GIVEAWAY: ALPHABETTY DESIGNS

Hello! I have another fab giveaway for you, lucky readers.

I first came across Alphabetty Designs at Lollibop a few months ago. As we were just leaving due to Lil's grumpiness, I didn't get a chance to buy but I did have a good look. Oh man, the tees are so cute as are the kiddie bags. Great for PE kits or to take their swimming bits in. The tees are made from 100% organic cotton and the felt is eco-fi (made from recycled plastic bottles). Eco fashion for the babes!

Look at all the great designs...





Fun right?! All you need to do is choose your design, size and colour (white or natural) and enter below. Good luck!




No glasses, little sisters and food.

Oh man, what a week. I've had so many emails to reply to and lots of writing to do but I'm waiting on my glasses to arrive (Lil broke the last pair, natch), without these I get a headache after ten minutes of looking at the computer (and most recently, my phone - I swear this kid has ruined me). So I've been avoiding all things to do with a computer which isn't normally how I operate and to be honest, I feel guilty. That and the constant need to keep Lil entertained with some mini projects (more on that later) has been tiring. I've been going to bed before 10pm every night and falling straight to sleep, that hasn't happened since I was pregnant. Oh.

I'm not pregnant.

Yesterday we watched one of my little sisters (I say little, she's taller than me) fly a plane and today we take another of my little sisters to university for the first time (sob). These kids grow up too fast, I'm telling you. My other sister is going to be twenty in a few weeks. God I feel old.





Before I skulk off to Bedfordshire with little sister no.2, here are a few things we'll be eating this week (still no luck on the eating front from Lil)...

American Blueberry Pancakes (I've made these before - they're amazing but if you're making for you and a little one, halve the recipe as they make a lot)
Banana Pancakes (recipe from an AMAZING food blog I've just discovered - I'm going to cook and bake my way through them all)
Baked Goats Cheese Salad with Lemon-Tarragon Dressing 
Lil's favourite - my homemade lasagne. If she doesn't eat that, I quit.

P.S Two great blog posts I've read on toddler eating this week from Sarah and Ashley - I'm definitely taking notes.

P.P.S I've started using a grocery list for food planning. Thanks for the tip Lia! Get yours here.


Skin.

Remember my post about my teenage skin? Well after lots of advice from a bunch of you plus many hours of reading this blog, I decided on some new products for my problem skin. I'm totally jinxing my 'ok skin' by writing this but I thought it doesn't matter much as once a month, without fail, my skin goes from ok to not ok at all. The joys of being a woman.

Anyway, I wanted to share these wonderful products with you.





It took me a while to track this one down. Nowhere had it in stock (not London, Nottingham or Newcastle - my husband travels a lot) until Bluewater finally had a delivery. After two weeks of using it, I'd hardly noticed a difference. But after one month, boy could I see the change. My skin was clearer with fewer breakouts and I looked 'fresh'. Totally worth the price and it really does last you a long time. I still have a third of a bottle left.




This one was easier to find. It smells a bit like a granny face tonic but I think that was part of the appeal. It's cooling on my sensitive skin and doesn't leave a sting. Again, I was impressed. I bought my second bottle today so I'd say it lasts 4-6 weeks.

After using these two products together for six weeks, I've noticed a significant change in my annoying, sensitive teenage skin. If you suffer from the same then I really do recommend you give these a try.

I'm now on the look out for the perfect day moisturiser with spf, if you know of any...

This is not a sponsored post.




GIVEAWAY: Slugs and Snails.




We have a great giveaway from Slugs & Snails this week.


 Aren't the designs for A/W tights great?!


Want to win a pair? Enter below.

Good luck!

P.S - Did you read about the super funny mama behind the brand?


a Rafflecopter giveaway



A New Season.

My favourite season. Mulled wine (I start drinking it as soon as it hits the shelves in M&S), woolly hats, conker picking (is there even any point to it other than making great memories?), beautiful colours on the trees.... I could go on.




We have lots planned for the next few months and I'm very excited. Lil turns 18 months in October and because her birthday was a massive write off, we'll be celebrating this mini milestone.

I'm hoping her eating will improve, we still haven't made much in the way of progress but I live in hope.

On that note, here are a few things we'll be eating this week...

One-Pot Mushroom and Potato Curry
Black Bean Salsa with Tortillas
Sausage and Mustard Mash
Chorizo and Butterbean Stew
Things on Toast

Do you have any autumn favourites (food or otherwise?) I'm still compiling my list...


MAMA SPONSOR: SLUGS AND SNAILS


This very funny mother is one you may well have heard of. Or at least, heard of her business. Tights for boys. Such a simple concept but one nobody had bothered to put in to production until Kathleen invented Slugs & Snails. And they don't discriminate. Lil owns a pair and I shall be buying her more. Go check out the very playful, colourful designs.

NAME Kathleen Redmond

OCCUPATION Owner of Slugs & Snails and Noah, 3 and 3/4 years.

WHAT DID YOUR LIFE CONSIST OF BEFORE YOU BECAME A MAMA? 

I worked in the legal industry and talked a lot about finishing my qualifications and sitting the bar exams but then got distracted by a tickin’ clock in my uterus.

HOW HAS BECOMING A MOTHER MADE YOU A BETTER PERSON? 

I am far less self-absorbed and I never spend money on myself anymore. I appreciate the emotions and sacrifices my own parents experienced and made to give me all the opportunities I had. I make the most of time, this time, every second of it, has the potential to form my son’s memories of his childhood and so it has to be valued and absorbed, even if we are only sitting eating snacks and calling each other fart head. 

ASIDE FROM CONCEALER, WHAT CANT YOU LIVE WITHOUT NOW YOU HAVE A CHILD?

A trowel to pile it on with. That and eggs, flower, butter and sugar because if all else fails we make cakes – no lie!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A FIRST TIME MUM? 

Don’t listen to advice, as parents we act like Frat Girls over newbie mums, especially if they are still preggers because we know what they have to go through to get that baby out, they know we know and they know we know that baby weight is not going to do a posh spice and vanish before they leave the hospital. I found other mothers with older children intimidating when Noah was a baby because I always felt that they knew what they were doing and I had just landed on planet insanity and I had no map to get around. Just keep doing what you are doing (as long as you are not microwaving your baby and breast feeding your dinner) it all just works out in the end.

HOW HAS YOUR WARDROBE CHANGED SINCE HAVING A BABY?

Haha, seriously, my wardrobe is now a shrine to designer suits that have a layer of dust thicker than a guest on Jeremy Kyle. My clothes are nothing but a barrier to protect unsuspecting visitors from my nakedness and saggy bits. I do have a lovely pair of Jimmy Choos somewhere but they would look a tad wrong with a dressing gown given that I am not a drag queen.

CAKE OR BISCUITS? 

Cake for sure!

WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES YOU? 

Ooooh a tough one, I should say my mum, dad, yadda, yadda, that’s a given. Really I would also say I am inspired by my desire to not be a 9 to 5er. I left the rat race of city life and tube trains and somehow ended up in a field in the West of Ireland and as much as it’s sometimes isolating it is immensely liberating to not be controlled by a boss or be begging for a day off to take my kid to the vets, I mean doctors. So in a sense my desire to be Noah’s mummy inspires me.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SECRETS OR TIPS TO MAKING MOTHERHOOD THAT BIT EASIER?

Enjoy it! Seriously, as Noah has grown I have suddenly realised that it seems no time since my mum was my age, doing these little mummy things with my brother and I and now here we are thirty years later and she is a bystander (sometimes an opinionated one). I am sure she would love to slow that clock down and go back to 1984 and savour her time as the centre of our world for a little longer.
Don’t compare yourself to other parents, they are lying if they say their kid does things that make you feel inadequate. Buy an iPhone, download Netflix and one morning a week let your kid snuggle in bed with you and choose something to watch, you get a lie-in they get a bit of square eye time, just don’t tell those perfect parents that, pretend your kid just sleeps in due to all the stories you read before bed and the lullaby you composed and sang before they rested their angel faced head on their pillow of rare goose feathers.

You can follow Slugs & Snails on Twitter and Facebook.

Laundry.

Like Abigail, laundry is one of my favorite things to do. I love the therapeutic sound of the washing machine and the smell of clean, wet clothes. And being able to hang the laundry out is such a treat.

I never really thought about washing powder until just recently when Ecover sent some of their new Ecover Zero products for review. I've always used non-bio powder and sensitive fabric conditioner as I have sensitive skin and am worried that Lil will develop eczema as I did as a small child. Her washing is done separately to mine although I use the same products. She's never had any problems with them.



One thing I noticed about the new Ecover Zero products is that they are fragrance free. My first thought was that the washing would smell... odd. But in actual fact, it smelt clean. Very pleasant. Made from 30% water and approved by Allergy UK, I was impressed.

I've always used anti-bacterial washing up liquid because I'm a bit lot of an anti-bac freak. But then I read this...

There are two kinds of dirt, the good and the bad. The good (but ugly) dirt is something like the grass stains on your kids’ clothes or the muddy footprints on your floor. The bad (and equally ugly) dirt could be food leftovers on dirty plates or stains left in toilets. If this bad dirt is left this way, bacteria will start to grow. But you really don’t need harmful chemicals (such as ammonia and bleach) or antibacterial products to remove this type of dirt!

So now I know I don't need to use anti-bac products, I've switched to Ecover washing up liquid. And after realising my laundry is a lot softer using these products as well as being better for the planet (something which Lil will learn about over the next few years), I've switched my laundry products too.

The great thing about Ecover (aside from everything above) is that you can find your local supplier for refills on their website, meaning you don't have to pay for delivery or worry about pollution from getting the items delivered. It's cheaper to buy refills too, I've worked out we can save a lot of money if we buy big.

Mama's: give them a try. You can buy them here.

These products were sent for review, all opinions are my own and honest. A huge thank you to Ecover for sending us these great products and now we've switched to Ecover, saving us money!



From London Gatwick to Ibiza.























MAMA SPONSOR: A.MH.WORTH


Hands up who is a huge fan of kidswear brand A.MH.Worth? Mama Jen who is behind the label is a kidswear genius. Being a baby doesn't mean you can't have style or wear grey. Let's face it, how many babies and toddlers do you see dressed in baby blue or sickly pink these days or covered in teddy bears? 

Jen started the brand in 2010 and two years on it's a global success. I can see why. 

Here she talks about being a Mother...

HOW HAS BECOMING A MOTHER MADE YOU A BETTER PERSON?

You realise you have skills you never knew you had. Plus you're a much
quicker learner than you thought you were.

ASIDE FROM CONCEALER WHAT CAN'T YOU LIVE WITHOUT NOW YOU HAVE A CHILD?

iPhone. I have 3,500 images of every face she's pulled.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A FIRST TIME MUM?

Ultimately the only real goal is to bring up a child who is happy, compassionate and knows how to be loved - everything else it transitory. And don't watch 'One Born Every Minute' It's a horror movie.

HOW HAS YOUR WARDROBE CHANGED SINCE HAVING A CHILD?

I spent the first two years dressing like I thought a mum should dress. I got over that.

CAKE OR BISCUITS?

We make a lot of cakes, so cakes, specifically carrot cakes - we haven't mastered biscuits yet.

WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES YOU?

I am inspired by every parent who has realised you don't have to go to some place that cost £16 per person to get in to and has 8 vending machines per square metre to entertain your child. And mum.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SECRETS OF TIPS TO MAKING MOTHERHOOD THAT BIT EASIER?

Just go with it - no one really knows what they're doing. Being a mum is so emotive so it's important to just do what feels right for you and your baby otherwise you'll get yourself in all sorts of problems emotionally.

A.MH.WORTH are on Twitter and Facebook.

Ta ta.

I'm going on holiday tomorrow so I thought I'd say 'see ya'. I shall have zero internet access so no tweeting or blogging, just lots of sunshine, a beautiful beach and my best girl. If you see a tweet or post, it isn't me.... it's scheduled, so if you leave a comment and don't get a reply then you know why (although I've been really slack with replies lately - I'm working on it).





Have a great week and no doubt I'll be back with a tan, a shit load of beads (going to Ibiza innit) and lots of photos you won't want to see. Along with lots of exciting posts about Autumn (are you bored yet?), things that have made our life easier just lately (some great new products) and (I hope, eventually) a post about feeling better (I gave in and got the pills).

I hope this is the beginning of a positive, happy season full of friends, laughter and wonderful memories.

See you soon xoxo

Sponsor Love: September

September already, but.... FINALLY. I've been waiting for this month ever since we hit April, I'm definitely an Autumn baby.

Time to introduce you to our amazing new sponsors for this month...

I have a Twitter friend, Pippa, to thank for introducing me to Livie and Luca. I struggled to find Lil cute shoes so she directed me to this fabulous kids shoe brand. I wasn't disappointed, oh my! Unfortunately, Lil spent the 'summer' not really wanting to wear shoes so I just bought her a pair of crocs and a pair of jellies and let her do her thing. But now Autumn is here.... I'm so excited to get her in to proper shoes and boots. Check them out on Facebook and Twitter to get sneak peaks of their fab new collection.

A.MH.Worth is for kids only and I WISH they did my size too (although I'm wondering if I can get in to age 8....maybe not). A great street-wear label by a woman and mother who does kid's style very well. I can't wait to kit Lil out in some great pieces. A.MH.Worth are on Twitter and Facebook.

I came across Alphabetty Designs at Lollibop a few weekends ago and instantly fell in love with their simple designs. All their tee's are made from organic cotton and the felt is eco-fi (made from recycled plastic bottles) so good for the planet. A great excuse to buy. Follow Betty on Twitter. 

Slugs & Snails is a genius brand. Tights for boys in great prints and who said tights are only for girls? (I must admit, Lil owns the skull print ones - they're just too good not to...) With Winter fast approaching, these are great to wear with wellies, under dungarees when it's freezing outside and with cool t-shirts (see above). Follow Slugs & Snails on Twitter and Facebook.

LoveBryony is a blog written by Bryony who is a Mama to Francesca with another baby girl on the way due in December. Bryony writes about pregnancy, being a Mother to a gorgeous toddler with reviews and tips along the way. Happy reading! LoveBryony is on Twitter and Facebook.

Dizzy loves Icy join us for another month and I'm so pleased. Lia writes about her life as a Mama, shares AMAZING recipes and a whole ton of inspiration (especially on a Friday). Go follow her on Twitter.

Mama Cymraeg lives in the middle of nowhere with two gorgeous boys. Her online diary documents the highs and lows of motherhood with some lovely pictures. Be sure to check out her life list, some inspiration maybe? (Better get started) You can follow her over on Twitter.

We have Fritha from Tigerlilly Quinn joining us for another month too. Posts on fashion, recipes and pictures of gorgeous Wilf are regulars as well as their family adventures. Fritha is on Twitter.

And last but by no means least, we have Kim and Baz. The Small Things is all about creative living, self sufficiency and motherhood. Read about the beauty that is Alessi and Kim's quest to sew. She's also making me laugh on Twitter.

Happy shopping / reading!

Have a great month xxx