Friday 22 April 2011

Competition: Win 2 FlexiBaths and co-ordinating bath toys

Three years, two Danish engineers and one million pounds transformed a frustrating problem for all parents into the award-winning FlexiBath. The FlexiBath is the first ever foldable baby bath tub, it resolves storage concerns by folding flat and can fit just about anywhere; against the wall, in a cabinet, under the bed. The FlexiBath is made of hard plastic with soft folding lines made of rubber, which makes it both stable and flexible, for additional safety and comfort, the bottom of the bath has a non-slip surface. 

Although at first sight the bath looks smaller than traditional baby baths, this is an optical illusion, once filled with water it expands easily accommodating two babies aged 0-4 years. New parents appreciate its easy storage, safety features and environmentally-sensitive design.
FlexiBath have not only introduced the new purple colour this year but they have also just launched a fabulous range of co-ordinating bath toys. The bath toys include an ingenious small table, which can be attached to all bathtubs, the table offers an additional space to play with their favourite toys while enjoying a bath. The FlexiBath (29.95) and Co-ordinating bath toys (12.95) are available to purchase from www.flexibath.co.uk

How to enter:
To be in with a chance of winning one of the 2 FlexiBaths and co-ordinating toys, simply enter your details here and leave a comment below telling me what your little one's favourite bath toy is. 
For 1 extra entry:
1. Tweet "I want to win a FlexiBath and co-ordinating bath toys with @caro_mad. You can enter here: http://tiny.cc/6ecjm"

The closing date of the competition is 14/05/2011
The winner will be chosen at random.
The winner's name will be shown on this page.
Competition is open to residents of the UK only.
The prize is non-refundable and cannot be transferred. No cash alternative is available

The Prize Finder - UK Competitions  

And the winners of a FlexiBath and co-ordinating bath toys are

Marzena - @marzutek

and

Medsdemon - @medsdemon

Congratulations - I will be in touch shortly.

9 top tips for Baby's first Easter

Your baby may be too young to decorate a hard-boiled egg or go on an egg hunt, but there are still plenty of ways to make Easter an educational and enjoyable event. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Hide and seek


One of the best games to play with your baby is ‘peek-a-boo’ or ‘hide-and-seek’. It’s traditional, simple to organise, educational and lots of fun. To develop your baby’s thinking, memory and hand-eye coordination skills, hide a plastic egg under a cloth or cup. Say “Where’s the egg?” If your baby is at the reaching and grasping stage, she will look for it, even though it is out of sight. From the age of nine months, your baby may deliberately prolong the fun by hiding the object for you to discover.
If you have a spare tissue box, fill it with Easter ribbons or brightly coloured fabrics. Your baby will delight in pulling out the materials one by one. She will also discover that when you put the materials back in the box, they continue to exist even though they are hidden from view.
To encourage logical thinking, problem-solving and exploratory skills, hide behind the sofa and call out your baby’s name. When your baby discovers your hiding place, she will learn that you haven’t just vanished because you are out of sight. This teaches your baby about object permanence and stability. Psychologist Jean Piaget suggested that this awareness was typically achieved at about six months of age. However, recent studies show that if peek-a-boo games are played regularly, babies understand these concepts from about two months of age.

Easter puppets


A rabbit puppet and a pop-up frog are wonderful hide and seek toys. They provide a wealth of learning opportunities from visual stimulation to speech and language development. They also encourage rich parent-baby interactions and the element of surprise that babies love so much.

Easter books


Three-dimensional books with large, brightly coloured illustrations, textured materials and hide-and-seek pictures that encourage interaction make great Easter presents for babies. Your baby may investigate the properties of a texture with her finger tips or turn the pages to discover something new. Your voice and facial expressions will capture your baby’s interest and attention and liven up her experience of the world. Best of all, your baby will enjoy cuddling up to you, which has a huge impact on her future learning and development. Research shows that babies who are regularly cuddled have bigger brains than babies who are deprived of close loving physical contact.

Easter treasure basket 


Line a shallow basket with a soft bunny blanket and fill it up with Easter-themed objects such as a plastic egg, a textured book, a soft toy rabbit, lamb or duck and a mealtime set. Include a toy that your baby can safely chew on.
When your baby can sit up with or without support, a treasure basket filled with interesting and engaging objects will develop her sense of curiosity. When your baby explores the objects, she will find out about weight, size, shape, taste, smell, sound and temperature. Every time a new object is explored, highly sensitive nerve endings in the skin will send messages to her brain. In this way, information is collected that will lead to the later recognition of objects.

Easter songs


Focus on Easter songs such as ‘Peter Rabbit’ and ‘5 little Ducks’. Even if your baby cannot understand the words, she will enjoy the sound of your voice and your facial gestures and body movements. These time-honoured songs have a repetitive theme, which help to establish a sense of order (mathematical reasoning) and a sense of security. They also provide a powerful stimulus in terms of language and social development.

Easter games


A simple activity such as rolling a plastic egg across the floor will encourage a whole range of mobility skills as well as hand-eye coordination and sensory exploration. When your baby is a little older, you can sit on the floor and roll the egg back and forth or roll it down a slope for your baby to catch. An egg that makes playful sounds will provide an endless source of amusement and fun. Best of all, your quality interactions will make a huge difference to your baby’s emotional development and learning.

Nesting eggs


Towards the end of the first year, your baby will enjoy activities that encourage use of the pincer grip. A multi-coloured nesting egg set for example, provides a wonderful, educational opportunity. When your baby tries to nest the eggs, she will learn about size and space, which forms the foundation for mathematical and spatial awareness. These skills will stand her in good stead for the future.

Easter outing


The spring air provides the perfect opportunity to tantalise your baby’s sense of smell. The fragrance of flowers, cut grass, new leaves growing and the smell of rain will help your baby learn about the world. Fresh air contains high levels of negative ions that can have a positive impact on your baby’s health and brain function. Sunlight provides Vitamin D that your baby needs to grow strong, healthy bones and offers protection from a number of common ailments and disorders.
Activities that the whole family can enjoy together might include a visit to the river or pond to see the ducklings, a trip to a farm to see the baby animals or the excitement of an Easter party, which includes relatives and close friends. Avoid dressing up as the ‘Easter Bunny’ since the costume might unsettle or even frighten your baby.

Capture the occasion 


This year, Easter falls on Sunday 25th April. To mark the occasion, dress your baby in an Easter-themed outfit. Your baby will look adorable in a bunny costume. Capture the moment on camera. A photograph will provide a fond memory of your baby’s first Easter for many years to come.


Can you remember you celebrated your baby's first Easter? Did you dress them in a funny costume? Did you all go for a big walk or do you have special Easter traditions in your family?

Saturday 16 April 2011

What's in my fridge? - A Meme


It's been quite a while since I did my last meme so I'm kind of excited that I've been tagged by Jenny. I now have to show you all what's in my fridge and I have to admit that I couldn't help but giggle to myself because our weekly shopping had just been delivered a couple of hours ago - lucky me!
I didn't manage to take a picture of what's in the doors because they shut every time I stopped holding them but they store mainly drinks such as 2 bottles of cranberry-raspberry soda (made with our new SodaStream), 4 pints of milk, a bottle of Pepsi and some Cherryade. In the top shelf of the door we store all sorts of sauces and various kinds of mustard - daddy to be is a passionate chef so you can imagine he's got quite a big repertoire of things to chuck into a meal.
But let me tell you about the main part of the fridge and let's work strategically from top to bottom: At the top we've got lots of dairy products such as different cheeses, cream, butter, mascarpone and also some salad sauces. I've heard somewhere that dairy is best stored on the top shelf. No idea, if that's actually true but I've stored it there ever since.
On the middle shelf there are a whole chicken for tomorrow's roast dinner, several sliced meats such as ham, turkey breast, salami and beef and some freshly diced beef for a Beef Stroganoff that we are going to cook at the beginning of the week. As we were running out of space I had to store some cat food on the same shelf as well as some lemon juice - brilliant combination, don't you think?
A bit further down, we've got a big pack of eggs, 2 packs of cranberry juice, 2 packs of orange juice, some innocent smoothies, Glorious soups (very yummy) and some beer for daddy to be and grandad to be who'll arrive later tonight with grandma and aunty to be. 
The two bottom drawers are reserved for everything healthy: cucumbers, peppers, parsnips, mushrooms, tomatoes, coriander, rosemary onions, shallots - we love fresh vegetables and herbs, so we always try to make sure we've got plenty of them at home. They just make every meal that little bit nicer, don't you think? We're also big fans of fresh fruit but as that's not stored in the fridge, you'll unfortunately won't be able to see my mahoosive collection of pineapples (I'm overdue), apples, pears and oriental pears. Maybe next time...

Right now I can't wait to find out what these lovely people have in their fridges:
Jenny from Mummy Mishaps
Mirka from All Baby Advice
Carly from Mummy's Shoes
Karin from Cafe Bebe

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Review: Dark Choc Florentines

Product: Belgian Dark Choc Florentines by Fudges

Price: £3.32

Available from: Fudges Online, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda

Suitable for: every age although probably more for older kids and adults

Initial Reaction:
The florentines come in a lovely packaging and the picture on the front shows them covered in a thick layer of dark chocolate. How couldn't you want to have them all at once?

Pros: They are a delicious treat: chewy, light and with a layer of indulgent Belgian chocolate.

Cons: I couldn't find any, although they are a bit expensive if you want them as a daily treat. Well, at least if you like them as much as I did.

Value for money: Average


Overall reaction:
I was sent a package of Fudges' Belgian Dark Chocolate Florentines and couldn't wait to try them. Their packaging looked really inviting and I wasn't disappointed when I opened the package to try what truly is a divine chocolate treat. The florentines are made of the finest ingredients, combining roasted almonds with fresh ginger and indulgent dark Belgian chocolate. They make a perfect treat and go rather well with a nice cup of tea or coffee, but don't worry they're also really nice if you have them on their own. The only thing that would stop me from buying them on a daily basis is their price. They retail at £3.32 and there are only eight florentines in a package. So if you want to offer them to guests when you have a full house or eat them on a daily basis, it might get a little expensive for you. For a special occasion they are absolutely fine and I'm sure I'll treat my family to them when we are meeting for our Easter get-together.

Review: Love You Mum by Gillian Campbell

I'm not normally one for self-help books, I really don't like the guilt trip that most of them send you on, however when I was asked to review Love You Mum by Gillian Campbell I thought it might be a good idea to have a read through it. 


There are millions of books that tell you how to raise your children, how to get them to have the perfect sleep routine and and and. This books different: It tells you how to be a mum – a mum that is happy in her role, a mum that goes to bed with a smile on her face and a mum that is in charge of her life.
Love Your Mum is divided into several chapters like Understanding Who You Are, Building Habits or Parenting with a Truth and helps you to analyse yourself and your feelings towards motherhood using exercises that really get you thinking. After working through them, you will clearly be able to say what kind of mum you are and what kind of mum you really want to be.
We all are grumpy from time to time or think we could do better when we look at the 'perfect' lives of others, aren't we? But why don't we just change our habits? No motivation? No idea where to start? Let me tell you, Gill Campbell will give you a kick up the bum that will get you going. Regard her as a good friend or even better, your personal trainer: she'll hold a mirror in front of you and she'll show you ways on how to deal with the ups and downs of being a mum.
Gillian herself says: “The book is for Mums who perhaps end more days wishing they hadn’t snapped at their kids and their partners more than they had laughed and loved the challenges they faced. Those who dive into the escape of a glass of wine, an internet site or a reality TV show at the end of each day, rather than spending time with their partner or putting steps in place.”
If that sounds like you, pop into your local book shop or visit Gillian's website www.theonlymum.com to get your copy of “Love You Mum”. The book costs £12.95 but it might change your life.

Monday 11 April 2011

I'm nominated for the MAD Awards 2011 - will you vote for me?

Can you believe it? I have been nominated for an amazing six categories in this year's MAD Awards.


I have only started blogging mid January, mainly because all the other mummy blogs out there inspired me and because I wanted to keep a record of my way from young and freedom loving woman to mummy. But seeing that you are enjoy reading my ramblings as much as I do enjoy writing them feels absolutely amazing. I feel honoured that you take the time to read about my pregnancy ups and downs and I absolutely love reading your comments on the different topics I am writing about. They are cheering me up, make me laugh and some of them do even make me think about things in a completely different way. So being nominated for a whopping 6 categories on top of all your support feels absolutely overwhelming. Winning one of them would be even better so if you want to make it happen, why not vote for me in the MAD Awards 2011?

I am nominated in the following categories and would love to gather as many votes as possible. So get clicking, everyone:

Best MAD Baby Blog
Best MAD Blog Writer
Best New MAD Blog
Most Inspiring MAD Blogger
Best Pregnancy Blog
MAD Blogger of the Year

To vote simply click here and copy http://mummyalarm.blogspot.com into the fields that name the categories above. Please, do not forget to copy the domain. If you just write Mummy Alarm into the field, your vote won't be counted and Mummy Alarm won't be going anywhere. Wouldn't that be a shame?

Patience isn't one of my strengths


Baby girl isn't due for at least another three days but I've been feeling like a cat on a hot tin roof for at least two weeks now. I've been going on long walks, had about 5 curries within a week and a half and God knows how many pineapples, but nothing is happening. No twinges, no braxton hicks, nothing! I was really hoping that baby girl was going to be a bit early considering she's quite tall already, but it looks like she's got different plans. Her grandparents and aunty are coming from Germany on Saturday and I already see myself greeting them with a big belly instead of a baby in my arms. That's not how I planned things! But I guess you just can't plan pregnancy and I'll just have to wait and aaaah be patient. Did I tell you that patience isn't one of my strengths? No? Well, it isn't and people asking me if there are any news on a daily basis really do not help. As if I wouldn't tell anyone.  
The absolute highlight was my nan. I ring her at least twice a week to catch up on how she is and how things are back at home in Germany and she seriously asked me if I was going to phone her when the baby was born. No, I'll send a pigeon. I mean, how on earth could I not tell her about something I am so desperately waiting for?

How did you cope during the last stages of pregnancy? Did you try anything to make baby come out earlier and if, did it work?

Easter Activities for the Whole Family

For Football Fans:



Chelsea FC is offering two special Stamford the Lion tours this Easter. Aimed at children under eight years of age, the fun-filled tour with Stamford will take you behind-the-scenes with numerous photo opportunities throughout the tour and a Chelsea FC gift for every child taking part.

When: Friday 15th April and Thursday 21st April, 12.15pm - 14.00pm
Cost: £15 for adults and £15 for children.
Further information: You can upgrade your Stamford the Lion Tour to include lunch in Frankie's restaurant for an additional £10 for adults and £6 for children. Tours can be booked via phone, call 0871 984 1955 for more info. 
For Chocolate Fans:


Cadbury, the National Trust and the National Trust for Scotland are teaming up again to add a magical twist to the traditional family Easter egg hunt. The enchanting Easter Egg Trails will take place at over 270 spectacular National Trust places nationwide during the Easter weekend – a great day out for all the family!

When: Activities are running during the Easter weekend
Cost: For infos on costs and locations check www.eastereggtrail.com
Further information: Youngsters can hunt clues that will lead them to a delicious Cadbury treat, as well as enjoy plenty of activities and fresh air. The Easter Egg Trails will offer lots of activities for the whole family and this year the fun and games will range from traditional Easter Egg Trails and face painting through to more interactive children’s entertainers and outdoor games.

For Fans of Jurasic Park:


At Dinosaurs Unleashed at the O2 children will be presented with a challenge to win an Easter chocolate treat. There will be several ‘dinosaur egg’ letters hidden around the exhibition, each letter contributing to the spelling of one of the attraction’s life-size dinosaurs. Once all of the letters have been found it's up to the kids to work out what dinosaur is hiding the chocolate treat!

When: Friday 22nd to Monday 25th April 2011
Cost: £11.25 children aged 2-14, £14.25 adults or £42.60 family of 4
Further information: Kids can dig for fossils, piece them together in the Activity Zone or create their own dinosaur skins and colours at the popular Dino-Paint as well as testing their dinosaur knowledge with dynamic quizzes. More info and booking at www.dinosaursunleashed.com

For Sporty Families:


Easter holidays are upon us and evenings are getting lighter, so it's a great time for children to get involved with a local sporting activity. We all love a good Easter egg, however it's important to balance this out by encouraging children to keep active and healthy and take advantage of the Sporting Chance free sessions
When: Easter holidays
Cost: free
Further information: To find more information on free sessions offered in your area simply visit the Asda Sporting Chance Website and search for activities by postcode. If your child is extra sporty you can pick up as many vouchers as you need for them to enjoy every sport they like.

For little time travelers:
On Easter Sunday your little ones will be egg painting, egg rolling, and making a mini nest in The Weald & Downland Museum, Singleton, while on Easter Monday, the Museum will be continuing its long-standing bonnet making competition and parade. Visitors will also be treated to a Punch and Judy and magic show, period music, a demonstration of an Easter Feast Day in the Tudor Kitchen, short talks on Tudor Easter traditions and with a delicious lamb spit roast, local cider and apple juice available to buy.

When: Easter Holidays
Cost: adults £9.50, over 60s £8.50, children £5, family £26, under 4s free
Further information: The Museum is open over Easter from 10.30am to 6pm, with special activities running from 11am to 4pm. For details visit www.wealdown.co.uk or phone 01243 811475.

Thursday 7 April 2011

National Schools 'Storyonics' Competition

I usually don't publish press releases but I think this one might be interesting for all mums and dads of children in year 5 and 6 year of primary education. There are some great educational toys up for grabs and the literacy competitions offered for the different age groups do really look fun. I still remember taking part in reading and literacy competitions when I went to school and I absolutely loved them. If your little one's year loves a challenge then let their teacher know that registration is now open for the National Schools Storyonics Competition

There are over £10,000 worth of prizes including 500 sets of 'Storyonics for PC/Whiteboard' worth £19.99 for 500 lucky participating schools to be won in the prize draw. First prize for the winning class is £1,000 worth of educational toys and games with second and third prizes of £500 and £250 respectively. At the beginning of September participating schools will receive 12 slides each with four images. The class selects one image from each slide and creates a story for submission before the half term break. This is a wonderful opportunity to encourage imagination and creativity while incorporating curriculum literacy skills in a fun way.
The competition is run by ZooBooKoo to celebrate the National Year of Communication and in recognition of schools' services to children's literacy learning. The competition is supported by The Communication Trust and Volunteer Reading Help.
Schools can register by visiting www.zoobookoo.com and clicking on Storyonics Competition. It only takes one minute to register - a minute which will bring hours of fun to your child's learning and the chance to win great resources for your school. So do remember to mention it to your child's teacher.

Saturday 2 April 2011

Mummy Alarm's Big Mother's Day Competition


1 Craft Artist Platinum Software from Serif


1 £35 voucher for photo products from Snapfish


1 Breastfeeding Necklace from Mama Jewels


AF 7088 MT moVee Touch picture frame from Agfa


2 bottles of Californian Barefoot Merlot from Tesco

How to enter the competition:

1. Leave a comment telling me what Mother's Day means to you - required

For 5 extra entries:

2. Tweet "I want to win one of many great Mother's Day prizes with @caro_mad. You can enter here: http://bit.ly/f3tclP "
3. Subscribe to Mummy Alarm using the email form in the right hand corner
4. Leave a comment on one of my non-competition posts (tell me which)
5. Follow Mummy Alarm via Networked Blogs
6. Like Mummy Alarm on Facebook

Please, use separate comments for each entry. Failure do to so will result in only one entry per person.

The closing date of the competition is 09/04/2011
The winners will be chosen at random.
The winners' names will be shown on this page.
Competition is open to residents of the UK only.
The prize is non-refundable and cannot be transferred. No cash alternative is available.
 
The Prize Finder - UK Competitions 

And the winners are...

Craft Artist Software - @moolboots
£35 Snapfish Voucher - @ericahughes
Mama Jewels Necklace - @vickyd4v3
Agfa Touch Screen Frame - @tilliesworld
2 bottles of Barefoot Merlot - @sandyhellet
 
Congratulations - I'll be in touch shortly!

Friday 1 April 2011

Mummy Alarm's Big Mother's Day Gift Guide: Jewellery


Amber Heart Breastfeeding Necklace available from Mama Jewels Online, £23.95


Purple "Keep Calm and Carry On" Necklace available from Temporary Secretary, £22.95


Butterfly Island Charm Bracelet available from Annie Haak Designs Online, £170


Fiorelli Pointed Teardrop Shaped Earrings available from Fiorelli's Amazon Shop, £19.95


Mum Scrabble Necklace available from Chic Unique Online, £12
 

Competition: Win a Create-a-World game

Create-A-World is a new game that has just hit the UK and Mummy Alarm has managed to get her hands on one to give away.



There's nothing more powerful than a child's imagination: it helps children to learn, tell stories, and explore their potential. So why not let your little ones take a break from their hi-tech games and the television and give them the opportunity to create their very own imaginary world? Create-A-World is a fun, colorful, and innovative game has just hit the UK market. This wonderful multipurpose imagination game provides an endless range of playing options and ideas, making it easy for children to express their thoughts and act out stories. It includes 60 colorful, handmade playing pieces made from high-quality felt. The pieces include: animals, vehicles, fairy-tale characters, and many, many more. Children can combine their favourites to make scenes such as crocodiles climbing trees and princesses driving tractors, the possibilities are endless. The game is perfect for both boys and girls and allows children to play independently or with friends, there are no rules or boundaries. You can even save space by hanging it from their bedroom wall as a unique and ever-changing decoration. Create-A-World will retail at £49.95 and will be available from Amazon.

To be in with a chance of winning a Create-A-World game simply enter your details here and leave a comment below telling me how your little one's world would look like.

The closing date of the competition is 22/04/2011
The winner will be chosen at random.
The winner's name will be shown on this page.
Competition is open to residents of the UK only.
The prize is non-refundable and cannot be transferred. No cash alternative is available

The Prize Finder - UK Competitions

And the winner is...

Jenny Kearney

Congratulations - I'll be in touch shortly!

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