Mustela

I was recently kindly sent some Mustela products for using on Blake. 
The products are specially formulated for using from day one and are suitable for daily hygiene.

The Dermo cleansing soap free gel protects babies skin, respecting the delicate skin and scalp
leaving skin feeling smooth and hydrated. 
The cleansing gel smells fresh and I feel reassured knowing that it is suitable from birth and is a tear free formula. Blake love's his baths now and we usually use a different brand but I am impressed with this so far 
and we have had no issues and Blake smells lovely and clean after use. 


The Mustela Physiobebe is ideal for daily cleansing and is ideal for quick clean ups. 
This is a no rinse cleanser that is suitable for using on the face or nappy area, effectively cleaning and softening the skin. 


Mustela Sun lotion in factor 50 is ideal for when summer arrives. 
The sun lotion is enhanced with natural patented active ingredient that has been specifically designed to protect babies and children's delicate skin. 



I was also sent a few other items in smaller sample sizes I am looking forward to trying out the 
sample of Mustela vitamin barrier cream as Blake has been getting bad nappy rash recently. 

Vanish giveaway

Would you like to win a range of Vanish stain removal items to help you with your ever growing laundry pile?
Well I have three Vanish products for one lucky winner: 
1 x Vanish Powershot 
1 x Vanish Gold Powergel 
1 x Vanish Gold Oxi Action Powder. 

All you have to do is fill in the rafflecopter. 

Please note: 
The entry for liking, commenting and sharing the post on my facebook page is mandatory( I will be checking).







Washing When You have Children

When it comes to having children lets face it you are going to end up with tons more laundry to deal with. 
In fact since having Blake I have been having to put a load on every day. 

On average Blake goes through approx 2-3 tops a day, 1-2 pairs of trousers and
 1-2 sleepsuits. 
At one point when he was newborn it was even more ,and once weaning gets underway I am sure even more washing will need to be done. 

We have to keep up with the washing as otherwise it gets out of hand and we end up with too much to wash and dry at once.
Since we live in a flat its hard to get clothing dry quickly which is even more reason to try and keep on top of it. 

One thing that also comes with having babies and children is the amount of clothes stains you end up having to deal with. 


When it comes to stains I go to Vanish as they are a brand that I have used many times before and know that their products work well with removing tough stains. 

Now that we are starting to wean Blake I know we are going to have deal with a lot more stains on his clothing.
Weaning is going to be a fun but messy time so it's a great idea to use a good stain remover such as vanish.

We are lucky in our flat that we only have carpet in our bedrooms which means that we don't have
too many rooms to worry about the carpets. 

With living in a rented home we have more of a reason to make sure that the carpets we do have
are clean and stain free. 
I am glad that Vanish also have a carpet cleaning product in their range
for peace of mind when the time comes, that we need it. 

Blake 5 Months

So on Saturday Blake was 5 months old a lot has been going on since his last update. 
Which of course is all exciting and I love seeing Blake trying to learn to do new things. 


Clothing
I am moving Blake into 6- 9 month clothing this week as his 3-6 months clothing is getting too tight. 
His vests and trousers in particular wont fit over his cloth nappies anymore and his feet are right at the 
end of his sleepsuits. 

Teething
He is still teething but not been as bad as last month. 
He is still dribbling loads (mainly in the evening) and he loves
to have things in his mouth all the time. 
I have a teething essentials post coming up soon so keep your eyes
peeled on here if you are interested in reading that. 

Sleep
He has moved into the cot in his own room last week which you can read about here.
He is still sleeping very well, and getting the same amount of sleep at night as he did when he 
was in our room in the moses basket. 
The only difference is that he is struggling to sleep in the cot during the day for nap time. 
He has a habbit at the moment of falling asleep in my arms and then I put him in the cot
and he wakes 20 mins later. 
He use to have two naps during the day an hour each time when he was sleeping in the moses basket.
so that really needs to change. 



Feeding
He is still having 210ml of milk every 3 hours and we have now started weaning him over the weekend which went really well. 
We have started him on baby rice which he seems to have taken to rather quickly which is a good thing.
We are happy about this as we were sure that he is more than ready.

You can read our plans for weaning Blake here. 

Development/Milestones

- Blake loves playing with his hands and feet 
- He loves blowing bubbles but his new favorite thing to do is blow raspberries
- When he is sat in his bumbo seat he likes to try and reach for his toys
- He smiles spontaneously and smiles back at us when we smile at him 
- He is also trying to sit up he keeps pulling his head and legs up but can't quiet manage
it yet. 
- On Sunday he chose to roll over for the first time 



Other
- He is still in size 3 nappies when using disposables
- He loves being sung nursery ryhmes and he loves humpty dumpty, grand ol duke of york and
row, row, row your boat. 
He has the biggest grin when I sing them to him. 
-  He gets frustrated when in his bouncer for too long as he wants to sit up by himself. 
 - He loves seeing his friends when we go to mum and baby groups. 
- He has moved into his pushchair which he loves the only thing is that it faces away from me 
which I'm not too keen on.

Coloring Books for Grown Ups



As a busy Mum sometimes I just need relax and just take time to do things for me. 
When I do get an hour or so to myself when not doing house work or blogging I like to 
watch a good film or have a lovely bubble bath. 

I recently came across these coloring books for grown ups which I think is an excellent creative outlet.
I loved coloring when I was a child and these days I find myself doodling quiet often. 
So I  feel that are fab way for me to unwind at the end of the day while Blake is asleep. 

The books that I were sent are: 
The one and only coloring book for adults 
The one and only mandala coloring book 
The one and only coloring book for traveling adults. 


I love that each of the books have beautiful images that just need to be filled in and with coloring you get to 
get your creative juices flowing with coloring in the images in your way. 


I really love how each of the books have paper that is thick enough to use pencils, crayons, acrylics and some paints. 

I also like that they do a travel version as when your on holiday it's time for you to relax so you can sit back and relax and just free your mind with coloring in the evenings or even if your resting on the beach instead of reading a book. 


Do you think coloring books for grown ups are a good idea? 
Comment below. 

Our plans on weaning Blake

Tomorrow Blake will be 5 months old and Stuart and I after discussing and reading books and articles online
have decided to attempt to start weaning Blake. 

Nothing is set in stone yet as we don't want to force Blake so the plan at the moment is to try him on baby rice over the weekend. 

Our  plan at current is to start with the Cow and Gate 5 step weaning plan. 
Which is as follows: 
1. First spoonfuls 
This is about getting the hang of eating and swallowing from a spoon.
We will be starting him off with baby rice and then moving onto pureed vegetables mixed with formula. 

2. Introducing breakfast 
This will be establishing a regular breakfast routine with cereals

3. offering variety 
this will be adding new single fruit and vegetable tastes to Blake's diet

4. Meat, fish and alternatives 
This is basically as it says introducing meat and fish into Blake's diet 

5. establishing 3 meals a day
basically putting the last four steps together 3 times a day. 



Once we have got Blake happy with that plan we are hoping to change the tastes and textures
and introduce a bit of baby led weaning. 

So for example I would mash chicken, potato and gravy down for dinner but let him eat carrot or broccoli that I have softened with his hands. 

This of course just a plan at the moment as we don't know how Blake will take to it. 

We decided to do purees to begin with rather than baby led weaning as we are worried about choking 
but also since I have worked in a nursery feeding babies with purees that is what I am use to. 

I think that the way you wean your baby is totally up to you. 
I know that a few people aren't going to agree with the way we are doing things but we 
are doing what we feel comfortable with but also thinking of Blake in the long run. 

After all there are plenty of pros and cons surrounding the traditional purees route but their is also the same
said for baby led weaning. 


Are you going to be weaning soon? or have how did you wean your little one?
Did you do purees or baby led weaning. 

I'd love to know your thoughts comment below. 

OXO Tot: Bottle Brush

I started bottle feeding Blake full time from when he was 4 weeks old. 
I chose to use Tommee Tippee bottles as I have heard such good things with the brand.
However I did find with their bottle brush that came with the bottles wasn't the best. 

I am a huge fan of OXO and their good grips range of products and I had also previously had
a chance to review the OXO tot bottle drainer which you can read about here.
With finding the brand selling such excellent quality products when I was asked if I wanted to 
try out their bottle brush from the OXO tot range I was thrilled as I knew from experience with the brand that 
the item was going to be of high quality and would last awhile. 

Blake has 5 bottles a day at the moment sometimes more so his bottles have to be washed and sterilized often.
This is why a good bottle brush is essential. 

The OXO tot bottle brush with cleaner and stand has many fab benefits starting with 
that it has two types of bristles for gentle cleaning and for scrubbing. 
It also has a flexible neck that makes it easy to reach inside the bottles. 
It also has a silicone teat cleaner that is able to get into tight spaces and is ideal for bottle teats, sippy cups or breast pump parts and more. 
I have found this bottle brush so much better than the one that I got with Blake's bottles and feel that 
his bottle teats are much more cleaner due to it being able to get into the tight space of the teat unlike
the other bottle brush. 



I also love that it has a comfortable grip meaning that it is less likely that it will slip out of my hands like
the other bottle brush I had did so many times. 


I also love that it comes with a storage stand which looks fab on my kitchen worktop. 
This keeps my worktop dry and more tidier and has a pour spout that comes out for easy cleaning. 

I love OXO always makes life easier for me with their awesome range of products.
The Bottle Brush and stand come in three lovely colors Green, Orange and Pink and can be brought online
or in stores such as Lakeland. 

Also at £6.50 I think it's great for the price with it being high quality and such a fab item to have in your home when you have a baby around if you bottle feed. 





Win A Mam Cooler and Clip

When it comes to teething babies can really struggle. But luckily for us Mums and Dads 
there are a range of products on the market to help when the time comes. 

One lucky person has the chance to win a Mam Cooler and clip in Pink and Blue.
It's extra light in weight thanks to the extra special curved ring shape, which is easy to pick up and hold. 
It also has a special cooling part so that small babies can easily reach their molars. 





Transition: Moses Basket to Cot

For a little while now we have been thinking of moving Blake out of his moses basket and into his cot in his own room. 
I've not really liked the idea of moving him into his own room before 6 months.
 However needs must as he has outgrown the moses basket and the cot is too big to fit in our room. 

So a week before we tried him in the cot for the night we decided to make the transition easier by 
starting to put him in the cot to play in for 20 minutes at a time twice a day.

I then started putting him down for naps in the cot which has been a bit of a struggle as he takes awhile to settle and sometimes doesn't. So I have ended up having to rock him in my arms until he falls asleep and then put him down.  


Even though I have been struggling with getting him to nap in the cot during the day I decided that we would take
the plunge Friday night and see how it went.

After he had his milk and we had bathed him and I gave him a massage we put him down to sleep.
He played up for a little while so I sat next to the cot for a bit until he seemed to settle and he started to drop off. 

I was worried that he would wake during the night and I wouldn't be able to settle him. But knew if that was to happen that I would need to persevere and I could always have a nap during the day on Saturday if needed. 

I was surprised how well Blake slept, in fact he didn't cry at all during the night and I was the one who kept waking, so I could check on him and each time he was fast asleep.
He awoke at his usual time crying for feed and when I went in to see him he was his usual smiley self. 
He had however managed to turn himself around in the cot so I think that he is loving the extra space that the cot is giving him . 


The plan for the next week or so is to try and get him to nap more in the cot and to sleep in the cot every night. 
I am still going to continue to let him play in the cot for 20 minutes twice a day so that he gets used to the cot more. 


How did you find moving your little one from his/her moses basket to the cot? 
comment below I'd love to know if you have any more ideas on how to get him to sleep in it during the day.

May Bank Holiday Weekend Haul

I was meant to type up this post last week but have been so busy I have only just got round to it.  
I've not done a haul post in awhile and actually have no idea why I don't do them more often as I do love reading
other bloggers haul posts. 

On Saturday we went to Milton Keynes and did some shopping in quiet a few places. 
We first of all went to BandM, I love BandM and I think Milton Keynes has 3 BandM stores in total (correct me if I'm wrong). We went to one of the smaller stores in Bletchley though .

I love homeware items and am trying to make more special touches to our home over the recent weeks. 
So in BandM I got 6 items which I am excited to show you! 

First of all I got two faux plants they cost me £3.99 each and I now have one placed on our bedroom window sill
and the other is in our bathroom on our little metal stand we have in there. 

The little boat that I got for £2.99 is sat in our bathroom. 
Our bathroom was in need of a bit of color as it is all white and after decluttering the window sill
at the weekend there was an area where it needed something so the boat is now placed there and it fits in nicely. 




I got a mouse for my laptop which I have yet to try out.
I sometimes find it easier to use a USB optical mouse rather than the touchpad when using my laptop. 

I also chose this photo frame for Blake's nursery which says Mummy + Daddy = Me for £3.99.
I just need to choose 3 photos to fill it and then decide where abouts I am going to put it. 

Last of all from BandM is these 3 wicker baskets which were £7.99. 
I have wanted wicker baskets for ages, so I am very happy with getting these at such a fab price too. 
The bigger one is filled with nappy changing bits and one of the smaller ones has baby lotion, powder, oil.
The other of the small baskets hasn't got anything in it yet but I am sure that I'll find something to go in it soon.


I am loving pale blue at the moment so I brought a new bin for the bathroom from Tesco for £5. 
The bin we use to have in there was much smaller so at least we have one that is a bit bigger now and in such 
a lovely shade of blue too. 



My sister had given me one of her quilt covers which she brought and then decided she didn't want and it goes perfectly in our bedroom. So I decided to get a new cream fitted sheet in Primark to go with it.
 The duvet cover is a lovely pearly pink color so I thought cream would go with it well.

I got some shorts for Blake ready for the summer in 6-9 months. 
Although he is only coming up for 5 months old he is starting to outgrow his 3-6 months clothing.
I got these shorts for £3 in Asda.

We are planning on starting to wean Blake at the weekend so I started off by buying him some spoons
in Tesco which were on offer for just under £2. 
We did go out and buy him some more bits this weekend just gone but I'll show you
in a separate post about weaning. 


I've really got into buying clothing for Blake from Peacocks as they have lovely bits and the prices
are fab too.
 I got him some more tops in there and we need no more of in 6-9 months as we have kitted him out now
and he has loads. 
The red one  with cars was in the sale and was £2, the grey one that says "cute runs in the family" 
was also in the sale at £3.  
The orange top wasn't in the sale but I thought it was cute it says
 "Awesome just like my Dad" and was £2.50.  



Last of all was some clothing from Primark for Blake. 
We got him some vests in 6-9 months which were £3 a pack.
We will need to get more though but they only had 3 packs of 6-9 months left in the Milton Keynes store.
Stuart chose this cute little romper that says Dude which is perfect for the summer I think it was £5. 
The chinos are so cute and I love navy on Blake so these went straight in the basket and cost £4.
Last of all we got a very light weight jacket for summer which I can't remember the price of. 


What do you think of my recent haul?
Comment below.

Blake's Ceramic Plate

I mentioned last week in one of my posts that Blake (with a little help) had recently 
made a ceramic hand and foot print plate over at the little shop that I use to work in. 

Reasons to be cheerful is a children's toys, clothes and gift shop which now
has a little craft room out the back. 

It wasn't too complicated to do the plate as they have them already made up and all we had to do was paint one of Blake's hands and feet and press them down on the plate. 
He was fine when having his foot print done and was his cheeky and smiley self but wasn't too keen on having his hand done for some reason. 

I got to choose which two colors to go for and decided on two different shades of blue which have come up really nicely. 
I also got to write Blake's name on his plate and then do the edging. 
I was then called back in the shop a week later to collect the plate as they needed to cook it and 
than varnish it for us. 

I love how it has turned out and plan on putting it somewhere in his nursery and then when he is 
older I'll pop it away in his memory box for safe keeping.


50 things that make me happy

I have seen this tag floating around on quiet a few blogs that I read recently. 
So although I haven't been officially tagged I have decided to join in anyway. 

So here are the 50 things that make me happy in no particular order (apart from the top 3) 


1. Blake (obviously) 
2. Family (including hubby) 
3. Friends 
4. Chocolate
5. Dr Pepper Zero
6. Shopping
7. Reading
8. Costa (coffee in general really) 
9. Holidays 
10. Cake (Red Velvet is my favorite) 
11.Eating out at a fab restaurant 
12. Hugs
13. Hollyoaks
14. surfing pinterest
15. Instagram
16. parcels arriving in the post
17. blogging
18. baths
19. showers
20. make up
21. flowers 
22. clean bedding 
23. taking photos 
24. looking at old photo's
25. shabby chic items


26. Trips to the cinema (not done this in ages) 
27. stationary 
28. jewelry
29 days out 
30. finding money I have forgotten about
31. saving
32. home ware
33.  sunshine
34. visiting the library 
35. doing fun activities with Blake
36. watching dvds and rubbish tv curled up on the sofa
37. hot chocolate
38. picnics in the park
39. BBQ's
40. candles
41. seeing the lights and decorations at Christmas time
42. my birthday 
43. a cheeky takeaway 
44. Looking at my engagement and wedding ring and remembering our special day
45. remembering fun times as a child 
46. Music
47. Acting silly and random from time to time
48. playing quiz up and 94% and other games on my tablet
49. buying clothes for Blake and myself 
50. Making memories

I tag everyone that wants to join in but hasn't yet