Being a Mummy

Review: Tommee Tippee closer to nature ® Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad

2012-01-27T21:43:00.000Z

The Tommee Tippee closer to nature ® Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad arrived at just the right time for us, with a new addition to the family on New Years Day, I for one didn't fancy digging out our 5 year old Tomy analogue monitor. The cables are an unruly mess and the things have taken a bit of pasting over the years.

I passed the Closer to Nature Video Monitor over to hubby to unbox and set up, in my defence I was slightly distracted by a teeny tiny baby. He reckoned it looked more like a high end gadget than something supposedly as mundane as a baby monitor.

The immediate difference, apart from the obvious addition of a video camera and viewing screen, from any of the previous baby monitors I've seen is how stylish and grown up the units look. As you can see from the video below, the video monitor looks really swish. I personally wish our house was a tidy (and white) as the one in the promotional video.

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I was sceptical of how good the video monitor would actually be, given how ropey video footage shot on even an expensive smartphone can be. At £199 the closer to nature ® Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad isn't exactly cheap but at that price, you would be pushed to buy a decent video camera and a pair of walkie talkies. But after charging the receiver for the mandated ten hours, I was really really impressed with the quality of the video footage. Not just in the daylight either, in the dark it slips into infra red night vision mode. It's like its the baby monitor of choice for the SAS or something! The camera cleverly tilts in the base unit, so you can put it above the cot on a chest of drawers or dresser and angle it down.

The audio clarity is as good as the video too, I suppose this is because it's digital but I was very impressed. The quality is actually better than our phone line. I must admit we didn't spend long testing the movement sensor pad because for me, an alarm going off if Ned didn't move for 20 seconds wouldn't give added comfort, it would just put me on edge. I can see how it would be useful for others who don't worry quite so much as me though.

There are loads of other great features too. For the two most useful were the pager to find out where the heck I'd put the monitor unit and the temperature sensor that tells me how hot or not the nursery is.

Overall then, I'd say you definitely get what you pay for and with the Tommee Tippee closer to nature ® Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad I think you certainly get good value for money. Considering the version without video is still £99, you're getting an incredibly good video monitor built in for only £100. The great thing is I can see it coming in useful for child surveillance when Ned's a bit older. I have a notion we'll install it in the playroom...

Review: Rayman Origins on Nintendo Wii

2012-01-27T20:26:00.002Z

When the Glade of Dreams is overrun by “nefurrious”Darktoons, the Fairy Council hastily invokes Rayman to save the day; but the hero of light isn’t quite all there…To help him, Rayman teams up with his best friend, Globox, and two crafty wizards, the Teensies. Together, the world’s most hilarious team of heroes will need to restore peace to the Glade or watch as their beloved home vanishes like a bad dream...

Rayman Origins is a rare thing in today's gaming world- it's a platform game! It makes a refreshing change from playing shooty shooty games but Rayman Origins is a great game for more reasons than that. If you can imagine a particularly well animated cartoon and then imagine that you're controlling the hero from the cartoon, that's Rayman Origins. It is an utterly utterly beautiful game.

What it isn't is easy though. It doesn't start of fiendishly difficult and Rayman Origins certainly isn't unfair but by the time you're an hour or two in, you certainly feel like you're earning your keep. Since the game looks some beautiful though, frustration rarely sets in since each new area has some clever visual tricks to captivate you. There are things to bounce on and flatten, things to swing off, hang off, there is also a fiendishly difficult bit where you have to run along and keep Rayman in a spotlight, or the bats will get him!

If you love great fun games, you simply must get Rayman Origins, its brilliant.

Review: The Philips Man Iron

2012-01-27T17:07:00.000Z

Just before Christmas I was sent an email which offered to send me a pampering set in exchange for sending my husband an Iron which he was to test out. How could I refuse such an offer? Especially as I absolutely hate ironing and I am keen to train the man up as I seem to spend ages on his work shirts.

The Man Iron is clearly targeted at men, its a sleek black machine with a simple dial which makes it easy to put it on the correct setting, even if you aren't used to ironing and material identification. However I think its a pretty good iron generally. I had a quick go with it and I think its easily as good as my top of the range Bosch iron, if not better. I really liked the weight and the simplicity of it and so I can recommend it from that viewpoint. The other great feature is the quite narrow pointed nose which makes it easy to get into corners of fabric.

In the spirit of the challenge I didn't explain how to use the iron to the husband, I merely pointed him the direction of the ironing board, the pile of washing and the ironing board. Thirty minutes later I checked on the results. I was surprised, he had managed to iron four work shirts (in record time) and seemed quite happy about it.

This iron comes in a sturdy case which to be honest I thought added to the general stuff to store but if your lad was going off to university or leaving home it would be perfect for them as they have a case to store it in. I'm a little bit torn about the idea of making domestic appliances appeal to a particular gender. I have to admit, I'd love a pink iron, but that's not really a great thing to say in this age of equality and the fact that this iron is designed to appeal to men specifically seems to sit uneasily somehow. However, like max strength medicines which clearly appeal to men and encourage them to take them, if this Iron encourages men to do their ironing that can only be a good thing.

All I need now is a manly ironing board, shame mine has flowers on it...

And a word from the Husband:

Contrary to popular belief I do actually do some ironing and I'm not too horrific at it. My problem is mostly I like to stick a long film on and drag it out over an evening. I think the fact I was watching Big Trouble in Little China, which is only 99 minutes long and is pretty good helped the ironing, as did the iron itself which seemed to positively glide over the shirts. It wasn't too heavy either and was in a decent non poncified colour. Shame it was lacking go faster stripes, preferably orange, but aside from that it was spot on.

Things you think about whilst night-time feeding babies

2012-01-25T14:20:00.001Z

Should I have made different comment to a school mum?
I wonder if there is some sort of mathematical formula which gives you quantity of poo resultant of numbers of feeds according to developmental age/ weight
I hope this noise doesn't wake the other kids
I hope this noise wakes that husband up as he seems to sleep through anything
Why am I wet?
Shall I just go and start doing chores as soon as this baby goes to sleep
Why does this baby only ever sleep during daylight or with his head resting at a really uncomfortable angle on me?
I hope the boy isn't going to be bullied again
I hope Fifi and Ned don't get bullied
What shall I wear tomorrow
I wish it was light enough to read my book
What shall I give the kids for breakfast
I must buy some more leggings
I wish I had bought those curtains I saw in the John Lewis sale
Shall I have another baby
Do I want a career?
Shall we convert the garage to a playroom
Do I need a haircut?

Not a lot of sleep happening at the moment...

Struggling to take a picture of them all!

2012-01-22T19:08:00.001Z

One of the issues with having three children is trying to find the moment to take a picture of them all. It's also finding the patience to take one where you can see all their faces and no-one is pulling a funny face. Unfortunately this is the best I've managed so far....

Review: Ellos Clothing

2012-01-22T19:00:00.000Z

Just before Christmas Fifi and myself were asked if we wanted to select an item of clothing from fashion retailer Ellos. As I have never shopped with them before I thought it woul dbe interesting to see what they had to offer.

I selected a lovely cardigan which unfortunately had sold out, so you clearly need to be quick off the mark with the best stuff. My second choice was this cardigan as I thought it was so unusual. When the cardigan came I was not disappointed, the quality was good and it was as I expected. However, I have to say I thought it was a bit on the small side. I have washed it several times and its come up as good as new. It looks great with jeans and I'm slightly disappointed to say that you can now get it for nearly half the price in the Ellos sale! A good bargain...

Fifi chose this really cute little dress its a lovely colour and pattern and one of those comfortable dresses with no frills or bits to stick in her. I thought it was really well priced and now its a total steal at a fiver! My only issue with it is that I ordered an age five and she is only three and it still has very little room in it. I think Ellos are one of those continental shops which are sized for children smaller than the average British child. I think the lesson is that provided you purchase a nice big size their kids clothes offer good value and something different to what you can find on the high street.

All in all, I think its worth checking out Ellos if you like to wear clothes you wont find on the high street which are reasonably priced and good quality. I know I've bookmarked them.

Review: Argos Kids Clothes

2012-01-22T18:26:00.001Z

Did you know that Argos even sell kids clothes? I was amazed, I know they sell nearly everything but it never occurred to me to look in there for clothes for the kids. When I was asked if we wanted to review some, I thought it would be interesting to see what they had on offer. Fifi had a good look and picked a Tinkerbell Sweatshirt and a selection of Peppa Pig T-shirts. Boy picked a Lego Star Wars Sweatshirt and some Star Wars pyjamas. Frankly these clothes were perfect for my kids as they really like wearing stuff with their favourite characters on them.

When they arrived all the clothes were surprisingly good quality given their price. Fifi has been wearing the Peppa Pig T-shirts over and over again and they have washed up as good as new over the course of a month! What's more the sizing is accurate, rather than on the small side which pleased me as this is becoming a rarity.

I'm honestly impressed with this range for toddlers, it's exactly what they like to wear (as opposed to what I like them to wear- which is another matter). The products we received have washed and washed and they are very good value for money. The range is available for Toddlers to children aged 2- 10 years and you can find it either in the catalogue or at http://www.argos.co.uk/.

Review: Leapfrog Leapster Explorer

2012-01-22T11:24:00.000Z

The Leapster Explorer is aimed at 4- 9 year old age group, so when we were asked if the boy would like to review one we thought it might be perfect. For Christmas, our four year old boy was lucky enough to get a Nintendo DS, but to be honest, even though we have age appropriate games for it, he still finds it a bit to advanced and requires a lot of help with it. From the minute we got the Leapster out of the box it was different. The boy could use it straight away and has enjoyed using it ever since.

The Leapster is a sturdy little games console which offers a range of 'learning experiences' , you can get games, e-books and so on. Its intuitive to use and in our house at least has withstood some man-handling, including getting dropped and a water spillage. In that sense it seems ideal for the age group. Its chunky buttons and general 'feel' means that I don't feel that I have to observe the kids whilst playing with it.

One of the brilliant things about this is that Fifi has also been able to enjoy using it. At just three years old she sits with it for a really long time concentrating on what she is doing. The only other time I have seen her so engrossed with a bit of technology is with her V-tech Storio Cars 2 game. I think the Leapster has the edge because its a bit smaller and more portable and seems to immediately offer a wider range of activities.

I'm really impressed with this, it surprises me because its not something I would have gone out and bought as I'm not all that keen on this sort of thing myself. However, the kids are genuinely enjoying using it and I think it has helped Boy with his letters and sounds learning. It's great to see them concentrating on an activity for a while, this doesn't happen very often in our house! The Leapster feels like a good quality piece of kit.

My only reservations are that the games and apps which you download are quite expensive and its a bit fiddly to do. I can see that although the console is very reasonably priced at around fifty quid the overall cost could soon add up especially when you factor in the cost of batteries.

Overall though, I think its helped the boy with his letters and sound learning and he hasn't even realised. For that alone I give it five stars

Disclaimer: We were given a Leapfrog Explorer to keep in exchange for a review

Having our pictures taken!

2012-01-20T08:13:00.002Z

Over the past year I've been lucky enough to tweet with loads of local people. St Albans has a nice community on-line and there are lots of things going on and lots of people willing to help with stuff. We were really lucky to be offered a family photoshoot with local photographers Kim and Jeanette of Cocoon Photography. It was a fun experience in Verulamium Park and we got some lovely pictures to boot!

Kim and Jeanette are unlike a lot of other photographers that I have met in that they instantly made us feel at home, they laughed and joked with us and captured some really special moments. If only we could have bought all the images. Anyway, the ones we got take pride of place on our wall and I cant recommend the whole thing more highly. I'm hoping to get a few more of the images shortly.

So, when they offered to take some newborn shots of little Ned I jumped at the chance. I was a little bit concerned that the little fella would be incredibly fractious, but far from it, he stayed asleep the entire time. It was great having a photoshoot at home, we were all totally at ease and it was much easier with a new baby than having to travel anywhere. Have a look at their blog about it here. I wish I had taken the plunge and got some professional shots of Fifi and Boy, that's a lesson learned.

You can follow Kim and Jeanette on Twitter @cocoonphoto

Review: Just Dance Kids

2012-01-19T21:25:00.001Z

Just over a year ago I reviewed Just Dance 2 on the Wii. We loved it back then, as did the kids since it only had a PEGI rating of 3 years and older. One of the things that makes Just Dance generally great for kids is they're not penalised for getting stuff wrong, they can just dance like crazy and have some fun.

Just Dance Kids adds to this with a mechanic that's aimed purely at kids. The dance moves and the menus has been simplified to make it much easier for kids to play and navigate around the game, Our four year old knows his way round our Boxee Box but has struggled with videogames and this is simple enough for him.

The songs, and there are over 40 of them, are a great mix of nursery rhymes and classic pop songs. I for one enjoyed doing In the Jungle, a real 80's classic (well the Tight Fit version was anyway!). For slightly older kids there are some more modern pop songs like Miley Sirus and some big lad called Sean Kingston but it really comes into it's own for stuff like Jingle Bells at the moment. If we can get the kids to play that enough, they can do a dance routine on Christmas Day for their grandparents.

The kids themselves recognised a lot of the songs, they're a mixture of film tracks, TV and classics along with the aforementioned nursery rhymes. Kudos for including something from Gnomeo & Juliet, which was the boys favourite film last summer.

I liked the way I could pop into the settings and not just see what the kids had been playing but also how long they'd been at it for. We do like to limit their time playing videogames, even ones like this that are dance based. On occasion they've got a little too competitive.

We've played dance games on the Xbox 360 Kinect recently and whilst they're much better at accurately mapping your movement than the Wii, Nintendo's console is a lot easier for kids to use. Sort of six of one, half a dozen of the other really. But if you've got kids that like bopping around to music on the stereo, then you can't really go wrong with Just Dance Kids.

Just Dance Kids is out now on Nintendo Wii and you can get it for the princely sum of £22.49 from Amazon and other retailers. It is also available on Xbox 360 (with Kinect) and PS3 (with Move).

Featured Guest Post: A great bedtime read

2012-01-19T20:30:00.000Z

Todays guest post is by Joan Clarke a busy working mother and children's taxi driver who dashes through life juggling all that comes her way. She often wishes there was an extra hour each day – which she would use for sleeping.

Last week, while looking for my moisturiser which I apply religiously, I discovered a pile of books that I'd carefully selected from the local library for my 11 year-old daughter and 13-year-old son. But had they read any of them? Of course not.

Getting the kids into reading can sometimes feel like pushing water uphill. Of course, finding the right kind of book that'll get them hooked makes all the difference. But if your kids are anything like ours, that book may seem a little illusive. Harry Potter never seemed to work his magic for our two. And neither did a whole collection of other books from a range of outstanding writers. So when my son finally brought home a book from the school library, I wasn't expecting him to suddenly discover the joys of reading. Until, that is, he refused last week to come down from his bedroom for supper because he was far too busy. I looked at my husband and we both blithely assumed that he was busy on his computer playing something called Mine Craft which seems to be the latest craze for boys of his age. But on poking my head round his door I was absolutely gobsmacked to find him with his nose buried in a book. The book, a slim volume with a rather distinctive cover of a tree silhouetted against the sun, was entitled 'Sleeping with the Blackbirds.' It's been written by Alex Pearl and it's his first book. I know this much because I was so intrigued that I decided to find out more by searching for it online. There's a website: sleepingwiththeblackbirds.co.uk which gives you some background to the story, which in itself is interesting.

The story revolves around an 11-year-old school boy, Roy Nuttersley, whose parents are the parents from hell. To cut a long story short, Roy who also suffers at the hands of school bullies, turns to looking after the birds in his garden, and in return the birds hatch an elaborate scheme to protect their new friend. But like all grand plans, this is blown off course and both Roy and his arch school bully, Harry Hodges, inadvertently find themselves setting out on a voyage of discovery, which for Roy culminates in an unexpected and brilliant revelation that keeps you glued to the book until the very last page.

I think what makes this story so enjoyable for kids is its old-fashioned warmth and humour. Some of the details are really very funny, and the Nuttersley parents are larger than life and quite ridiculous, and there's nothing more appealing to children than a pair of ridiculous adults.
Our son finished the book over the course of five evenings and he was late down for supper for every one of them. And now that he's finished it, he's reading it to his younger sister.

Oh, and the other really nice thing I noticed about the book is that its author is very generously giving his royalty to Centrepoint, the charity for homeless young people.

So there you go. If you have children who don't read, I'd recommend you get them a copy. If they're anything like our kids, they'll also be having their supper cold for the next five evenings.

Disclaimer: I have been recompensed for this post

The Bambino Mio Miosolo Nappy Challenge So Far...

2012-01-19T11:31:00.001Z

Whilst pregnant with baby Ned I was asked if I would like to take part in the Bambino Mio Miosolo Nappy Challenge. This is a challenge to test the new Miosolo nappies to see whether or not they live up to expectations. The Miosolo is an all in one nappy and is really simple to use as it has a popper system. It can be used from birth onwards and comes in a really nice range of colours.

As I used real nappies with Boy, I thought this might prove a good re-introduction for me and lets face it, real nappies look SO cute that's an incentive to use them in itself. There are a lot of reasons to try to use real nappies, not only are they better for your baby as they don't have any nasty chemicals in them. There are lots of other reasons including financial, using real nappies for your first baby can save you £700 and then for subsequent babies £1000!

The main worry I had was that as Ned is so small (he's not even 8lb yet) that the nappies would be a bit big for him. In fact, I held them up and thought they were a a bit big. Not to be dissuaded I adjusted all the poppers and gave the first nappy a go. I should say this was sfter pre-washing at 60 degrees- something which slightly worried me as I live in a hard water area and I'm not convinced really hot washes are a good idea for our washing machine...

Anyway, this week we have been taking part in the Bambino Mio Miosolo Nappy Challenge which is a series of tests to see if the nappies really are as good as they are meant to be and whether they work with a tiny baby. This is my first blog post on the topic, more to follow (including one with some cute pictures- when I find the lead for my camera...)

Stay at Home
The idea of this challenge was simply to test its performance in normal use during the day. For us, this meant simply adjusting the nappy to fit a tiny baby. In terms of absorbency and fit the velcro tabs and poppers made it fairly easy to adjust to Ned to minimise leakage. In fact, they didn't leak with wee the entire day, although there was a rather unfortunate mustard poo incident whereby he ended up covered in poo. I think this could have happened with any nappy. My only slight concern is that they were quite bulky and so I am not convinced how comfortable he was lying on the nappy.

The Out and About Challenge
Being a third time mum I tend to avoid out and about nappy changes as far as possible, so I was slightly concerned that I might need to do a nappy change when we went over to the shops. However, as it stood we managed a long shopping trip around Watford without too many issues, with the exception of a few comfrot adjustments. The stay dry inner liner is really innovative, we haven't had any nappy rash yet. I'm quite impressed.

The Washing and Drying Challenge
I was only provided with three nappies and with a tiny baby you do need lots, so I have been using some of my older re-usables as well. This means I have a full load in the washing machine.I have been washing and drying the nappies for three days now. From comparison with the other reusable nappies I think that the Miosolo's do actually dry a little bit quicker than the heavier towelling nappies and therefore are more energy efficient in the dryer. I finished them off on the radiators because there didn't seem any chance of them going rock hard like the towelling nappies we have. This makes them even cheaper to launder and much more comfortable for the baby. The pull out tab system clearly helps with the drying time as I found that they take about two thirds the time overall than the other nappies. This is clearly a really good aspect of the Miosolo's and one that encourages me to buy a few more so we can use them all day long. I can see it being a major bonus in the summer as well as they will almost certainly dry quicker on the line than the other nappies we have.

That's my progress so far. Keep your eyes peeled for my next post, including one where the husband has a go at using real nappies...

Special Discount Code
In conjunction with the miosolo challenge week Bambino Mio are offering 25% off all miosolo purchases from our online shop with free p&p and they are even throwing in a free 100g of miofresh (nappy sanitiser) http://www.bambinomioshop.co.uk/miosolo-new-32-c.asp All you have to do is enter discount code: challenge at the checkout.

Book Review: Not on a School Night! By Rebecca Patterson

2012-01-18T14:49:00.000Z

Not on a School Night! is one of those books written for kids which strikes a chord with both the adult reader and the children. We have read this nearly every other night since we were kindly sent a review copy. It tells the story of two naughty little brothers who should be settling down for bed, but instead have a series of adventures. Featuring dinosaurs, duvet slugs and a mummy who looks scarily like myself, it's a great fun book.

The illustrations are bright and colourful providing lots of talking points which I find useful. The other great thing about this book is that the font used is child friendly, which means its actually possible for early readers to have a good go at reading it themselves. But be warned! My own children hadn't thought about using the bedsheets to transform themselves into superheros until they were given the idea here!

Not on a School Night is published by Macmillan Childrens Books (ISBN 978-0-230-74764-7) and is £10.99 hardback

Pelvic Floor Exercises

2012-01-18T09:12:00.002Z

The trials of being a woman. Thanks to my friend and (personal) midwife Mrs B (@mrs_Bslife) I have been drilled in the importance of Pelvic Floor Exercises. Actually, I mean I have been frightened into the importance of the pelvic floors after three children. 'You don't want to end up having an operation to shove it all back in do you?' springs to mind, (yes Mrs B I can hear you laughing now).

To this end, I have found myself at 2 o'clock in the morning feeding a small baby whilst pulling the appropriate muscles tightly. (Think stopping a wee...). I also find myself sitting at the traffic lights in the car pulling the appropriate muscles tightly. It's at these moments that I also wonder about whether it might all go wrong, one wrongly placed muscular lurch and before you know it you've wet yourself at the traffic lights. How does one explain that?

For those of you who don't know much about this sort of thing, you'll need to do ten sets of ten pelvic floors a day after three kids, everyday, for the rest of your life. It's a life sentence and one you cant forget unless you want to pay for it later on in life. If you want to know what the exercises actually are, then you'll need to Google the phrase.

The whole pelvic floor thing is something which is never mentioned in sex education and I reckon it might be one of the best ways of putting off teenagers. Imagine if at 12 you were told that you might not be able to jump up and down without wetting yourself, if you were to have a baby. If that wouldn't put you off, I don't know what else would.

Anyway, I'm sure you'll all be pleased to hear that like a good girl I have been trying to do my 'special' exercises, well, when I remember anyway. I'll be trampolining like a Olympic athlete before you know it. Either that or I'll be followed around by a faint smell of wee. If it's the later I'd prefer it if you don't mention it...

Featured Post: Essentials for Babys Nursery

2012-01-18T08:23:00.003Z

Today's post comes courtesy of Vertbaudet who sell a wide range of fab children's clothes and homewares:

Because of the wide variety of nursery furniture and other nursery components available, it can be tough having a baby for the first time. However, I was once a first timer too, and all you newbies have to bear in mind is that the task is not as daunting as it seems at first. I want to lay out the essentials of any nursery, in hopes that you may waste less time on the inessentials.

It doesn’t take a ten time mother to realise that sleep is one of the essentials. Though it seems obvious, it may be something you find out the hard way if you have your baby sleeping on the same pillow you had as a baby, along with a second hand crib. It’s so important for the baby to be comfortable. If they’re getting some sleep, then you’re getting some sleep as well. French company Vertbaudet offers a few things that help with getting the baby to sleep, such as the simply named Soft toy. This is basically a flattened bunny rabbit, made out of the softest organic cotton. This is an item that your baby will cuddle with for hours, and it really helps him to get to sleep. The fact that the Soft toy is machine washable is an added bonus.

Image courtesy of Vertbaudet

Another item from Vertbaudet that helps with the baby’s sleeping habits is the Activity arch. This mobile like toy has a squeaky ball, a vibrating ball, a rattle rabbit, a star mirror, and a crinkly flower. If you let the baby play, then they may stay absorbed for a long time, like mine did. I would say that this is also an essential, since it helps them to get some energy out, and it also has some value in the onset of early learning.

To make things easier on both you and your baby, you must get a BEABA changing station. This is definitely essential for a happy parent and baby. One of the virtues of this item is that it has a reversible and washable surface. For obvious reasons, this is a great feature. This item also has railing on the sides, so that even the most rambunctious of babies will stay contained by the changing station. It’s worth noting that this item isn’t usable once the baby has gone beyond one year old, or exceeds the weight of 18 kilograms.

If your baby is being born into a family that buys gifts, chances are you’ll go through the same barrage that I did with relatives, baby gifts, baby gifts, and baby gifts. For a while there, I was getting a gift every week for my baby. That’s why it was absolutely essential for me to find a means of storage. It was the only way I could walk through my baby’s nursery without tearing my hair out. I eventually went with Vertbaudet’s Stackable storage box. The fact that this unit is stackable was enough to make me want it. The fact that it’s comprised mostly of a light fabric sealed the deal. All of the baby’s toys fit into one of these units. Well, they did for a while. Then once the toys became too numerous, I had to buy another one Stackable storage box and start stacking.

Image courtesy of Vertbaudet

For nursery furniture and the rest of the baby’s things, there are many options out there. But all you have to bear in mind is that there are some things your baby needs, and some things your baby doesn’t need. When in doubt, it never hurts to take the advice of a mother who’s already been through it all.

Vertbaudet offers a range of baby clothes, children’s clothes and home collections for your little ones and with their Final Clearance sale now on, there’s hundreds of items reduced by up to 70% off. Visit Vertbaudet now at www.vertbaudet.co.uk

Disclaimer; I have received payment for this post.

Review: Blossom Mother and Child

2012-01-17T21:04:00.000Z

Whilst I was pregnant I was offered a fair amount of maternity clothes to review, however I was quite selective and only picked things which I would have bought myself given the chance. One of the shops which I was genuinely thrilled to be asked to review some clothes from was Blossom Mother and Child. Blossom sell some really lovely luxury maternity wear online here www.blossommotherandchild.com and from shops in Marylebone, South Kensington and Harrods.

I was sent the ‘Gustave feeding top’ which has to be the best nursing top I have ever had throughout my time feeding my three children. Its great quality, really soft and luxurious. The design is stylish and looks great with my jeans and I found it really easy to feed baby Ned when wearing this whilst retaining my dignity. In fact, I literally washed it overnight and wore it daily for nearly a week long stretch, it was that good. I cant recommend this more highly, it has washed and washed whilst retaining its shape and softness. The design has proved perfect for feeding, it looks great with my jeans as well.

The other item I was sent was this nursing dress again, I was really pleased with the dress. I wore this is the last stages of pregnancy, in fact on Christmas Day and it was perfect. Comfortable, stylish and great quality. Because of the design of the dress you can wear it post pregnancy for nursing and I have been wearing it on and off. I have to admit I didn't find it brilliant for nursing as the appropriate area does not seem to stretch enough and keeps getting in the way. However, the dress looks so lovely, that I can put up with that. At the moment its half price on the website, well worth checking out.

All in all, I've been really impressed with Blossom Mother and Child, they have some lovely stuff on their website and there is a huge range of products. Its quite rare to find a site that has some proper designer stuff for pregnant women, but they offer Anya Hindmarch and Missoni amongst others. They also have a great blog. Be very warned, if you are expecting a baby and you look at Blossom Mother and Child you'll find it quite hard to find anything you want from anywhere else!

Win a family stay at the NEW LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort Hotel

2012-01-17T08:03:00.001Z

I'm really excited about going to visit the new Legoland Windsor Resort hotel with my hubby who is going to review it. It's going to be our first trip away with baby Ned, and as Fifi and Boy love Legoland, I anticipate much fun is going to be had. The hubby has actually had a sneak preview of the hotel and he is very impressed with what he has seen. In fact, he has been going on and on about how nice the rooms are. How could you not be really, just check out this pirate themed room:

Pirate Themed Room

I'm really pleased to be able to give one reader the chance to take their family to enjoy the hotel. If you would like to find out more read on:

The Dragon Guarding the Hotel

An unforgettable LEGO® adventure awaits families in March 2012 when the amazing, 150 room, fully themed LEGOLAND hotel opens at the world famous LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort.

Dedicated to interactive family fun, the unique hotel will bring LEGO to life with imaginative theming and a host of child friendly features. Pirate, Kingdom or Adventure themed bedrooms with interactive challenges are designed specially to keep children mesmerised for hours on end.

The Hotel will also have stunning play spaces, including a LEGO Pirates themed splash pool, to inspire little imaginations and LEGO fans of all ages will delight in spotting their favourite iconic LEGO figures. With children’s entertainment including character breakfasts, movies available on demand and a buffet restaurant serving up a menu of quality fresh produce, this is a hotel designed firmly with kids in mind. Find out more at www.legoland.co.uk.

Adults Keep Out

Prize details:
A LEGOLAND Windsor Resort short break, including a night in a themed family room at the LEGOLAND Hotel for 2 adults / up to 3 children, park tickets for 2 days, breakfast, a free gift for every young guest and early bird access to the park.

To enter

In order to enter this fab competition all you need to do is to leave a comment below telling me what your favourite Lego playset is and why. For additional entries follow or subscribe to this blog and tweet: 'I want to win a family stay at Legoland Windsor Resort Hotel via www.beingamummy.co.uk @zooarchaeologis' and make sure you mention this in your comment.

The competition closes UK mid-day 15th February 2012 and the winner will be chosen at random using the Random Number Generator. Entries without contact details will be disqualified, the winner will be contacted directly and if they do not respond within 7 days another winner will be chosen.

Terms & Conditions:
The prize consists of a one-night stay sharing a LEGO® themed room for one winner and up to four (4) guests at LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort Hotel, including bed and breakfast plus two day’s park entry to be taken during the stay. (Annual Pass Holders can pass these tickets on to friends and family to use across the same weekend) Park tickets will be ready upon check-in at the Hotel.

The party cannot be made up of more than 2 adults (aged 15+). Any winner under 21 must be accompanied by at least one adult of 21 years or older.

Only one entry per person.

If the winner elects to partake in any or all portions of his/her prize with fewer than four (4) guests, the prize will be awarded to the winner and any participating guest and any remainder of the prize will be forfeited and shall not be subject to further or alternative compensation.

There is no cash or alternative to the prizes stated, and the prizes are non transferable.

Prize consists only of the elements expressly detailed above; no other elements or expenses such as travel, meals and beverages, additional hotel expenditure, gratuities, spending money or Q-Bot access to rides and attractions are included. All such expenses are the sole responsibility of the winner plus guests.

The promoter’s decision is final and binding. No correspondence will be entered into. Unless otherwise stated the promoter is the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.

This prize cannot be taken in conjunction with any other promotion running at the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.

Competition entry is open to all UK residents except employees and the immediate family of the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.

Prize is subject to room availability.

Prize must be taken by the end of the 2012 season (March 16th - November 6th 2012) but cannot be taken between 24th July and 30th August.

Some height restrictions apply to the rides at the LEGOLAND Windsor Resort – full details at www.legoland.co.uk

Win a £100 voucher to spend in the Tesco Baby Event

2012-01-16T14:22:00.000Z

With a new baby in our household I was really pleased to hear that Tesco have launched its biggest ever baby event which runs from Monday 16^th Jan – 5^th February. There are some great bargains to be had and I will be stocking up on stuff to keep us going for at least the next six months as I am really aware how much this stuff adds up.One of the things that I will be getting are baby wipes as you can never get enough of those, I'm also keen to get a new microwave steriliser as ours has been used for 2 babies and is looking a bit worse for wear. Listed below are some of the bargains to be had:

● Pampers Baby Dry Carry Pack: was £6.49 each, now £4.30 each

● Pampers Simply Dry Carry Packs was £4.50 each, now £3.00

● Johnson’s Baby Wipes 64-Pack:was £2.44 each, now 95p each

● Huggies Super Dry Economy Pack: was £9.98 each, now half price £4.99

● Aptamil Growing Up Milk 12m+ 900g: was £8.49 each, now £6.50 each

Products on BOGOF:

● Johnson’s Baby Bubble Bath & Wash, 500ml: £2.99

● Johnson’s Baby Gold Shampoo, 500ml: £2.60

● Johnson’s Baby Pink Soft Wash, 400ml: £2.98

● Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Bath, 500ml: £2.50

Half Price Buys:

● Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Electronic Steam Steriliser: was £47.99, now half price £23.99

● Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature Microwave Steriliser: was £26.99, now half price £13.49

● Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Electric Breast Pump: was £99.99, now half price £49.99

● Tommee Tippee Closer To Nature Freedom Breast Pump: was £29.99, now half price £14.99

Make sure you follow @TescoBabyClub for your chance to win great prizes every day during the Baby Event.

Tesco have very kindly given one reader of Being a Mummy the chance to win £100 worth of Tesco Vouchers to spend during the event. All you need to do is comment below and tell me your favourite baby memory.

Terms and Conditions:

The competition is open to UK residents only and will close on the 23rd January at Midday UK time. Your entry will be disqualified if you do not leave contact details. Winners will be picked at random (decisions final) and the prize will be sent directly from the PR agency. There is no cash alternative.

Four go to Bognor in a Chevrolet Orlando

2012-01-15T09:37:00.000Z

A little while back I was asked if I would like to test drive the Chevrolet Orlando, at the time I wasn't actually going anywhere however they were prepared to wait and so this weekend we got the chance to take it on a nice long trip to the Tots 100 party at Butlins in Bognor Regis.

We didn't start off brilliantly, the Chevrolet broke down on the way to us. I'm a glass half full sort and saw this as a bad thing, the hubby thought it was a good thing because at least it didn't happen whilst we were travelling in it. Anyway this was really promptly sorted out and to be honest it could have happened with any car. When it did finally arrive I was pleasantly surprised because my impression of Chevrolets has been of those retro looking cars which I have to admit I don't really like. The Orlando looks like a modern family car, the kids loved it straight away and told me I had to swop it for my Zafira. I'd be happy to do so on looks alone.

In terms of boot space the Orlando is a brilliant car, it swallowed up our luggage with gusto and there was absolutely no pushing/ wedging. However in the cabin there seemed to be a lack of cubbyholes which were appropriately sized and it was a struggle finding somewhere for our CD's. However there is the most brilliant little secret cubbyhole behind the controls for the CD player/ sat nav which has its own USB drive so perhaps they are simply thinking ahead to the time when everyone has digitised music.

Chevrolet have clearly thought about what a family needs from a car and it's full of great additions which I haven't seen before, such as a drop down mirror which enables the front seat passengers to see exactly what is going on in the back. This has to be one of the most useful features I have come across in a car. However it is lacking the hard plastic backs to the front seats which my Zafira has. The lack of leg space for the kids (surprising given the size of the car) meant we both got kicked in the back for a fair amount of the journey.

In terms of driving, I cant comment too much because at 8 months pregnant I couldn't really get behind the wheel so I left that to the husband who can tell you call about that. However, the fuel efficiency seemed very good and when he put his foot down there was a lot of poke. The handbrake was a bit near my leg and I was fondled every time he put it on, or may be that was him). We liked the fact that the lights and windscreen wipers came on automatically, this saved a lot of thought and is perfect for someone like me as its one less thing to remember when the kids are screaming in the back.

All in all, when I discovered the list price of the car I was really surprised, I think it represents very good value for money and if you want a seven seater family car then this is certainly one to consider. It's cheaper than most of its competitors, has a lot to offer and as its a brand new car (not based on anything else) you are getting something very modern. I'm certainly thinking about one for when I replace my Zafira.

Oh, yes, Did we get to Bognor? Well, thanks to the fab in built Sat Nav (which allows 3 digit precision which I am told is unusual) we got there very speedily. What happened at Bognor? Well. that another post...

T. K. Maxx Nursery Promotion

2012-01-13T12:16:00.001Z

It's not often that you get born and then offered a shopping spree all in the same two weeks, but this is exactly what happened to baby Ned. So diligently myself, Ned and Fifi set off to T.K. Maxx at the Galleria in Hatfield so he could spend to his little hearts content. Alright, so mummy and Fifi could pick stuff for him.

I'm not one of the worlds best shoppers and so I haven't really been to T. K. Maxx very often as I have always considered it a little bit scary with too much to chose from. I favour little shops with not much choice and over attentive assistants really. However, I was really surprised by the amount of really top brand stuff they have at such reasonable prices. This week there was eighty percent discount on some of the stuff which, considering that its all a lot cheaper than RRP anyway represents a really massive saving.

We chose a couple of baby sleeping bags from a really top brand which were two thirds cheaper than another department store I frequent. I'm very pleased with those. I also got a steam steriliser, a coat for Fifi and a little toy for Ned. We even had 3p change from our allocated fifty pounds which T. K. Maxx gave us. I was amazed, as there is no way I would have been able to buy those quality brands anywhere else and have any change. I feel sure that the items I bought will last and I have a big smile on my face for bagging such a bargain.

I think that T. K. Maxx can get exceptionally busy, I'm not surprised, but I can say that if you go at 10:00 on Thursday morning in Hatfield you can have a stress free, quiet shop and a good old rummage to get the best bargains. I might have to pop in there more often.. If you get a chance pop in there in the next week and have a look at their Nursery promotion, there are some bargains to be had.

Check out your own stuff on the television with Xbox Live Gold

2012-01-12T18:45:00.000Z

Our household is lucky enough to be participating in the Xbox Live Gold Ambassador scheme. It proved an eye opener to me because prior to this the Xbox was really the domain of the husband. However, I've used it loads in the past month for television, movies and also showing the kids our uploaded YouTube videos.

I tend to use YouTube sporadically, I have my own channel for this blog and tend to put up reviews and so forth on there. I also have a locked down channel which we use for friends and family, its this one which is most appealing to the kids. The YouTube feature on the Xbox live means that they can watch movies of themselves as babies on the family television rather than my small netbook. It is quite captivating.

Of course, there's a whole world out there and it seems like the majority of it is available at your fingertips on YouTube and lots of TV shows. You can re-live your youth, check out old music videos and loads more. Its great to be able to watch them on the television. That's me totally sucked in...

Review: Widgy Nursing Pillow

2012-01-12T17:57:00.000Z

I was really kindly given a Widgy Nursing Pillow to review just before Ned was born, now he is with us I have had plenty of time to give it a good run for its money. The first thing I have to say is that the one I have really does have the cutest design. I love it, I'm told its a special one in a design called Birdie which you can only buy from John Lewis but there is a wide variety of styles to pick from on the website here

The thing which is very handy about the Widgy Nursing Pillow is that its shaped so you don't need to fiddle about trying to stack the sofa cushions into a suitable shape before you begin nursing. I'm not very good at balancing babies so this has been a real help. The only slight issue I have is that although I'm a 12/ 14 size its a little bit on the small side when wedged around my middle, however I suspect that it will fit perfectly in a couple of weeks when I lose a few baby pounds. The midwives were certainly very impressed with how easy it was for them to assist me in feeding the baby and positioning him properly.

I'm told that you can also use the pillow as a baby nest when they get a bit older which will also be very handy. I think this must be in part due to the fact that its quite solid as opposed to fill with lots of little loose balls like some other nursing pillows. The cover comes off and is cotton so washes well.

All in all, I think this is a very a worthwhile pregnancy investment which you'll be using after the baby is born for quite some time!

New Year, New Life

2012-01-06T15:20:00.000Z

Last year was one of the most unsettling and stressful of my entire life, so I have been looking forward to 2012 with unusual optimism. However, I didn't for one minute think that the early hours of the New Year would bring me this:

My gorgeous little boy, I can't begin to tell you how adorable he is and what a way to start the New Year!
One minute I was listening to fireworks across Stevenage, the next I was in a hospital lift telling the midwife I needed to push...

I'm feeling really optimistic about 2012, I think this may well be my best year yet!

ABBA You Can Dance

2012-01-05T20:34:00.000Z

These dance games tend to fall on one of two points,either the selection of music or the dance mechanic. If you're an ABBA fan, you don't need to read much further, the dance mechanic is brilliant and you should buy it for parties, and the odd quiet Tuesday night in.

Since we received ABBA You Can Dance from Ubisoft, wifey has either been enormously pregnant or in possession of a newborn, so it fell to me to try the game out. As a couple we're veterans of this sort of game, but veteran doesn't necessarily mean any good. Fortunately ABBA You can Dance is pretty forgiving to beginners.

It shares much in common with the excellent Grease Dance we reviewed recently, right down to the karaoke mode. We found Grease slightly more polished and enjoyed it's cartoony characters that we had to copy on screen. With ABBA, you get cleverly anonymous motion captured dancers.The girls on SOS have nice thighs, randomly passed through my head as I was attempting some wiggly arm move to represent SOS.

Games like this aren't brilliant to play on your own, especially on the Wii as you don't have the online functionality of the Xbox 360 BUT as soon as you get a bunch of mates round, you will definitely have a great time as that is the exact sort of situation this game is made for. And yes, I did look stupid playing it, as wifey helpfully pointed out to me incessantly.

ABBA You Can Dance is out now on a number of formats, including Wii 360 and PS3. The Wii version costs £17.99 from Amazon at the moment.