Magpie Monday - Storytime

Once upon a time, there was a very Squeaky baby.  She went with her mummy & daddy to visit Grandma & Grandpa.  While they were there, they went on a nice walk.  Squeaky's mummy had just changed Squeaky's nappy, so didn't take the changing bag out with her.  Silly mummy!  They had a lovely walk in the sunshine, and found a car boot sale.  Sadly, there wasn't very much there, but Squeaky's mummy did find a lovely yellow top & trousers for 50p. which she thought would be lovely for springtime.

Then, everyone went to the coffee shop for a nice cappucino.  Squeaky had a drink of her own.  Then something terrible happened.  Something the mummies reading this have probably already anticipated, but for those who haven't, or are of a delicate disposition, I can only refer to as The Poosplosion Incident.  Oh Dear!  Squeaky's trousers and vest were covered in sticky poo! Whatever could we do?  Luckily there was a supermarket nearby, so Squeaky's mummy bought some nappies and wipes.  And Squeaky got to wear her brand new outfit on the day that it was bought, because the alternatives were either half-naked baby, or stinky poo-covered baby, neither of which are really very nice.

As you may have guessed, this is that outfit.

And as it's story time, a story book for Squeaky.  My aunt is bordering on certifiable, and for some reason buys pretty much everything she finds with ducks on it to send to me.  I still haven't figured it out, so if you have any insight into the workings of the minds of aunties, let me know.  Well, this book, I figured "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em", and thought I may as well buy it myself, as I was bound to end up with a copy at some point.  It's not bad as far as they go, even though Squeaky's not 2 yet, she can't read the cover.  It's not like an 18, they don't suddenly start talking about "adult themes" in 2 year olds' books.  I'm wondering now, what would be appropriate in a 2 year old's book, but not in a 1 year old's? 

Jump onboard, folk!

Back on the hamster wheel

I've made a couple of mentions of work, and I kind of planned to write this post last week, only it didn't happen.

Well, I should have gone back to my old job back in October when my maternity leave ran out, but one way or another, I decided it wasn't really for me, and chose not to return.  Spent a lovely few extra months with Squeaky, and trying to find something that I wanted to do, and that met my basic desire for something part-time & close to home.

A few failed interviews, and a lot more failed application forms later, and I found something.  I'm not going to use this as a work blog, that's not what this is about. But so far, the job is everything I wanted it to be, with extra sprinkles.  So I'm a happy blogger.

This is more about Squeaky.  She's in nursery now while I'm at work, or at home with Squeaky Daddy, depending on his work shifts.  So far she's had 3 full days in nursery, and 3 days at home.  And the difference it's made already, I'm struggling to believe.  She's come on so much in terms of independence, eating better for herself, and becoming more of a toddler & less of a baby.  She cries when we drop her off, and again when we pick her up (though she did that at the crèche while I was on the breastfeeding peer support course, so I expected that.) but she's getting on and doing, playing & joining in with the activities the rest of the time like it's the most normal thing in the world for her.  A huge relief.

As for me?  Well, I can drop her off just fine.  But when I come to pick her up, or hold her in my arms, put her to bed, that's when it rips me to pieces.  I realise what I'm missing.  I know it's best for both of us - I need that mental stimulation & time to be "me" again, not just an appendage to Squeaky, and for her it gives her socialisation & contact with other children that as a (so far at least) only child, with no other real family around, she's otherwise missing out on.  It's hard though.  Someone tell me it gets easier?  Please?

Magpie Monday - Holidays 2

I promised you some of the bargains I did buy (as opposed to the list of bargains I didn't buy) when we were in Devon the other week.

Right. First of all, proof that I do occasionally buy things for me, not just Squeaky.  A crinkly Cotton Traders shirt.  Soft as anything.  I'm not 100% convinced about it for work, the buttons are a bit eager to pop undone, but as a cover-up it's fab.  And a random book, as I'd finished the book I took with me, and needed something to read while Squeaky's drifting off to sleep of an evening. The cover just appealed to me.  It's actually already gone back to one of our local charity shops, despite the comment on the inside cover that it's "Brilliant, a keeper".

Second up, a holiday outfit for Squeaky.  Picked up on a car boot sale somewhere near Torquay.  According to the lady I bought it from, it came from Malaysia, and was bought for her child, who then grew at all the wrong times so never got chance to wear it.  There was a yellow & green one too (like the top bit of the shorts), but I fell in love with the colours on this one.  If anyone says Squeaky looks like a boy, they'll have me to answer to!  It's all handmade, the waist fits perfectly now, but there's so much stretch to it, we'll get loads of wear, I think.  I love to put Squeaky in unusual clothes, rather than have her looking the same as everyone else's child.  It's more fun that way, and it's easier to spot her in the middle of a playground if she's the only one in a fuchsia pink cardigan!

ARGH!!  There was going to be another picture here, and a story, a tale of drama, woe and remarkable prescience.  But Blogspot is apparently not in the mood for uploading the other photo, and I have to go to work. So that will have to wait til next week.

Hop aboard the Magpie Monday train!

Graco Nautilus Car Seat

One of the great things about being a Graco Ambassador is getting the opportunity to try out some of their wide range of baby kit.  Squeaky only recently outgrew her infant carrier/Stage 0 car seat, and we were very pleased when Graco sent us their Nautilus car seat to try out.

The Nautilus is a Stage 1/2/3 car seat, meaning it will last her all the way until she's 12 - all the car seat she'll need!  That by itself makes it a great value buy.  I really like the idea of having one seat that will carry her all the way through to being a teenager (argh! Does that have to happen???????)  The seat is quick & easy to fit into the car, meaning we could be off on an adventure in no time at all.

The Black Stone colourway (black & gray-brown) is really smart, and actually goes well with the inside of my car.  It's a good neutral option, suitable for boys & girls (our other car seat is very, very pink) and the covers are easy to clean, as proved by Squeaky's decision to throw her drink around when I wasn't looking.

She seems very comfortable in it - the harness is easy to adjust and do up, and I'm confident she's safe, the adjustable headrest keeps her head in place even when she's dropped off for yet another nap.  As she's still at the lower end of the weight range, she's not made use of the cup holder yet (she can't quite get to it), but I've found it's a good place to put my car keys when I'm getting her sat & strapped in .

I'm really taken with the Nautilus, and it seems Squeaky is too. The RRP is £129.99, and it's available from Toys R Us, Mothercare and other good retailers.

Magpie Monday - Foodie Special

I had a couple of options for this week's post, but I've gone with the foodie choice, for no better reason than that I am thoroughly BORED of clothes.

When we were in Bournemouth the other week, we went into Poole, which is seemingly Charity Shop Central.  However, I found almost nothing that took my fancy, and then bemoaned the fact that all I bought was a toast rack, not exactly a photogenic or interesting item.  Then I stopped to think about it, and about why I'd bought the toast rack in the first place.  And realised that actually, it was pretty much a perfect Magpie Monday purchase.

For me, Magpie Monday is about making the most of your money - not buying new, expensive items just because, when there's an alternative that will be every bit as good for a fraction of the price.  Reusing, reimagining, finding another life for something.

OK, so how does that match up with a second hand toast rack?  That in all honesty was probably no cheaper than one from the High Street.  Well, here's the deal.  Squeaky has discovered a love of toast.  Breakfast time, mid morning, generally whenever I offer it to her.  Toddler snacks are obscenely expensive.  A slice of toast, left to cool & crisp, then spread with butter can be packed up & taken out as a mid morning snack for roughly nothing, as we'd have bread around anyway.  And it will be met with much the same level of excitement as a biscuit, fruit bar, or whatever.  So, not only have I saved a bit of tree, metal, whatever, in buying a second hand toast rack, but I save money every time I use it as Squeaky has a free snack, rather than an expensive packaged one.

While we're on the subject of food, I have a confession to make.  I'm a rubbish cook, with a fetish for cookbooks.  I'm sure I'm not alone.  I read them, look at the pictures, get ideas, and do nothing about it.  I'm trying to curb this habit, but if I find a nice looking cookbook on my travels, I can't resist snapping it up, in the hope I might actually use this one.

The Readers Digest one cost me 50p from a car boot sale in Cannock, the M&S one £1.50 from the BHF shop in Weston.  You never know, I might make something from one soon.  Maybe.


Check out the other bargains

Baby Royale Luxury Blanket Review

I was recently sent a Baby Royale luxury blanket to review with Squeaky.  She seems to have inherited my need to be very warm at night (as we discovered during the cold spell earlier in the year), so this seemed like a good product for us to take a closer look at.

The blanket is made from 70% bamboo & 30% organic cotton, in a handwoven style. When I saw the size of the envelope, I expected something tiny, but it's a full sized baby blanket.  The bamboo & cotton mix makes a fine silky-soft fabric, which is heavier than it appears.  Does that sound strange?  It's not a heavyweight blanket, but has more substance than simple cotton blankets of the same thickness.  The thinness of the fabric makes it ideal for travelling as it takes up so little space, and I wish it had arrived a few days earlier, so I could have taken it to Devon with us as space was at such a premium in the car.

Squeaky seems to like it. The weight of the fabric means that even with a world class wriggler, it doesn't fall off her in the night.  I like it too.  She's been having some dicey nights of late, and I've found myself in her room at 0-dark-early once more than I'd like. The blanket has found it's way to my knees or shoulders a couple of times, to keep out the 3am chills.  It's not a "hot" blanket, the sort you'd find in granny's spare room, but the fabric keeps the cold out and lets you keep a comfortable body temperature.

I'd never considered bamboo fabric before, despite my teenage forays into those hippy shops full of alternative fabric clothing, joss sticks & wind chimes.  Bamboo is regenerative, the plants are trimmed to obtain enough bamboo for use,and the crops regrow, rather than having to be planted again.  It's naturally hypo-allergenic too, and so soft they advise against using fabric conditioner (which saves me money). I'm not going to go out & replace our entire wardrobes with bamboo clothing, but I would certainly consider this as a welcome gift for a new baby.


The Babyroyale luxury baby blanket is available from Babyroyale directly or from the online nursery shop Hello Baby. Hello Baby also sells a wide range of other baby and nursery stuff including Baby Toys, nursery furniture, travel and safety products.

Disclosure: I was provided with a BabyRoyale blanket free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Feeding Woes - The battle continues

If you were reading this blog back at the start last year (Ooops, I let my first blogaversary slip by without noticing), you've been bored enough to read the archive, or you've had me earbashing you in real life, you'll know that La Squeak had issues with her weight when she was a tiny creature, but with a whole load of support from our Breastfeeding Support worker we worked out supplementary breast feeds, expressing, and somehow dragged her back onto the graph.

Since then she's been fairly good.  Stayed pretty stable, and eaten most things I've offered her, with the exception of spinach, I'm sad to say.  A slight slip when she got an attack of Norovirus the tail end of last year, but I didn't feel much like eating then either.  Fruit, veggies, curry, yorkshire puddings, pickled onions, yeah, she's an odd kid.

But for the last week or so, it's all gone sideways.  She's cutting her first molar at the moment, and threw up a couple of small meals/snacks, I think through pain, and now she's refusing almost everything. Breakfast porridge goes down ok, though not with huge enthusiasm.  Chocolate spread sandwiches, yogurts, fruit pouches and jelly are about the only other things I'll vaguely call food that she'll even consider.  A bit of toast with philly on it was a major triumph this evening.  I'm trying not to get worked up, she's a little more inclined to eat if I'm paying no attention to her, but I'm getting twitchy.  She needs more food, dammit!

She ate a slice of ham from the samples at Tesco's deli counter yesterday, but when I offered her the same at home, she didn't want to know. Grrr.  I think I'll just put a picnic on her tray tomorrow & see how much goes in her, rather than down the walls.  I'm sure there's some more pickled onions round here somewhere.