FAVOURITES: March 2016

March has been such a busy month with my birthday, my Dad's birthday, Isabella's party preparations, returning to work, settling into nursery, Mother's Day and two first birthday parties in our NCT group. Phew! It was the month I had been dreading for ages, but it all turned out ok in the end and has actually been such a fun month. Isabella took her first steps and I couldn't have been more excited/proud. Now onto April when my little baby turns one!

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Liberty Party Decorations from Party Pieces

 

 Liberty London is well known for their stunning fabric designs and when Meri Meri collaborated with them to create a party range I couldn't have been more excited! We are having a floral themed birthday party for Isabella's first birthday, so the Liberty Betsy party range couldn't have been more perfect. Party Pieces is a website that stocks an extensive and outstanding range of party supplies, including this Liberty Betsy range. 

RECIPE: No Refined Sugar & Baby Friendly Birthday Cake

Birthdays call for a birthday cake and when Isabella was so young I didn't really want her to have a cake filled with all the things us adults love! Hence trialling a few baby friendly cakes over the past months, this Banana and Raisin Cake with a Peanut Butter Frosting being the biggest success. It has no refined sugar, is completely baby friendly or even adult friendly if you are trying to avoid/limit your sugar intake. I added peanut butter to the frosting because it goes really well with the banana cake, but it could be left out or replaced by almond butter. This cake would be perfect if you're planning to do a cake smash, having a party of it is small enough for just your family to enjoy.  

BABY: Fisher Price Learn With Me Zebra Walker

 

 Isabella learnt to crawl when she was 6 months, so she's been on the move for a good amount of time now. Relatively soon after learning to crawl she began pulling herself up on furniture and cruising along...cue many quick reaction catches and slight bumps. She has been so eager to get on her feet, so the Fisher-Price Learn With Me Zebra Walker* (£29.99 from Argos) was the perfect way to support her walking. I don't know if it's a coincidence or it's that she's been practising with this baby walker, but about 2-3 weeks after receiving it Isabella took her very first steps all by herself!! I couldn't have been more excited. There's a lot more practise needed until she can properly 'walk' and using the Zebra Walker is helping with her coordination and strength. 

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #35

This week Isabella started her settling in sessions at nursery, which thankfully went really well (you can read all about them here). We didn't leave a very long period of time to settle Isabella into nursery, about 2 weeks, so it's such a relief she is enjoying it. One day when I went to pick her up she had a completely changed outfit, due to trying to dive into the water box! Apparently many of the other children then tried to follow her in, causing havoc and a lot of outfits need changing. Whoops! All good fun though. I've been using this time to do work, blogging and most importantly preparing for Isabella's first birthday party...one week to go :)

Day 1

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Gift Inspiration

As Isabella's first birthday is in around a week I thought I'd share some gift ideas that are ideal for first birthdays. Babies are such hard little beings to buy for, with interests constantly changing you really want to find gifts that will last. This collection of gift inspiration are all chosen due to their longevity, outstanding quality and serious cuteness (of course!)

NURSERY: The First Week of Settling In Sessions

This week I did something I had worried about, lost sleep over and just generally been dreading...Isabella's first settling in session at nursery. As I have now returned to work part time it was inevitable that she would be going to nursery, but the idea of leaving her with someone who doesn't know her very well scared me. I obviously know her so well, all of her quirks/habits/likes/dislikes/routine etc, so the idea of not being part of that everyday was horrible. The week before her first session I labelled everything, packed her bag and constantly spoke to her about making new friends at nursery (mainly to reassure myself than her!)

DIY: Easter Inspired Hand printed Leggings

Easter last year passed in a blur of pregnancy, labour and meeting Isabella for the first time, in fact she was born on Good Friday last year. It meant that we didn't get time to eat our body weight in Easter eggs or appreciate all things Spring. So this year I've enjoyed having a much more relaxed run up to Easter and completing a couple of craft projects too. I've written about my new hobby of hand printing baby clothes here and thought I'd create an Easter inspired outfit for Isabella.

EASTER: {Baby Friendly} Crispy Banana Easter Nests Recipe

One of my favouirte Easter treats are chocolate crispy nests topped with mini eggs - sooo good! Their obviously not very baby friendly (all the more for us adults) so I made it my mission to create something similar for Isabella to enjoy over Easter. These aren't quite as crispy as the chocolate versions, which is a good thing because it makes them really easy for little ones to eat. I've also had a go at making some baby friendly mini eggs, it wouldn't be Easter without them. I used a Nakd bar because they're full of goodness, 100% natural and there are lots of flavours you can choose from. They're pretty easily accessible now, with most supermarkets stocking them.

REVIEW: Little Tikes Stroll n Go

 

A few months ago we were kindly sent the Little Tikes Stroll 'n Go to try out and our recent holiday in Hampshire was the perfect opportunity to try it out. Firstly, it's so much more compact than our travel system, which was ideal for going on holiday. We actually wouldn't have been able to fit everything in the car if we hadn't swapped our travel system for the Little Tikes Stroll 'n Go! It's very lightweight and folds away in seconds, a bit like an umbrella, making it the perfect stroller for nipping to the shops or trips to the park. Our travel system has two parts and though it's easy to set up it's not very quick or convenient. I have to take a wheel off it to fit it in my Ford Fiesta, but there's no such issue with this Little Tikes stroller - added bonus!

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #34

I've completed/survived my first week back at work after maternity leave! It's been a busy, tiring yet good week - I didn't find it half as hard as I thought I would, though Isabella was with family and not nursery. We start her settling in sessions next week, but I'm feeling positive about them. She didn't cry once when I left her this week, so I'm hoping she continues this attitude when at nursery otherwise things could get harder. It was nice being back with my friends at work and getting stuck into all things work. Looks like I'll be going to be at 8.30pm on work days now though!

 Day 1

FAMILY DAY OUT: Marwell Zoo in Hampshire

While we were down in Hampshire on holiday we visited Marwell Zoo, which is a 140-acre zoo perfect for a fun filled family day out. They have a fantastic range of animals, including giraffes, hippos, tigers, snow leopards and my personal favourite...penguins! There are also five adventure playgrounds, road and rail trains, extensive gardens to explore, gift shop, cafes, picnic areas and Wild Explorers. Plenty for children to discover, while the fact they have baby-changing facilities and an area to heat up baby food makes it the perfect place to visit with a baby too. Fun fact - decades and decades ago my grandparents were going to buy Marwell house before it was converted into a zoo!

FIRST BIRTHDAY: Isabellas Floral Party Invitations

 

As Isabella's first birthday quickly approaches we'd been thinking about what to do for it - a big party? A smaller family get together? A special family day out? etc. As her birthday is around when I properly return to work I wanted to us it as the perfect positive distraction, hence settling on having everyone who has been a part of Isabella's first year of life over to our house for a party. It's going to be a tight squeeze, but it just didn't seem right not to have everyone who cares for and loves Isabella here to celebrate. We then decided to go for a floral theme, mainly due to my love for everything floral - baby related or not! Also we already have a lot of floral 'things', such as her tipi, so it just made sense. 

WEANING: Tortilla Bowl with Spiced Beans and Chargrilled Sweetcorn

This is actually a meal I was making for myself and realised there was no reason Isabella couldn't have it. I just had to make a few minor tweaks, I served feta with mine and popped some chilli flakes in, which I didn't do with Isabella's. It's so quick to whip up, so perfect for those busy days yet so full of flavour - a winning combination in my book. I used a can of mixed beans but you could use black beans instead, whichever you prefer or have in the cupboards. Isabell enjoy eating the tortilla bowl broken up as finger food and I spoon fed her the bean mixture, though it would work well for BLW too.

MATERNITY LEAVE: 8 Ways to Prepare to Return to Work

So, this is the time that I have been dreading for months, but am now feeling surprisingly positive about it all...returning to work. After a full year off I will be returning to work, which I can hardly believe. Where has the last year gone? I can remember my labour and giving birth to Isabella as if it was yesterday, but the rest is just a blur of love, lack of sleep and incredibly special moments. I have been lucky enough to negotiate going back to work part time, so I'll be working three days a week and being a stay at home Mummy the other four days. This was my dream, to be a Mummy more days than I was working and I couldn't feel luckier. I think this has been a big part of feeling slightly more positive about returning to work, my change of contract was organised relatively recently and it's been such a weight off my shoulders. I can finely sleep much better at night!

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #33

This week has been my last week of maternity leave - a full year since I last went to work and I'm feeling a mixture of emotions about the impending return. I'm excited to switch the 'work' side of my brain back on again, though it's going to be a challenge initially - stringing a sentence together can be hard some days! I'm apprehensive about settling Isabella into nursery and just leaving her in general. I've really been trying to look at this next chapter in our lives as a positive thing, after all it's going to happen whether I like it or not. As a result of going back to work I've been thinking about what to do with these BABY STYLE posts. I won't be getting Isabella ready in the morning on the days I'll be working (three days a week), so I'm going to reduce the number of outfits to three per week. This way we can still continue these posts, without putting the pressure on my husband to take outfit photos in the morning before nursery. I hope you'll still enjoy seeing what Isabella wears on three days of the week.

Day 1

BABY: DIY Hand printed Leggings Lookbook

Handprinting baby clothes has quickly become one of my top hobbies, only second to blogging. I make the most of Isabella's naps and early bedtime to create handprinted clothes for her. I love the creativness of hand stamping, making your own patterns and designs. Each of these leggings are completely bespoke to Isabella and only cost anywhere between £2-£4 to create. They aren't perfect but that's what I love about them, it's all part of them being unique. They are seriously easy to make and the possibility are endless! To read my full tutorial on how I made these handprinted leggings click here. I thought I'd put together this kind of lookbook to share the handprinted leggings I've made so far as inspiration for anyone who fancies having a go themselves.

HOLIDAY: Packing with the LittleLife Bee Suitcase

Packing for a baby is never an easy task - how can something so small need so much? Once you've packed the essentials: clothes, travel cot, nightwear, sleeping bag, bottles, milk, food, calpol for inevitable poorly timed holiday illnesses, nappies, wipes, swimwear, shoes, coats, blankets, baby monitor, nightlight, pushchair etc. you're still not done. Taking entertainment for your baby is personally an essential, Isabella rarely sits still but is always wanting to play with something. I'd much prefer that to be one of our toys than an item in the lodge that isn't ours - no one wants to have to pay for breakages! 

DIY: Hand printed Baby Leggings

 I always thought that adding that personal touch to your babies clothes would require a lot of skill and experience. I'm not an experienced crafter, but that didn't stop me being able to handprint leggings for Isabella. It all came about because I was picking up a lot of really affordable leggings ready for Isabella starting nursery and wanted to make them a bit more exciting. I looked into making my own leggings (from scratch) but without a sewing machine I didn't really have the equipment to. The second best option seemed to be hand printing the leggings myself and honestly, it's so easy! I picked up a lot of leggings in the F&F Clothing sale for only £1.50 each and with the other equipment needed, the completely bespoke leggings only cost around £2. Very affordable! It's important you use Soft Fabric Paint because other kinds can dry hard and crispy, not particularly comfortable for your little one to wear.

WEANING: Vegetable and Kidney Bean Cobbler Recipe

 

For Christmas I got a food processor with the attachments for grating, slicing etc and I'm obsessed! I really wanted one, so that I can whip up meals/finger food for Isabella without the time consuming job of finely chopping all of the vegetables. To create the vegetable and kidney bean base I used the grater attachment on the food processor and just popped all of the vegetables in at once. They're small enough for Isabella to eat but not choke and it's done in seconds! Although I list the vegetables I used below you can basically use whatever you already have - great for them up.

FAMILY: My First Mothers Day

 
I can't believe that yesterday I celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mother. Mother's Day is usually a pretty hard day for me, so this year it was bittersweet. I was determind to focus on the positives and enjoy the day, especially as it was my first. 

BABY STYLE: A week of outfits #32

We're back with Baby Style this week, I didn't post last week as we were away on holiday. After an incredible family holiday in Hampshire it was nice to be back at home. I love the routine Isabella and I have during the day, so was very happy to be back to it. My maternity leave ends very very soon now, therefore I'm truly making the most of every single day we have together. This week we went for a Mother's Day stay and play session at what will be Isabella's nursery. It was the first time we'd stayed and I was so proud that Isabella crawled around and played nicely with the other children. She starts her settling in sessions at nursery soon, so I'm really hoping it will be a smooth transition.

Day 1

MOTHERS DAY: Baking Flower Pot Chocolate Cupcakes with Isabella

In honour of Mother's Day this weekend Dr. Oetker* have teamed up with TV baker Ian Cumming to create a recipe book for little budding bakers (or bigger bakers if your little one is too little). I absolutely love cooking and baking, so can't wait for Isabella to be old enough to properly bake with me. I have an image of us both wearing matching aprons, Isabella standing on a step so she can just see over the surface edge and us having fun baking away. Now, I know that reality will probably be very different...with a lot of mess!

FAMILY HOLIDAY: Day Out in Brighton

 

 Brighton has been somewhere I've wanted to properly visit since looking around the university there back in 2008. I actually applied to Brighton University, but ended up going to Durham - talk about other ends of the country! There just seemed to be so much to discover in Brighton and the combination of sea/beach/shopping is perfect. 

HOLIDAY: A very sunny day on the South coast

 

 On one of the days we were on holiday last week (read all about where we stay here) we drove down to the south coast of England to visit the sea! As a family from the Midlands, the seaside is such a special treat and one I look forward to when we go away. We drove along the coast looking for places to stop and explore, which is when we discovered Highcliffe Beach. 

FINGER FOOD: Carrot, Cumin and Coriander Muffin Recipe

Carrot and coriander is a classic combination in soup, so why not in a muffin too? The addition of cumin adds an extra dimension to the flavour, though both spices are optional additions. After trying out a variety of different muffin recipes I've found that having a higher proportion of fruit/vegetables works better. Firstly, you get more goodness into your little ones food, but also it helps to ensure the muffins aren't rubbery or oily. For a vegetable packed muffin,

these are nice and light.