for us. It was called “Shashlik”. Despite the curry powder and warm spicy flavour, its origins are European. I’m rubbish at curry dishes. I’m American. What do we know about curry dishes? I’ve only just learned to appreciate Biryani at our local curry restaurant. I’m a lightweight!

This dish seemed very do-able though. I figured even I could handle something like this. What I particularly like is that this is basically a 2 pot dish. 1 pot for poaching the chicken and later, cooking the rice and 1 pot for cooking the Shashlik. In our family we have decided to rename this dish “Shadrack” however as I can’t seem to remember the actual name very easily! Mind that “Shadrack” is a now-deceased, hairy, alcoholic mess of a character on the soap “Emmerdale”. Those of you who know this will laugh.

Here are your ingredients: 4-5 chicken breasts (thighs might work as well), assorted autumnal veg (I used mushrooms, onions, butternut squash, sweet potato and peppers), oil, tomato ketchup, Curry powder (I also used a dash of Cumin and Mixed Spice for fun), single cream and Thai Jasmine rice.

First, poach your chicken in some stock. This helps to retain some of the moisture. Retain the stock to add to the veg/spice mixture for simmering. Heat up your dish/wok with a good glug of oil and add your onions to sweat a bit. Then add all of the veg to saute and soften for a bit. Add your spices (any combination of the above) to warm and coat the veg. Keep on a medium heat but not hot as you don’t want the spices to burn. Add in your diced, poached chicken, stir to coat in the spices. Now add the tomato ketchup in a zig zag pattern across the mixture (just because it’s more fun). Finally, add stock to just cover the mixture, give it a good stir to combine everything and allow to simmer for as long as you like. This is a great dish to prepare mid-afternoon and allow to bubble away all day in anticipation for the evening meal.

Cook your Thai Jasmine rice about 10-15 minutes before serving. At this time, add the carton of single cream to the Shadrack mixture and allow to simmer and thicken for 5-10 min. If you’re feeling the need for elegant presentation, add a sprinkle of corriander to the top of the mixture before serving. Naan bread makes the obvious perfect accompaniment but garlic bread works just as well. Et voila! Dinner Shadrack style!

It went down a treat with hubby who has taken the leftovers for lunch at work. Little Miss wasn’t so keen but there you go. She did have a cold and was overtired so not much was suitable for her at the time. We’ll try again. Maybe next time I’ll have her help me?

I hope you can enjoy a bit of Shadrack in your family soon. Adapt it to your needs/likes; that’s what’s best about recipes like these. Thank you to my sister-in-law, Debbie, for the inspiration!

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

What do loads of people do on the weekends in England (or anywhere for that matter)? GO TO IKEA!!!  IKEA is Sweden’s answer to Utopia. Flat pack hell genius from lovely Swedish designers have transformed our homes into stylish, affordable, mdf-filled collections. You truly can transform a room for well under £1000 with all of the things on offer. I do love Ikea.

The layout of the store is exceptionally clever if slightly dizzying. You generally must traverse the entire store in order to check out. And the craftily placed cafe in the middle of the maze is another well thought out design. Meatball sustinance is necessary to continue on through the cushions and fabric and children’s section. The only question is: Lingenberry sauce or no? Personally, it’s a no from me but hubby likes his Lingenberries.

This past Sunday, 29 August, hubby and I left Little Miss with her grandparents and journeyed to IKEA at Lakeside in Essex. We had already done 2 reconnaissance missions at the Milton Keynes IKEA to scope out the state of sofas and dining tables. We had managed to save a bit of money and I FINALLY SOLD A PUSHCHAIR so we chose to buy some NEW furniture for ourselves. Neither Hubby nor I had ever purchased NEW furniture. And we’d never really purchased anything TOGETHER. The time had come.

What do you suppose our first port of call was when we arrived at the IKEA wonderland? THE CAFE! 2 orders of meatballs, chips and gravy (10 for me, 15 for hubby who’d wished he had ordered 20). Hubby was a bit excited so we sort of inhaled the meatballs and dashed into the store for some selecting. After the requisite marathon walk through the store, we arrived at the Self-Serve warehouse area. We needed 2 trollies to collect our new furniture- 2 Klippan sofas + Almas Red covers, 1 Bjursta Dining Table, 1 Borlje dining chair (we’d already purchased 1 in a previous reccie mission) and 4 sofa cushions. Ka-ching!

But perhaps the best purchase? The bag of Daim bars and the Almondy tart with Daim bars. MMMMMMmmmm! I love Swedish things! This is how we spent our Sunday 29 August, 2010. Like so many English and Americans and other members of other countires. Sunday at IKEA in England…what better way to spend the day? Any day with meatballs and Daim bars is pretty good in my mind.

This post was written in support of Tara Cain’s The Gallery at Sticky Fingers. The theme this week is Sunday, August 29, 2010. Everyone who participates is showing how they spent their Sunday in England (or possibly another country). See what Sunday 29 August looked like by visiting Sticky Fingers on Wednesday.

In an attempt to start the week on a bright and positive note, I’m going to start “It’s a Good Thing”. Martha Stewart, goddess of all things domestic, has ‘em. Oprah Winfrey highlights ‘em in her monthly “O” magazine. Why not Cafe Bebe? I’m just as important, no?

1) IKEA- Thanks to their flatpack, genius furniture at ridiculously affordable prices, the Cafe Bebe family was able to transform our lounge into a far more pleasant and brighter place. And it only took us about 4 hours to get everything assembled! Result!

“Just needed a bit of cream Mummy!”

2) Joyful Children- Despite evidence last week of the “Terrible Twos” and a rather miserable night where a story was not read due to lack of listening, Little Miss still brightens my every day and makes my heart swell with pride. Even when she has playtime with Sudocrem while Mummy is on the computer.

3) Family Love- 2 weeks ago we had a delightful “stay-cation” with Hubby. We didn’t do anything special. In fact, our plans to go to Legoland, London and the seaside were all scuppered but we had a truly delightful holiday. It was just what the doctor ordered for our family and Little Miss thoroughly enjoyed having her Daddy around all day, every day. I was quite fond of having him around as well. If only we could find a job that allows him to be on permanent stay-cation. I think that might involve illegal things however.

4) Silliness- I adore my husband. He’s so good at being silly. He makes me laugh every day. This is a VERY good thing. He makes our daughter laugh, HARD every day. This is an exceptionally good thing!

5) Cafe Bebe Success- Not to toot my own horn but who’s going to if I don’t? Last Monday I journeyed down to London to give a presentation to a group of PR’s about working with parent bloggers. It was a great group (about 15 of them) and a chance for me to share my knowledge & experiences to educate. I love to speak to people and despite a few nerves, I think I did fairly well. I was totally knackered after the day in London but the presentation has given me a much needed confidence boost.

So, last week I had a fair few “It’s a Good Thing” moments. How about you? Feel free to share your own “Good Things” here or on your own blogs. I’m looking forward to starting this week’s list. Have a great week!

Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.

Last week I wrote about Mama Needing a New Bag! I offered other mums a chance to get their own Willvin of Sweden Changing Bag. And guess what?? One of you won one! That’s a lot of one/won!

I used Random.org and came up with a winner…want to know who it is??

Gee, I know…loads of entries eh?? Well…the Number 8 winner is: Mummy Matters- Sabina. Now some of you might say, “Oh, yeah, sure…” as Mummy Matters is a good friend of mine but I swear on all thing Simon Baker that Sabina won this fair and square. All entries were given a number and Random.org selected one. Congratulations Sabina! Willvin will be sending you the BAG OF YOUR CHOICE hopefully just in time for the arrival of Bump!

Thanks to everyone who entered and for Willvin who offered up such a lovely prize!