Double chocolate brownie by @utterlyscrummy

When I offered to test some double chocolate brownies for a fellow twitterer, I thought that I was just helping out another Mum to perfect her baking technique.  Little did I know, that the very next day would bring with it a taste adventure the likes of which I could not have even dreamed.  I didn’t check my doormat immediately after the dog had raised ten bells of hell for the arrival of the postman, but when I did, I collected a small package that looked like an amazon book.  Scratching my head, I opened the cardboard packaging and quite literally giggled with delight at the beautiful yellow tissue paper gift, tied lovingly with blue ribbon.  So spring-like, girly and it really couldn’t have looked more perfect. 

I gently tugged open the sky-coloured tie, and tenderly unfolded the lemon paper shroud and my senses were filled with the scent of chocolate, awakening my taste buds’ desire.  The visual and olfactory joy was compounded with the awakening of the gustatory as I broke a small corner off the pristine brownie that lay before me.  The firm yet crumbly flesh sent my senses into rapture and it was all I could do not to devour every last crumb of the delectable sweet in one fell swoop.  With great restraint, and a testament to my loving and generous nature, I allowed my adorable son to give me, as well as he could, his opinion too. In the blink of an eye it had vanished, not a crumb reaching the floor, and the dog looked on with sadness and regret in his big brown eyes.

What more perfect gift could you imagine for a person who is sick/getting older/celebrating something or just in need of a cheering present?  I give @utterlyscrummy the highest award possible for her baking – I really have never been so enamoured by a cake-biscuit before in all of my several decades on this planet.

Cleebo

Product:  Cleebo "Cleebo is the best way to clear nasal congestion in children, in a safe, hygienic and easy-to-use product." Confirmed by 80% of the 23 independent medical professionals surveyed.

Price:  £5.99

Available from: amazon, thebabycatalogue.com, http://www.opus-innovations.com/p/purchase.shtml

Suitable from:  Birth

Score out of 5: 2

Initial Reaction: What a fantastic idea.  They arrived in the middle of a rather crusty cold so I was able to get to work straight away.

 

Pros:  They are a great design, brightly coloured and sturdy, they contain 10 removable / interchangeable colourful silicone tweezer ends on ABS plastic tweezers. The ends cannot be inserted too far into the nose and can either be disposed of or sterilised.  The case keeps all the parts together neatly.

Cons:  I found them incredibly difficult to use.  A combination of my lack of dexterity and my wriggling and very ticklish toddler, I only achieved one successful excavation before he realised what I was up to and made sure that the tweezers never went near his nose again.  He preferred to play with them.

 

Value for money? If I had been able to get to grips with them, I'd have said yes.  As it stands, sadly, no.

Overall Reaction: I believe that these are easier to use with a small baby who is not prone to excessive movement.  They did not work for me, but I will be passing them onto my bed-ridden Grandmothers carers, to see if they can be of some use to her.

Review first seen at The Parent Panel

I was sent a product sample free of charge but the opinions are entirely my own.

What are you reading? May issue!!

I started the book Discovery at Rosehill with some trepidation, having bought it from a twitter friend Kathryn Brown.  It is her first book and I was a little nervous, just in case it wasn't brilliant, because I'm not a very good liar.  I have never really read a paranormal book before, because I am easily spooked, and I don't really read romance novels either but I am over halfway through this book and am enjoying it tremendously.  The characters are believable, the spirits are a little scary but the storyline sucks you in from the first few pages and I have been forcing myself to put it down at night just so I can get some sleep.

More information about the book is here: http://crystaljigsaw.blogspot.com/p/discovery-at-rosehill-blurb.html

Mega Bloks

Product: Mega Bloks Classic Bag 70pc

Price: £14.99

Available from: Amazon, Argos, Smyths, John Lewis, Tesco amongst others

Suitable from:.1

Score out of 5: 5

Initial Reaction: A massive bag of creative opportunity for me and my 1 year old.

Pros: Bright, durable and fun, these blocks are fun for both of us to play with. I build castles, he knocks them down – it’s the perfect partnership! He loves to hold them and carry them and quickly picked up on the fact that they stack together. He has already started requesting that I fetch them for him to play with.

Cons: I cannot see on single downside of these blocks other I have had to also purchase a mega bloks table and some additional blocks so that i can build an even bigger castle!  The collection could just get infinitely bigger.

Value for money? My first reaction would be that they are a little bit on the pricey side but you do get lots of them, they are not flimsy and would probably last for decades and beyond. So considering this, along with the probable price per play, they are excellent value for money. You can also pick them up on ebay second hand.

Overall Reaction: Cannot fault this product, quality, fun and will last a very long time. Endless possibilities for imaginitive play.

Book Review: The Midwife’s Confession by Diane Chamberlain

The Midwife’s Confession

Diane Chamberlain

As one third of a closely-knit friendship group, Noelle’s suicide came as a bolt from the blue.  As her friends Tara and Emerson struggled to understand why she had chosen to leave them, they uncovered a letter that was to open a Pandora’s box of discoveries about Noelle that would change their lives forever.

Described to me as a book suited to fans of Jodie Picoult, I opened this book with apprehensions, because it had a lot to live up to.  By the end of the first chapter, my heart had been stolen, and from then on, this book was impossible to put down.  With more ooh’s and ahh’s than you can shake a fire-jugglers stick at, and more twists and turns than spaghetti junction, it will keep you hooked till the very last word, and still leave you wanting more.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a gripping story full of human interest and who is ready for a few sleepless nights while you’re enjoying it.

Teething Bling

As a mother of a one year old and the owner now of several broken necklaces, I had resigned myself to being jewellery-free, for the foreseeable future, at least.  Teething Bling is a wonderful creation for jewellery lovers such as myself.  It is made of a non-toxic teething material, has a breakaway clasp is CE certified and rigorously tested, so you can be sure that the jewellery will be safe for use around those little curious hands.   

The bracelet and necklace arrived beautifully presented in a lovely organza bag, and as I opened my wonderful gift I was amazed to find that although it looks like it is made of stone, it is actually a firm rubber.  I received the brown snowflake and pearl gift set, http://www.smartmumuk.com/index.php?id=1&product=54 a perfect combination of colours that go with just about everything, but there are a wide range of colours on the website.  My son instantly took to the bracelet, wanting to chew it and then wear it on his wrist like Mummy does.  I go for lots of walks with him in a backpack and the necklace is perfect and he can play with it while I'm wearing it.  He loves to stick his little finger through the hole and tries to wear it himself, though he's not quite got the putting it over his neck bit yet (see picture!).

I can’t praise this jewellery highly enough. It has enabled me to wear a necklace again and at the same time I always have something round my neck and on my arm that I can give to my son to play with.  It would make a perfect gift for a new Mum, or even for a birthday present for a Mum with a teething tot.  It’s not too expensive either, so if no-one’s thought to buy you one, you could treat yourself. 

http://www.smartmumuk.com/ 

http://www.twitter.com/Teethingblinguk

I received the jewellery free of charge from Smart Mum UK, so that I could write this post.  

Handy stuff for new mums: bras & baby carriers

More handy stuff for new mums - baby carriers & nursing bra

I've just reviewed a fantastic nursing bra, follow this link: http://www.more4mums.co.uk/blog/archives/1091

This is a lovely site with excellent customer service too, if you have any questions, they will help you out.

Baby carriers:

Only ten months on and I’ve already got through five of them! Luckily, I only paid full price for one or I’d have been quite miffed. I’m showing the links to Amazon so that you can see the product, not so that you can buy through Amazon – ALWAYS shop around and use http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ to guide you to the best deals and cashback sites.

I started with the Tomy Freestyle fleece (I’m not even sure this is available any more) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomy-Freestyle-Fleece-2-Position-Carrier/dp/B00020IPD2
This carrier was fantastic for a newborn, and as the mother of a very clingy baby it was a life saver – I could walk the dog and vacuum the house whilst wearing it and often he would fall right asleep. However, at about three months his little legs got so long they were banging against mine and as his weight increased the straps cut into my shoulders. I couldn’t wear him any higher because the straps would have cut into my tender bosoms.

At the same time I tried and failed to get to grips with on of those sling carriers with loops. Though other mums I have spoken to have found them brilliant, I always seemed to get the metal bits digging into baby. Maybe I was doing something wrong, but I always seemed to tie myself into a pickle with it.

I was then given the Tomy freestyle Premier to review: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomy-Limited-Freestyle-Premier-Carrier/dp/B001F7AGLA/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1289425526&sr=8-19 after my shoulders had been getting sore from the previous carrier; this came along at exactly the right time. The weight distribution on this carrier was such that I could once again comfortably take baby and dog out on long walks, and only stared to feel his weight after about 45 minutes hard walking. However, there are some plastic clips about head-height for baby and he was banging his head on them so I wrapped them in a scarf so that he wouldn’t be sore. A bit of a minor nuisance there.

By six or so months it was time for a back carrier so I bought a Karrimoor one off eBay. This was Ok, but I felt it had been designed for someone with wider shoulders than me. The straps that held baby in place were quite thin too, so I was concerned that he may slip out. Baby sat quite high on my back so he had a good view of the world though, so I may re-use it again when he is bigger.

I finally bought a Tomy Snugli, which was much lighter and so comfy that baby has fallen asleep in it a few times. I can carry him for miles in this, though at ten months he is again feeling a bit heavy for it, the straps have started digging into my shoulders again.

So the search continues……