Magic Moments - Magic Measurements

This weeks Magic Moment is all about those Magic Numbers...Dress sizes! 

Back in 2008 I was 19, I worked hard and partied harder! I would roll in at 3 or 4am and go to work the next day, I was young and had no commitments. I was also a size 8-10 and thought nothing of going out dressed as a cheerleader in a cropped top....yes a cheerleader! I was skinny with bleach blonde hair and spent all my money on clothes and nights out.

Then I got together Joe and my whole outlook on life changed. I realised that I didn't have to try so hard to impress people and that I would rather be sat at home with a cuppa and surrounded by love than out with a Mojito in each hand trying my hardest to be what I thought people wanted me to be. 

Size 10 had been with Joe 6months

Now I am a size 12-14 give or take (size 16 in Primark...Humph) and I was told by my mum last week that its not what size your clothes are but how you feel in them that matters. Best bit of advice I have ever had I think. I have a gorgeous little boy, I have a lovely Fiance and a wonderful family...I may not be a skinny minnie but I am happy and thats all that matters!

Me Pregnant with Ted jumped up to 12 stone!

I'm not saying I wouldn't like to be a size 10 again of course not, who wouldn't, but I now realise that if I lose a few pounds then its for me and not anyone else. My family love me for who I am not what sized waist I have :)

This is me now...Size Happy!

 

My Magic Moment with The Olivers Madhouse!

Tommee Tippee Weaning Products

As you all know Ted has been enjoying his first month of being weaned and it has been a great adventure.

We were helped on this adventure by the wonderful people at Tommee Tippee. We have always used their Closer to Nature bottle range along side the microwave steriliser and bottle warmer and they have been brilliant. 


So, I was delighted when we were asked to review some more Tommee Tippee products including spoons, teethers, drinks bottle, sippy cup and food storage tubs.

Ted surprisingly started to try and hold his own bottle from about 3weeks which was quite funny as they were almost as big as his head at this stage! When it comes to bottle time we are constantly fighting a losing battle to stop him pushing our hands away but at 5months he still isn't able to fully feed himself his milk without sucking on air, plus we love the special bonding time we get when we snuggle up for a bottle.

I love the Tommee Tippee Water Bottle we received with a hole in the middle for little hands to learn to grip with. It allowed us to let Ted feed himself water without our help and helped him to develop his motor skills. Unfortunately I can't find it on their website so they may have sold out but they do have a brilliant range of training cups and beakers to choose from, in a great choice of colours and designs to suit your child. Ted also has a blue sippy cup which we can't wait to try next! 

The Food Storage Pots are really sweet and small for those early meals. I made up some apple and banana puree's and popped them in the freezer ready to defrost when needed. It is so handy to have the food on stand by whenever you need them. These pots come in blue, pink and orange. They are dishwasher, microwave, steriliser and freezer safe and the lids fit snugly, so no spills!


Ted has been teething for the past 2months, his gums had been giving him pain for a few weeks and finally one day out popped two tiny little sharp teeth! All this teething was soothed with a little teething gel, lots of rubbing from Mummy and Daddy and a Tommee Tippee Trio Teether. 

This teether is brightly coloured and has three different surfaces for him to choose from. There is a soft squidgy one for chewing down on, a cooled one with gel in that once popped in the fridge will sooth those sore gums and a slightly harder one for helping to push those toothy pegs from through the gums. Although a little hard for small babies to hold on to this is really good for all ages and is nice enough to be used as a toy as well as a teether. Ted swung his around and it flew across the room a several of times!


We also have some Feeding Spoons and Stage 3 Teethers to try once Ted is a little bigger and I will be sure to let you know how we get on with them.

Ella's Kitchen Pouches

We have been reviewing Ella's Kitchen baby food pouches and they have gone down a storm!

Starting with Pears, Pears, Pears which actually include Pears believe it or not and nothing else! Ted loves his fruit and with these small handy pouches containing nothing but good pure fruity goodness I felt so comfortable giving him them as some of his first meals.

As his tastes developed we started to introduce some more flavours like the lovely Banana's, Blueberries and Baby Rice which was a totally different experience for us and Ted being bright purple from all the natural blueberry juices.  This new flavour left Ted with a big smile on his face and grabbing for more each time he ran out!

Next we decided it was time to move on to something savoury and with Red Peppers, Sweet Potato and Apples we felt it had the sweetness Ted was used to but with a little bit of veg for him to give a go and again it was met with happy mmm noises and my hands being grabbed for more and more! 





I love the Ella's Kitchen branding with their bright colours, quirky packaging and delicious 100% organic foods. The cutesy childlike wording on the packaging instantly caught my attention. Created by Ella's Dad for our children to enjoy just the way he wanted his little girl to enjoy them this brand has an honest lovely story behind it and you can tell the company really believe in their products.

Ella's Kitchen....It tastes better than Daddy's Fingers!

I have always said that where possible I will make my own food for my babies but these pouches allowed me to try out new things before I made a home made bulk batch to freeze for later. In the early stages Ted was having half a pouch in a sitting so we were able to pop the pouch into the fridge for 24hours and he had the rest the next day. 

I am really looking forward to trying the next stage of baby food and am just a little sad that Ted doesn't enjoy Mummy's home made food as much as he does these!


P.s...
This little cutie was on their website, go and take a look what other products are over there! 

www.ellaskitchen.co.uk

I thought I would share this with other parents and link up with PoCoLo!

Enjoying Mummy Time

I haven't written a post in quite a while and to be honest I have been having so much fun with my little family that I haven't found much time to blog but don't worry I have plenty coming up! We have been enjoying the sunshine, going for walks, gardening and going to the farm! I will be posting a great couple of reviews this week so pop back and have a good read. In the meantime heres some sunny pictures!

30 Ways to Save Money

 Here are my 30 Ways to Save Money as challenged by Money Supermarket! 

1. Turn newspapers or wrapping paper into jewellery. These Marvel bracelets are made from paper rolled into beads.

Marvel Paper Beads

2. Cut large baby muslin squares in half and save on having to buy more.

3. Use old clothes as dusters for housework, old socks are great just pop it on your hand and dust away!

4. Use old jars and tins for storage in the garage. Formula milk tins make great storage for all those screws and hooks.

5. You can also turn a formula milk tin into a lovely money jar, just paint it and pop a whole in the lid big enough for money to fit in.

6. Make your own cards for birthdays, they cost a fortune in the shop and with a bit of glue, paint and glitter and perhaps a couple of hands and feet you can make a wonderful card for next to nothing.

7. Ran out of washing up liquid? Unscrew the lid and pour in some water. Put that in with the washing up and you should have enough soap for another load.

8. Mix a bright coloured paint tester pot with some old white paint from the garage to get a nice pastel shade and you wont have to pay a fortune for a whole tin of new paint!

9. Don't throw away over ripe fruit cook it up and make a crumble!

10. Check the clearance sections in supermarkets. Theres often some great bargains.

11. If you buy food that goes out of date on the same day it is usually reduced so buy meat and freeze it. But be careful to eat it on the same day of defrosting and remember food safety.

12. Keep things like lollypop sticks for the kids to use for crafts. Lollypop sticks cost a fortune in craft stores when they can be used for free at home!

13. Set up your own photo studio for the day. Get out your camera and some nice props and take some pictures of the kids. Prints cost pennies online or at photo stores and you dont need to spend hundreds to photography studios. Natural pictures are so much nicer!

Ted's photo shoot

14. Make sock puppets from old socks, it keeps the children entertained and is a great use for all those odd socks the washing machine leaves behind!

15. Personalise plain babygrows with fabric paint for gifts. 

Mothers Day Babygrow

16. Sell things you don't use. I recently sold a really old broken laptop that was under the bed for £30! Remember one mans junk is another mans treasure!

17. Always check out charity shops, there is nothing wrong with them and you can often find a great bargain and save a lot of pennies!

18. Make fancy dress costumes out of things you have around the house.

Ted's Ewok costume

19. Buy frozen veg, it lasts longer and the freezing process traps all the nutrients. You wont have to throw out unused wilted spinach again!

20. Swap toys with friends, if your friends children have toys they dont like then yours may love them and vice versa. Free Toys!

21. Ask friends and family to let you know if they are getting rid of furniture when you move house, you would be surprised what people have cluttering their house and we have saved hundreds of pounds by being given things for our new home.

22. Always use your leftovers where possible, if its for the next days dinner or lunch or frozen to use another day.

23. Check out free sites like Freecycle or Freegle for items people are giving away. Yesterday I gave someone a clothes airer that we didn't use anymore because hers had broken, she would have had to spend about £10 buying a new one!

24. Make your own party decorations! My friend is making her own flower displays for her wedding and saving hundreds of pounds!

25.Make tshirts for gigs instead of buying expensive ones at the venue, nobody else will have the same!

Big Gig Tshirt

26. Turn babygrows into cute leg warmers for your little one, just cut off the legs when they get too small and hey presto instant leg warmers for the winter!

27. Look out for baby events in supermarkets. They often hold week long sales with reductions on hundreds of baby items across the store.

28. Wash out old jars and once sterilised use them to store home made jams and chutneys.

29. When going out for the day take a picnic, it saves so much money that would often be spent in overpriced cafe's and restaurants.

30. Make your foundation go further by mixing it with a little moisturiser before applying to your skin.

This was my entry to the Money Supermarket 30 Ways to Save £1 competition. Enter your money saving tips here for your chance to win £1000!

Old Things I Love...

Old Photographs with family and friends like this one of me with my Uncle when I was 5 or 6.

Old bears, the bear Ted is holding is from a vintage shop near us and has a cute little smile on his face which the owner said hasn't stopped smiling since he entered the shop! Now he is my boys to love until he is grown up.

Old treasures like this case I found in my loft. It must be left from a previous tenant but its very retro and made me smile.

Old buttons, my sister collects them and has lots taken off unworn clothes and found here and there. I especially like the big one made from a coconut!

Old style, Ted looks super cute in his tweed trousers, braces and flatcap. I cant wait to get him some more vintage inspired clothes. Bow tie next!

Old nursery rhymes, wind the bobbin up is one of my favourites and I was excited to find it in a grandparents book I got for my mum from my all time favourite shop A Most Marvellous Place To Shop. In the heart of Northampton on a roundabout tucked away behind the war memorial is 8000 square feet of wonderfullness! Full of Vintage, Retro, Antiques, Art and Handmade Gifts and even containing a Gallery, Cafe and Hair Salon, this really is a Marvellous Place!

If you are ever in Northampton you must take a look. They also have a smaller store in the Bell Plantation in Towcester just outside Northampton. It really is a magical shop and with lots of fairs and events regularly, creative craft workshops and good food its a perfect way to spend a few hours or even the whole day! Which leads me to my next old thing...

Old crockery, these egg cups were used in the Nanna's Kitchen cafe at Most Marvellous along with a whole host of retro and vintage memorabilia. This is the only place I know that serves get dippy eggs and soldiers on the menu and they even offer Marmite on the toast! We once had hot chocolates served in Buzz Lightyear and shark shaped mugs. I'm sure I have a picture somewhere....

Found it!

Old heirlooms, this Clangers baby growbag was given to us by Ted's Grandma Wendy and is so lovely. It will be given back when he has grown out of it and passed to the next grandchild!

Lastly is a treasured possession of my brothers who is now 18. These little shoes were given to him when he was born by our uncle who sadly passed away not long after giving them to him. They are a wonderful treasure for us and something the whole family loves.

 

Old things hold within them great memories and the stories they tell make up our history. I often wonder what Ted will find in years to come  and what memories they will spark. I long for the day when he can ask us about our lives and look forward to telling him about his ancestors and their footprints in the sands of time.

Magic Moments - Learning New Things!

Over the past two weeks we have had lots of firsts. At only 18weeks Ted has already started sitting up, rolling and started on solids which he was more than ready for! 

Watching his little face when he rolled over for the first time was brilliant, he was so proud of himself. 

Not only is he sitting up but he is now trying to shuffle on his bottom, still a little unsteady so often shuffles himself head first and faceplants the floor, but he is a tough cookie and haven't had any tears...yet! He also has taken to using his feet for holding things, may have to be careful visiting Whipsnade...they may decide to keep him!

We decided to wean him at 16 weeks when he became obsessed with watching us eat and tried to grab food out of our hands. We started with some baby rice which he hates and I cant blame him! He loves any fruit and yesterday had a baby spag bol which he demolished! 

I'm so proud of how well he is doing and last night he slept from 7pm-8am only waking for a feed at 6am before going back to sleep til 8. A full tummy did the trick. I can't wait to see what he learns next! 

Sharing the mummy love with The Olivers Madhouse and #magicmoments!