Chew Chew Train - product review

By Bec

For any train lover, this is a must have table addition.  I was truly amazed when I first saw the Chew Chew Train. What a cool idea. The Chew Chew train, starts as a train, and pulls apart to become a spoon, fork, cup, large plate, small plate and bowl.  The engine becomes the cup, the conductor's house becomes a bowl, the train's platform becomes 2 plates and the coupling rods become the fork and spoon.

It is recommended for kids aged 18 months +, and my 4.5 year old loved it, so would definitely last a few years. Hunter enjoyed making the train and pulling it apart, so it was a puzzle and dinner set in one! Cleaning was easy as it's dishwasher safe.


We find dinner time very stressful in our household.  Hunter often looks at food, saying he doesn't like it, without even trying it.  More often than not if we get him to try something he ends up liking it...so the challenge is getting him to try it.  The Chew Chew Train made his dinner look exciting.  He tried something from each section, we made sure to spread it out and include something in each compartment, despite the fact most of it could have fit on the large plate.  This meant he ended up eating most of his meal, whilst having fun with the train components.  It certainly made dinner time a litte more fun for Hunter, which in turn made it easier for us.  Less stress all around!

Check out the Chew Chew Train.  At $36.30, the ease of dinner time makes it pay for itself in no time!

Motivating Mums

by Becky from beckyandjames.com

 

As a mother suffering severe Postnatal Depression I have found a passion for finding ways to shine a light on this illness and do my part in removing the stigma surrounding it.

In my own struggles I have been 'prescribed' Me Time by my doctor and so I have started a series of posts highlighting my attempts at fulfilling this important but difficult to manage task. Through my posts I hope to motivate other mum's out there to do what they can to look after themselves so that they can be the best mum they can be.

This month has seen a change in format, as I had originally aimed to post weekly about what I had done for myself - a bit of an over-reach given I have three children under 4.

Also this month, Little YoYo Styles has sponsored my April It's ALL About YOU Giveaway.

I would love for you guys to pop over, join in and enter. Help me spread the all important Mummy Me Time message!!

Strawberry picking

By Bec

What a great family outing!!!  Before winter sets in (and whilst the strawberry farms are still open) we decided to go strawberry picking.  There is a lovely place in the Adelaide Hills: Beerenberg.  You may have heard of them, they make many things including jams, chutneys, sauces, dressings and jellys.  We paid a $3 entry fee (adults only, the kids were free.  You get one entry free back if you purchase 2kg of strawberries) and then got tubs.  It was a little walk to the strawberry fields but then the fun began as we got to pick our share.  You pay for the strawberries per kilogram.  Savannah ate more than she put in the tub, but we all had fun.  There nothing more satisfying than finding the biggest, juciest, best strawberries and picking them to eat.  These strawberries are so fresh and yummy.  Straight from the farm.  We got over 3kg worth of strawberries...and boy were they yum!

After our strawberry picking we went to a playground in the Hills for a picnic lunch and play.  It was the perfect way to round off our family outing.

When did YOU last get a skin check?

by Becky from beckyandjames.com

I posted this on my blog yesterday and wanted to share it over here as well as the feedback I have been getting confirms my thoughts that it's something that's so easily over looked. But, it's something that is SO important.

I recently made an appointment for my first ever skin check after finding myself completely freaked out by skin cancer ads where they talk about a 26 year old dying.

Apart from the fact that I am a severe hypochondriac, what I saw hit home with me as I am about to turn 28 and I also have type 1 skin; which means I burn at the mere thought of going into the sun. I do not tan. I crisp. I blister. I have often looked like a lobster. And, unfortunately, I have not always been sun smart and looked after my pasty complexion.

So, I tentatively made my appointment and wished I hadn't.

When it rolled around this morning, I felt sick. My ability to imagine I have anything and everything is... amazing. I've been obsessively looking at my moles for weeks now; imagining that I was seeing differences.

As I sat in the waiting room, reading the consent form I could feel my skin prickle. I swear each and every mole, mark and lesion was burning.

I worried about just how invasive the scan would be, how naked I'd have to get and how uncomfortable the whole situation would be. I turned them around in my head; making them into excuses to leave.

Thankfully, before I was able to completely convince myself it was a good idea to leave it was my turn.

The process was quick and painless, the doctor was friendly and informative and I was given the all clear after a quick chastising about picking at mozzie bites.

Now, it seems so crazy to me to want to put off something so quick and easy that may just end up saving your life.

Have you had a skin check lately?

Colours, preservatives and ice-cream

By Bec

The best treat for a child.  The look on their faces when they have that first, and second, and third lick.  It's priceless!  We have been undertaking a no colours trial with my son to see the effect colours have on his behaviour, so have been eliminating all artificial and some natural colours.  When he wasn't having colours we were unsure as whether it was helping his behaviour.  But as soon as he went back on them his behavour was crazy, hypo, a little aggressive, so we concluded the colours were having some effect.  The natural colour to look out for is 160b, which is in (amongst other things), ice-cream, margarine and yoghurt.  So ice-cream has been off the menu for a while (and especially the rainbow flavoured ice-cream they ate below - choc full of colours!).  But you can't not have a special treat on a birthday, so the kids tucked into the rainbow icecream.   

Of course it meant he was up all night after all those colours, but the enjoyment on his face whilst eating was well worth it (for a every now and then treat).  And I've since found a couple of colour and preservative free ice-creams (Peters Original and Smooze) so the kids can have the treat without the erratic behaviour.

Does anyone have any experiences with colour free and preservative free diets?

Kaboodle nappy wallet - product review

By Bec

Despite my daughter being 2 and (hopefully) toilet training soon I bought a Kaboodle nappy wallet a few months ago. I kept being drawn to it; in particular the design pictured above, so after numerous occasions of putting it into my shopping cart then closing the webpage, I finally took the plunge and bought it! At $24.95 it was a purchase I have not regretted!

I wanted a nappy wallet to keep all nappy changing items in one place. I had a nappy bag, but found I was searching for a nappy, then I needed to find wipes, sanitiser, nappy rash cream and as I use cloth nappies I needed to find my wet bag. They were all in my nappy bag somewhere, but somewhere being the operative word! Nothing was every together. I also figured as my daughter starts toilet training I will still need a change of undies, wipes, sanitiser, wet bag etc, and having it all together would make life so much easier.

I use cloth nappies and comfortably fit 1 nappy (can fit 2 but I find it makes the wallet a bit bulky then), change mat, wipes container, sanitiser, wet bag and nappy rash cream in the wallet. You could comfortably fit 2-3 disposable nappies. I keep spare nappies in my larger nappy bag, and replace into the wallet when I use one from there. The wallet makes nappy changes a breeze when out and about. I just grab the wallet and head to the change room without having to lug my whole bag, and I have everything I need. Often if I'm just heading out for a short trip, e.g. trip to the local park or grocery shopping I will just take the nappy wallet instead of the whole bag. The wallet has an elastic wrist strap so you can carry it around your wrist to have your hands free.

Check out the Kaboodle Nappy wallet for yourself.

Pocket money

By Bec

It's an age old question.....at what age should we give our kids pocket money?  How much is appropriate and should it be tied to chores?

I've been battling through these questions for a little while.  Having a son who wants a new toy everytime we go to the shops my Mum kept suggesting that he needed his own money so give him some jobs.

So I thought about this, what is the right amount of pocket money for a 4 year old?  I had heard an appropriate amount is a dollar per age, therefore $4 for my 4 year old.

Okay, but what about linking it to chores.  The yes team say, it's good for them to learn responsibility and that we have to work for our money.  The no team say, as part of a family there are jobs that kids should just do and not expect compensation, therefore their pocket money is not linked. I joined the yes team.

But my next thought was, what if he does half of his jobs and not the other?  Does he still get his money?

So our system was born.  Hunter has 7 jobs per day, and each job is worth 10c.  We have a chart and we tick off the job as he does it.  He can earn a maximum of $4.90 a week, but averages around $3-$3.50. 

I'm quite happy with this system.  We can prompt Hunter to do his chores but reminding him of those valuable ticks and when he wants something at the shops we remind him he needs to save for it.  Hunter was recently rewarded when he saved enough money to go on a shopping trip with Grandpa and purchase his much wanted Bakagun.

What do you think about pocket money for children?

His hard earned purchases!

My Top iPhone Apps

by Becky from beckyandjames.com

I {heart} my iPhone. Almost daily I wonder how I ever got through live without it (honestly). I am not the only person in love with the device. I have to fight off my hubby and two girls to get my hands on it (and yes, it is my phone). When I DO get a go; these are my go-to apps (see if you can see a trend...):

1. Facebook
2. Instagram
3. Hipstamatic (this would probably be #2 if it had the kind of social side Instagram has)
4. SwankoLab
5. iDarkroom
6. Camera+
7. Words with Friends
8. Gloria Jean's Coffees
9. Jamie Oliver 20 Minute Meals
10. CamWow (just because it keeps the kids and I entertained)


My girls are loving these apps:

1. Poket God
2. Talking Gina
3. I Close My Eyes
4. Toy Story 3 memory game
5. Dora saves the Crystal Kingdom lite (yea, I am a mean Mumma)
6. Toddler Teasers
7. Baby Karaoke
8. ABC For Kids

What are your favourite apps?

Birthday traditions

By Bec

Today is my daughter's birthday.  My baby girl is 2 years old.  It seems like only yesterday she was born.  And now she is an independent, chatty, loving girl.  I have to face facts, she isn't a baby anymore.  She moved into a bed a few weeks ago.  Her choice, I wasn't ready.  I was sure she would be in her cot until she was 5!  But as the bed had been in her room for a while as we got her brother a new king single, she just decided she was going in...but that's another story!

Birthdays are a big deal in our house.  I love throwing little parties for them, so they have one every year.  Just a few friends for a catch up.  I love making their birthday cakes.  Last year I made Savannah a giant cupcake. It was a real hit.  Now that Hunter is older, he really appreciates the cake I make for him.  The look on his face when he sees the cake for the first time is priceless - worth the hours spent icing and decorating.

Savannah's first birthday cake.

When my son turned 1 we took him to the zoo.  When he turned 2 we did the same thing, so began the family tradition. We go to the zoo for the kids birthdays every.  The zoo is a great family outing to celebrate another birthday (this year we are doing it without hubby as he has to work). 

We also go out for dinner on their birthday with family.  It's a celebration for us as parents too, to have survived another year!  We have been to Fasta Pasta for Hunter's birthday every year so far!  Last year he fell asleep in the car on the way there, so spent his birthday dinner asleep.  We are heading there again tonight for Savannah's birthday. 

I have a friend who blows up 100 balloons and puts them in her daughter's room the night before her birthday so she wakes up to a birthday surprise...I tried that one year but only managed about 20 balloons - didn't have the same effect..but I love that birthday tradition!

So as I ponder my baby growing up, and get ready to head off to the zoo, I would like to know does your family have any birthday traditions?

Anniversary

by Becky from beckyandjames.com

 

Four years ago tomorrow my dear Other Half and I were married in a private ceremony in Broome, Western Australia. It was beautiful.

4 years has gone so fast. I suppose having added three little people to our lives in that time has helped with the whole speeding-up-of time thing.

As I have been happily perusing the Little YoYo Styles store, I thought I would share a list of things I would LOVE to receive for a fourth anniversary present.

I saw the Pink Gingham Gift Suitcases first and love, love, LOVED them. Then, noticed the Blue Gingham. *Die*. A few more clicks and I found the multicoloured Gift Suitcases. I want them all. Yes, when I say them all I mean all. three. sets. Decorative? Check. Cute? Of course. Practical?Indeed. Perfect photography prop?  OMG yes!

Now, with so many adorable suitcases I figured I would need many, many stylish things to fill them. And as I am obsessed with photography I am looking at things and wondering if they'd make perfect additions to shoots with my kids; so if my choices seem strange, that might be why (or I might just still be a kid at heart)!

I {adore} hats

I can't totally see my girls in these!

Something cute for my hair

Something cute for their hair

{Gahh}

Is this not the best cushion, ever?

Yes, most of those are purely to make my kiddos adorable, which makes my heart full, so that I can snap away with my camera. I can't help it. I am obsessed! Just for me, I would want;

{Divine}

And of course those three sets of suitcases. I'm not asking for much, surely.

What would YOU ask for?

If you want to read more about our wedding in Broome; visit BeckyandJames.com tomorrow!

BIG SALES IS NOW ON HERE!

Safe Sippy2

By Bec

The Safe Sippy2 is a stainless steel, BPA free, convertible sippy to straw cup, with a travel plug. The handles are removable, but not only that they are movable so the spout is always in the right spot (there is nothing worse than screwing a lid on a cup and the spout being over the handles making it hard to drink).

I got a little confused with the instructions, but once I worked it out it was actually quite easy. Dark orange valve is the no-spill travel part, the clear valve is for sippy cup and the light orange valve and straw is for straw cup.

But laugh at my expense, I was pushing and pushing to try and get the the straw through the spout, to drink out the straw. My 4 year old said to me “that’s not going to work Mum" and showed me how to use it! The straw goes in the cup and the child drinks through the spout – I thought the straw was for drinking out of.

My children got a bit confused in straw mode. As you can’t see the straw, they didn’t realise it was in straw bottle mode and both my (almost) 2 year old and 4 year old kept tipping it up to drink and were getting frustrated when they couldn’t get much water. We gave up on straw mode and just used normal cup mode.

Originally I though the additional non-spill plug valve was going to be a pain to use. I figured it was something extra I have to take anytime I want to put the cup in my bag (which would be all the time). But in actual fact when I did it, it was easy. I just put the travel plug in the cup and chucked it in my bag, and put the other bits in a snap lock bag in my bag. It was simple to swap over when needed. And that travel valve is FANTASTIC!! No spills whatsoever! This is truly the first no spill cup I’ve used!

I love the colours this cup comes in, and at $24.95 it’s great value.
Check out the Safe Sippy2.

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The Naked Chef

By Bec

Okay so he is 4, but who wouldn’t want a naked chef in their house? It’s raining outside so Hunter and I decided to make some cupcakes. Firstly, I have to admit, I’m a packet mix snob. We tried a packet mix once, but seriously, open pack and put contents into bowl, crack egg into bowl and mix. Put in cake in tin and voila – cake! How boring. Took a whole 5 minutes and didn’t entertain at all. And the taste, ewww it’s just like cardboard. Why waste calories on that???

So now we bake from scratch. We make a mess, but boy do we have fun.

Hunter was a little scared of the electric mixer to start with and would run into the other room until it was done, then he would come back to crack the eggs. One egg in, run to the other room whilst I mix, then back for another egg in, again run into the other room so I could mix, and then he is back to put in flour and milk and stir.  But now he is 4 he isn't scared of anything!

 I was a bit hesitant at first to let Hunter crack the eggs, so now I make him crack them into a mug so I can take out any shell if required, before he puts into the bowl. He happily puts the patty pans in the muffin tin, and then spoons mixture into the pans. Then for the best bit – licking the beaters and the bowl! Nothing beats uncooked cake batter!

Cooking with kids is a truly fantastic activity. They are never too young to begin learning this necessary life skill. And we also squeeze in a math lesson as we count, weigh, measure and time. And best of all, it’s fun!! 

My favourite cupcake recipe is:

125g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup milk.

Preheat oven to 160-180 degrees. Grease pans (or put patty pans in muffin trays).

Beat butter, essence and sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until combined. Stir in flour and milk in two batches. Spread mixture into prepared pans. Bake in moderate oven until cake is cooked. Stand cake in pans for about 5 minutes then turn onto wire rack to cool.

(courtesy of The Australian Women’s Weekly kids birthday cakes)

Do you have any cooking with kids stories?




Dressing Up **Review**

by Becky from beckyandjames.com

Like so many other children, my girls adore dressing up. For the most part, it's fairies and princesses with lots of frills, glitter, twirls and magic so when we received this Super smart two pieces gentleman set in Kahlei's size to review I wasn't sure how she would take to it.

Thankfully, she decided it was the perfect Dress-Up piece and created a funny, shuffling little character to go along with her new look.

This 100% cotton long-sleeve romper has the most adorable bow-tie and (attached) braces, it has snap studs on the inside of the legs for easy access nappy changes and comes with a matching suit jacket. Once it's a little cooler she will be able to wear that on top.

She loves it and I think she looks oh-so-cute (no bias here, hehe).

I am a big fan of dressing up. The role play elements of dressing up encourages social skill building, gives children the ability to play out real life situations and gives them the chance to work on problem solving. And, of course, there's the obvious benefits of allowing their imaginations to develop and soar.

Add the Super smart two pieces gentleman set to your dress up box or buy for your little boy to wear to special occasions for $39.60.

A Quick & Easy Dinner Recipe and a Tip About Tinned Tomatoes

I have a confession to make; I am not the cook in our house. There is no Chez Louisa in residence. Cheze le Architect gets home late most days and so if I don't feed the kids, they don't get fed.

As a result I've learnt a couple of really quick, easy and tasty meals that Bliss loves and will eat time and time again.

Tomato Sausage Delight.
(Original name, hey? Don't you think "delight" makes all the difference.)

Prep time: 10mins
Cooking time: 20-30mins depending on the oven.

You will need:

• Sausages - however many you want to feed your child/ren and some extras if you want to freeze. Hint: if you buy nice sausages it makes this dish even tastier.
• A tin of whole tomatoes, or two if you are making a huge batch.
• Herbs to taste and some salt, pepper and chilli.
• A baking dish.

Instructions:

• Grease the baking dish.
• Cut the sausages into bite sized pieces and place them in the bottom of the baking dish
• Cut up the tomatoes from the tin and pour them, and the tomato puree over the sausages
• Add herbs, salt & pepper and if your kids are up to it, some chilli.
• Bake in the oven covered. Uncover for the last 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of veges.

Voila!

Tinned Tomato Tip:

It's convenient to buy chopped tinned tomatoes but the next time you use them compare them to a tin of whole tomatoes. Do you notice the richness of the whole tomatoes, the thickness of the tomato sauce? To me there's a noticeable difference so I buy the whole tomatoes and just give them a quick chop before using them. Have a look and let me know if you see the difference too.

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AromaPlay - Sniff Snuff

By Bec

What a fantastic idea. My children love play dough and I have been thinking of trying AromaPlay for a while. I love that it’s suitable for coeliac children who can’t play with the popular commercial play dough and I love the idea of creating scents whilst playing. AromaPlay has a rainbow of colours and scents available, so there is one for every mood. The instructions state the play dough is 100% Gluten free and is not only fun and colourful but is also natural, non toxic and biodegradable. AromaPlay will liven or soothe your child with the release of aromatherapy oils into the air as they create. 

We tried Sniff Snuff, which is great for kids with colds and runny noses. It smells of eucalyptus and was just devine. This dough was so soft and squishy...the kids loved it and I loved it. I’ve found other commercial brands quite tough, but this just felt so nice to mould and squish. The packaging states not suitable for under 3’s, but my almost 2 year old had a ball playing with it!

I’m not sure how the different scents would go together – and to be honest don’t think I would try as my kids seem to mix all the colours so we would just get a big blob of colours and scents, but I will definitely get a few more colours to play (individually) for different moods.

At $9.90 per tub it is a little more expensive than other brands, but I think the benefits of including aromatherapy, being natural, biodegradable and very soft make it worth the price.

There are many advantages to playing with dough. The ones most relevant to me are:

• encourages imaginative play – my son made a bean bag and lots of aliens!
• dividing it up helps teach about sharing, counting and fractions
• it helps to strengthen muscles by squeezing, punching, poking, rolling and cutting
• it’s great for self esteem as there is no wrong creation
• And don’t forget – it’s FUN!

 Check out the range of AromaPlay.