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vo5 great results

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There’s definately something to be said for sticking to what you know, having been a lifelong lover of VO5 products I ventured out and tried something new, a new hair oil on the market, with the promise of glossy
locks I gave it a try, as I was showering I realised all was not well, my hair felt quite heavy, on drying it looked limp and lifeless, weighed down by the oil and I was really disappointed with the results, boo!I turned to Twitter, and tweeted VO5 and the #bblogger network to ask where I might get their Hot Oil to put my locks back on the right path. They replied that I should head to Superdrug, so I did, but VO5 also
kindly offered to send me their shampoo and conditioner to make sure my hair has it’s daily boost of clean and shine. One week on, the postman’s knock came, I headed back to the shower and the results are excellent. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA The hot oil intensive treatment gently removed the heavy product and restored my gloss, the daily shampoo and conditioner regime has brought strength and shine back and makes for easy brushing and drying. My husband commented that he loves the smell of the products and my hair feels lighter and brighter for summer which is a lovely confidence boost for me!

I love the vibrant pink packaging and satisfyingly weighty 500ml bottles, the contents really pack a punch and I recommend starting your new haircare regime with a good dose of hot oil followed by regular use of VO5 shampoo and conditioner, the results are in and here is my smooth look in action at a family photoshoot earlier this week – how funny is Joss’ expression?! Thanks to VO5 for the products and for their ongoing advice on twitter, your team of haircare experts and stylists really know their stuff!

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Plum Tots Little Foodies Review

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I’ve blogged before about Joss being a very adventurous eater but having small portions which can be a worry when you’re concerned about making sure little one’s get balanced and nutritional meals. I’ve always gone by the rule of thumb that she is an active child, always on the go, and I try to make every morsel count, with a good balance of healthy fats, protein and vitamins and iron. On the whole I cook homemade meals daily, but now I’ve just returned to work I’ve been finding it difficult to get a meal ready for her in a hurry as we’re quite late back from her childcare. I was delighted to be offered the chance to test the new Plum Tots Little Foodies range. Perfect for those evenings when my husband and I just have a quick and easy salad but I want her to get something with good fats that’s quick and easy, but Organic and nutritionally balanced. These are meals I would homecook with great quality ingredients and flavours so although a fast option I know she is getting everything that she needs from them.
Plum Tots Little Foodie range is full of tasty ingredients with each pot providing at least two daily portions of vegetables and no nasties. Finished off with fruit and yogurt I know she’s had a good meal! The range includes Caribbean Jerk Mango & Chicken with Wholegrain Rice; Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Apricots & Bulgur Wheat; Neapolitan Tomato & Beef Ragu with Ditalini Pasta; and Vegetable Biryani with Wholegrain Rice. Joss liked them all but the Ragu meal was wolfed down and she was making her usual mmmmmm noises to let me know that this was her firm favourite! Here she is dining alfresco with evidence around her mouth!
I liked that the meals had a great texture, just what I’d expect for a toddler, we do baby led weaning so Joss likes and needs lots of grown up lumps and textures to explore, she picked up the rice dishes easily with her hands and there were lots of chunky pieces so she didn’t need any help at all from me, leaving my hands free to eat my own dinner!
Thanks Plum for letting us try them, a big thumbs up from us!

Babywearing and cloth bumming abroad!

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Babywearing and cloth bumming abroad!

We just took our first family holiday to Holland and didn’t take a pram or buggy, crazy or sensible?

I’d say sensible, the airport was a doddle with two free hands, we did have a carseat so we had somewhere secure for our girl to sit, but without a car other than the taxi to and from the airport our Manduca and Ellaroo slings saw us through travelling by tram and bus to Den Haag, to and from the airport, through naps on the go and cuddles and smiles at fellow tourists and locals, and the odd relaxing stroll by the canals.

I’ve been wearing Joss from birth, first in an old ringsling, then a Babasling and now we have a two sling stash, the cotton soft Ellaroo ringsling and Manduca soft structured carrier. If you’re thinking about travelling by public transport I could recommend checking out your local sling library and trying out a few slings, some may even let you borrow a sling to take abroad too!

In addition to two slings, a stash of 15 cloth nappies also came with us, we were staying with family so washing them was no problem and I found it no different to being at home, we used a huge Tiny Nippers wetbag as we had no nappy bucket; these nappies continue to save us money even on holiday, brilliant!

In a nutshell our slingy, cloth bum holiday was a big success!

Teething

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As promised we reviewed some of Munchkin’s teething products and Joss chose a clear favourite, you can read more here http://www.munchkin.eu.com/munchkin-news/munchkin-mummies/what-if-she-just-doesnt-have-any-teeth

About a year ago I sadly had to stop breastfeeding my gorgeous girl, I had postnatal depression and wasn’t coping well, support to continue was few and far between and I think I might blog about my experiences soon. I decided to take something positive from my experiences and decided to get my first tattoo, empowering and out of character I wanted to mark her birth and our early experiences in a special way, and chose lily of the valley, her birth month flower, on the base of my spine. One year on my lily of the valley is flowering and I feel much more positive and certain in my role as a Mam, something that I didn’t think I’d ever feel back then, I still look at others and think “they just seem to get it and it’s clicked for them” and it didn’t click for me for a while, Motherhood is a journey, as my blog title reflects and seeing this lovely flowering plant reminded me of the new chapter we’re embarking on with a crawling giggly girl.

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Springtime, my favourite season…

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I just love the cherry blossom at the end of our street, its so blowsy and pretty I couldn’t resist asking Mr B to snap us under it! We’ve been having lovely walks, going on the swings and even had an early picnic. Its gone back to bring grotty again but I think well have more good days soon, ever the optimist!

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I love this pic of hat hating Joss!

I joined Slimming World this week, its like learning a new language with healthy extra a and bs, syns and optimising but I think I get it now, I’m reporting here that I have 10lb to lose, to keep me motivated, I’m interested in sharing SW recipes too if anyone has anything tasty!

Being back to work is going well, I feel a bit more well rounded having two days to do something that’s a bit of a challenge to the grey matter, Joss is showing herself to be a quietly confident little lass which is lovely to see, she has started chatting more and has a beautiful sweet singing voice! People I asked said thinking about going back is worse than doing it and that’s definitely been my experience too, its taught me to listen to other mamas more too!

In other news we’re living our new Manduca sling, cherry red and just so comfortable, I’m looking forward to my baba and boo hedgehog nappy arriving soon too! Pics to follow, bye for now! X

And then she was one!

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Happy First Birthday Sweetheart, what a year! It was rounded off with three new things.

1) I baked my first cake, I always wanted to be a domesticated Mama, I’m not cut from that cloth, I live and work in organised chaos so this cake was a big thing, I’m far from being a super cakey bakey lady but I made it with so much love! Design inspiration from http://cupcakecrazygem.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/smarties-kit-kat-double-chocolate.html it was a vanilla sponge and not bad for a first attempt! I drove my tasters mad, do you like it, is it not dry, too rich?… But the little lady loved it so I’m happy :-)

2) A gorgeous pram for a gorgeous girl! I bought her a beautiful red wooden dolly pram and am crocheting a wee sparkly blanket for dolly! Daddy bought a necklace for when she’s big which made me cry, so thoughtful!

3) We had a first birthday photoshoot, so here’s a sneaky peek!

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I feel so lucky to have this sweet girl in my life!