Cloudbabies - My First Baba Blue & Baba Green - Review


One of my favourite things to review has got to be children's toys. Treating my child on a monthly or weekly basis due to the blog is always welcomed and appreciated. 

Last week we were sent two new toys from the Cloudbabies range and I have to admit I was probably more excited than a 27 year old should be! 




First up we had My First Baba Blue which retails at £19.99. He is a soft plush doll that is roughly around 11 inches tall. He is classed as a sensory toy as he is made out of many different textures and colours, all of which make different sounds. One foot crunches, the other foot jingles and you can also untie his scarf and undo his jacket to reveal a little mirror on his belly. All of which I think are a great feature.

As you can see he is very cute! With his winter attire I think he would make a lovely Christmas gift (Did I really just mention the C word?!)








Next up we have the slighter smaller and even more adorable Baba Green which costs a very reasonable £6.99. 
He is roughly around 6 inches tall and unlike the other doll he has a hard plastic head so isn't as snuggly as Baba Blue.

If you watch the tv show you will know he is a green thumb, is a little quieter than the others but is the best storyteller there is! This is why he is my favourite!


Both dolls are extremely cute (I keep saying this but they are!) and have both gone down a storm with Noah, especially Baba Blue. He loves to look after him like a baby and he likes to push him around in his toy pram. 





What we thought-

Noah loves to take care of both dolls just like you would a baby. He will share his food and drink with them and even push them around in his toy pram. They have both gone down a storm and it's a pleasure to watch Noah enjoy them so much.


The dolls are colourful, attractive and totally adorable!

Baba Blue, in particular, is great because he's not just a plush doll but is sensory which helps develop your child's fine motor skills too. 
The mirror underneath Baba Blue's jacket is a nice feature as Noah really enjoys discovering it when he undresses him.  

It's also great to see the Cloudbabies range expanding! 




- We were sent these dolls for the purpose of this review however all opinionsare my own. 

Mummy & Me - June


Hello June, Goodbye June! We are now half way through the year, how has that happened?! Time really does fly by even quicker when you have a child.

June has been a lovely month. We've been out and about a lot in the fresh air and I've really appreciated being able to stay home with Noah. I think he does appreciate it too but you can't tell from these pictures, haha. I just had to have both for this months photo's as Noah's expressions are just priceless!



"Really Mum? I'm so not in the mood for ANOTHER selfie!"



"Mother... seriously. Just stop! Totally embarrassing!"

He loves me really, I promise!

Nicola... Life Through My Eyes

Project 365 - Week 26 - 26/52


21st June - 27th June / Week 26


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Sunday was Father's day, Nick's second one. It was a busy day! We woke and gave Nick his presents (A BBQ and a book) and then we headed over to the Christening and First Birthday Party of my friends baby. All go go go! We then popped over to my Mum's so Noah could spend a bit of time with her so Nick and I went bowling for an hour. Such a busy day, but a fun one! 

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Monday saw both Nick and Noah coming down with my cold and flu symptoms so we all had a sick day together. 

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Thankfully Noah felt so much better on the Tuesday so we had a lazy morning but then we went on a long walk and I took him to the park. I always think that getting out in the fresh air makes you feel so much better.


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Wednesday morning brought us glorious weather so I contacted my friend and arranged a little play date. We decided to take the little ones on a walk and for a picnic in the park. We had such a great afternoon together as we usually do and I can't wait to do it again.


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On Thursday my Mum decided to pay us a visit. When I knew she was almost here I sat Noah near the windowsill to look out for Nanna. When she appeared he started jumping up and down with excitement. He loves it when people come to visit. We went to the park, again! The weather was hit and miss but we didn't want that to stop us getting out and about. 

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On Friday we decided we couldn't wait any longer to set foot on our new lawn (you are supposed to wait three weeks for it to knit together, it has been 2) we set up Noah's slide and as you can see by this photo he was absolutely ecstatic!


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Saturday we had another very busy but very fun day! We started the afternoon off by Nick, Noah and I meeting up with his Nanny, Auntie, Uncle and Cousin. We had a meal at Brewers Fayre before going on a lovely long walk in the sun shine. It was a scorcher and thankfully Thomson park has a little paddling pool so we all took our shoes off and took a dip! We also went to the park and went on a little stream train. So much fun! 

We've had a busy busy week. Have you been up to much?


A Walk in the Park and a Picnic with Petit Filous Pouches #SummerDaysOut



For the past couple of days the weather has been absolutely glorious! The sun has been shining, the birds have been singing and we have been making the most of every daylight hour.

Noah is at his happiest running around and exploring the great outdoors, he loves being outside in the fresh air. With his love of nature and animals I often say he's a little David Attenborough in the making!

A few days ago Noah and I decided to go on a little adventure, just the two of us. Our plan was to take the very long route to the park and to have a little picnic in the sun.




We had been asked to try the brand new Petit Filous pouches and report back with what we thought about them so we just had to bring them a long. Petit Filous in a pouch, perfect for picnics! 



I rushed around the house like a headless chicken preparing everything we needed. I slapped a little bit of make up on my face and slathered Noah's face in sun cream. I made sure I have thrown everything we needed into the basket of the pram, strapped him in and off we went! 

As I said the walk was a long one but thankfully Noah doesn't protest about being in the pram so it was rather nice to be walking out in such glorious weather. Noah pointed out all the birds, the tree's, the cars - another one of his favourite things to do! 



Once we arrived at the park he had a little run around, a swing on the swings, a slide down the slide. You know, the usual park antics! Then it was time for lunch!

We found a table in the shade and got stuck in. I packed Noah a soft cheese sandwich, cheese nibbles, cucumber and a peach Petit Filous pouch. He was so excited to try the new pouch that he insisted on eating that before anything else!



What we thought-

Noah can be a little hit and miss with yogurts. One week he will love them and gobble them up but others he isn't really interested in them. Thankfully I don't worry about his calcium intake because he still drinks a lot of milk and he eats a lot of cheese too but I would still like him to have more. 


With that in mind I did wonder how he would take to the pouches and I was hoping that they would encourage him to eat more of the yogurt. The pouches did just that and I am so pleased! He easily consumes the whole pouch in a matter of minutes and really enjoys them too. I often hear "mmmm" as he's toddling about with the pouch in his hand. Thumbs up from Noah!

What we liked-

The three different flavours; Strawberry, Raspberry and Apricot are a lovely variety to begin with.
The pouches are very convenient and easy to use.
They are pretty much mess free, hurrah!

The texture is a little thinner than a regular Petit Filous which I think is a great change for the pouch variety.



What we didn't like-
I think that 79p per pouch is rather pricey and would put me off buying them on a regular basis. I will probably just buy them as a treat every now and again. 

We would love to see them expand the range of flavours in the future too. 



- We were sent a voucher to buy this product however all opinions are my own.

Project 365 - Week 25 - 25/52


14th June - 20th June / Week 25


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Sunday was spent as usual, a morning with Mummy and Daddy. Then my Mum came to take Noah out for lunch. This boy is always in such demand! Nick and I made the most of the freetime by doing DIY and a few jobs around the house.

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Monday it was time for playgroup. We were half an hour late but we made it and we met up with friends too. Noah always has a blast when we are there and I really think it has helped with his confidence. A few months ago he would of cried if a stranger spoke to him and would literally cling to me. Nowadays he's fine and as soon as we arrive he runs off to play with the other children and parents. 

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Starting him young! He's obsessed with the dishwasher!

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On Wednesday it was Nick's 29th birthday! My Mum came round to visit us during the day and then when Nick came home from work I cooked up a big roast dinner to celebrate! Fab day. 

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Thursday was the start of my cold and I felt absolutely dreadful. Noah's Nan actually offered to take him for the afternoon to give me a little break which I really needed. I think he had a ball while he was there. She said he was playing outside most of the day with the dogs, her Goddaughter and his Granddad. It was nice for him to have a little change of scenery too I think! 

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Friday was such a miserable day. We ended up getting ready to go for a walk and it was cold and drizzly but we still went out. How is it that my toddler is wearing a winter hat and coat in June?!

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Today, Saturday I feel like the world most rubbish Mum. I'm asbolutely smothered in a cold, aching and feel so sick. I've had limited contact with Noah because I really don't want him to catch it so Nick has been watching him most of the day. Naturally, this makes me feel guilty but I just really needed some time. I sat in the bathroom with the shower on hot just so the steam could clear my sinuses. I've had it a few days now so I'm hoping it's going to pass soon. Urgh.

Have you had a good week? 

Leading a healthier lifestyle



This year I made a conscious decision to start leading a healthier lifestyle. Losing weight was one of the main results I wanted to achieve by this decision but it wasn't the only reason. I was tired of making the same poor decisions when it came to my lifestyle choices and I wanted to do something about it. 


Over the past few months I've actively changed the way I think about food and the decisions I make about physical activity. I've been putting these new and healthier lifestyle choices into place and I am seeing such a benefit from doing so. So far I have lost 17lb, I am more active than I have been in years and I'm feeling pretty awesome because of it! 




Being move active.

It's hard to find time to exercise when you are looking after a toddler but chasing after them is a work out in itself. I recently bought an exercise bike which I go on every other night but my main source of activity is walking. Every day I make a point of getting outside, in the fresh air. Whether it be a quick burst to the park with Noah or a couple of miles through the woods it all helps and I feel so much more energised for doing so. 

I recently bought a Fitbit band to track and log my steps, food and water intake and it's been motivating me to really push myself each day. I've also recently bought some fitness gear from Esprit as I didn't have anything suitable to wear when working out.

I feel like my fitness level is really increasing and I would love for it to continue because I'm feeling so much better in myself for it. 



                                                             Eating and drinking better.

Along with becoming move active my diet has changed dramatically. I am currently on Slimming World which I don't look at as a diet, it's food optimising. It changes the way you look at food and teaches you how to choose and balance the right foods. 

When you are following a plan like this it doesn't mean that you need to cut out any treats that you do like to indulge in, you can still have them. This I think is better in the long run because by not depriving yourself of a treat every now and again it keeps you motivated and on plan. 



So there you have it. This has been my progress in the past couple of months and I'm happy with things are going. Hopefully I can keep at it and further down the line report back with even more positive results.



Have you got any fitness or healthy living tips you would like to share with me?
I would love to hear them!

How well do your children eat?



Today I thought I would write all about Noah and his eating habits.

From the very start of our weaning journey we have continuously introduced new foods to our son. I think that the variety of tastes, textures, colours have played a big role in how he eats today. Persistence is key too. If they turn their nose up at it once then try offering it again further down the line. 


On a whole (and at the moment) Noah is a good eater. He loves fruit and vegetables, his favourites being strawberries and carrots. He will usually try anything that you put in front of him which makes meal times easy and rather stress free.

That being said if he's grumpy, unwell or teething then it can be a struggle to get him to eat anything. He will tend to just pick at his meal, whine about it and then throw it all on the floor! 

I recently came across this
infographic from My Voucher Codes and I think it shares some interest facts and statistics on children's eating habits and parents feeding habits. Did you know what 67% of parents let their children choose what they want to eat? 

At the moment Noah doesn't choose what he eats, we eat as a family most of the time and he loves his vegetables. I pray it stays this way but I'm not counting my chickens just yet because children are temperamental little things!


How well do your children eat? 



 


Noah - 19 Months Old


Character
Every month his little persona just grows and grows. Everyone always comments on what a character he is and it always makes me smile because they don't even know half of it. He is generally a very social, caring, happy and smiley boy and he really makes every day a pleasure. That being said he certainly knows his own mind, is stubborn and a little mischievous when he wants to be! 


Size
He hasn't moved up fully in clothes just yet and is still wearing a combination of 12-18 month and 18-24 months. Still a size 4 in shoes too.


Health
Nothing to report on the health front as everything has been okay. He currently has 12 teeth and I think more are on the horizon. 



Feeding
Noah has been a lot more picky this month. Not as in picky with what he wants to eat but rather than wolfing his food down he's been leaving more and just picking at it. He still has 2 bottles of milk a day and sometimes even one in the afternoon too. He loves his milk and I'm glad that he still enjoys it.


Sleep
We've had a few nights where Noah hasn't wanted to settle but thankfully he's back to usual now. He normally has a two hour nap in the afternoon at around 1pm and he usually goes to bed at night at 8pm. Most mornings he doesn't wake up till 9am! I am very lucky that he enjoys his sleep. 



Speech
Noah's new words this month are GO and STRAWBERRIES! 
He knows roughly 20+ words but he will only say them when he wants to and I'm trying to encourage him to use them more often. His favourite word is Teddy and he says that almost as much as he does Mama. 


Milestones and new tricks

Understanding. He seems to understand literally everything I say these days. A couple of days ago I pointed to a pack of wipes and asked him to get them and to wipe his face. To by disbelief he did just that!

Running. Of course he's been able to run for a while but he can run REALLY fast now and it scares me a little!

He can now point out his head, hair, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, belly, boobies, bum, winky, hands and feet! I think he's really clever! 


He always helps me to dress himself and will try to brush his hair himself. 


Likes 

Being outside. He would live outside if I let him! If he's spent a few hours every day outside in the fresh air then you know he's going to be one happy little chap.


Kissing! He loves to give kisses to everyone and everything! 


Die cast cars. He is still obsessed with his cars and he is amassing quite the collection.

Tidying up! Yes you read correctly, Noah likes to tidy up. I always involve Noah in tidying up his toys and he really enjoys being included, especially when he gets praise and a round of applause!

In The Night Garden. He has always liked the odd TV show every now and again but he's never enjoyed one like he has with ITNG. As soon as it comes on he gets all excited and his little face lights up.

Books! 


Animals. He loves our cats, the neighbours dogs, ducks, birds. Any animal he is fascinated with. He is so gentle with our cats too and it makes me so proud of him. I am always on hand to make sure he is being gentle with them and I've very rarely had to correct him.

Water play. He isn't really a fan of messy or sand play but the exception is water play. We were recently sent a water table to review and he adores it.



Dislikes

Coming in from a walk. When he knows we are going back in he will sometimes throw a hissy fit which usually entails him throwing himself on the floor and crying like he's heartbroken.

Having his face wiped and his teeth brushed.


Being told no.