Wednesday 29 June 2011

Amy babbles: Wimbledon

I don't know if mummy has already told you but I love watching tennis. At the moment there is a big tournament on telly that mummy and daddy call Wimbledon. Players from all over the world play against each other and when I wake up from my lunchtime nap mummy lets me watch one or two matches. Normally, I like to keep mummy and daddy busy. They have to play with me or sing stupid songs to make sure that I don't get bored but when mummy lets me watch tennis I am really quiet. I sit on her lap and watch what the players are doing. When they miss the ball I say "Uuh" and when my favourite player wins I smile at the telly. 

Copyright: The Tennis Times
Tennis is really important in our family. Daddy played lots of tennis when he was a little boy. He played every weekend and even on some school nights. My grampy Dave says daddy was really good and that he even beat children that were older and bigger than himself. Daddy still loves tennis: Today, my Uncle William came to our house and the two played Wimbledon in our garden. They gave each other funny names like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi or Roger Federer and jumped from one side to the other. Daddy always wanted to be Boris Becker. I think he likes him because he's German just like mummy. Sometimes daddy shows me tricks he does with the tennis racket. When he does that, he speaks of 'Phase 1' and smiles at mummy. I don't know what that means but I find daddy's tricks really funny so I give him my biggest smile and hope he plays tennis with me when I am older. Now I have to go to sleep though. Watching tennis all day is really hard work when you are a baby. 

Do you like watching Wimbledon?

Does your daddy also play tennis in the garden?

Who do you think will win?

Amy x

Mummy Alarm: Win 1 of 6 Sun Sense Toddler Milks

Three weeks ago, I have teamed up with sun care expert, Clare Kerr, to compile a list of many useful tips and tricks on "How to protect your family in the sun". This week Mummy Alarm is giving you the chance to win 1 of 6 Sun Sense Toddler Milks which have been kindly donated by Sunproof Limited.
Sunproof Limited is the website to go to when you want to make sure that you and your family are thoroughly protected from the dangers of the sun. The sun care specialist sells everything from sun hats and sun shelters to UV clothing, swimming aids and the fabulous Sun Sense range.
Sun Sense Toddler Milk with SPF 50+ comes in a 50 ml roll-on applicator bottle and allows you to apply sun cream to your toddler without making a mess. It is carefully formulated for the delicate skin of children and gives increased protection against the sun's harmful radiation, yet contains lower levels of those substances which may irritate your child's sensitive skin. Sun Sense Toddler Milk SPF 50+ retails at £7.99


How to enter the competition:

1. Leave me a comment telling meabout your funniest summer memory - required.

For 2 extra entries:
1. Follow @caro_mad on Twitter and tweet "I want to win 1 of 6 Sun Sense Toddler Milks with @caro_mad. You can enter here http://bit.ly/kmipZ8"
2. Subscribe to Mummy Alarm's RSS Feed
3. Leave a comment on a non-competition blog post and tell me which post you commented on.

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 13/07/2011
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.

Tuesday 21 June 2011

My Fight against the Formula Mafia - National Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2011

One thing upfront: I don't judge mums formula feeding their babies. In most cases, they have thoroughly thought about their options and decided for the one best for them and their baby.

I know that lots of formula feeding mums have to put up with negative comments for not 'giving their child the best start', but in my eyes, many of them give us breastfeeding mums as much grieve as they get. Whenever, I tell formula feeding mums that I am breastfeeding my baby, the comments start: “I'm sure she's crying because you are not producing enough millk? (No, she's crying because she is tired) I think you should switch to formula! (No, I don't think so!) Who do you want to prove anything to!?” (No one) 


To be honest, it is driving me mad. I am not proving anything to anyone! I have never felt any pressure to breastfeed. It is what I chose to do because it's just feels right. My breasts aren't just there to be put in a pretty bra – at least that's what I like to think. I come from a family with a breastfeeding background. My mum breastfed both my sister and me and she never made it sound like it was a chore. Maybe it it was her positive attitude that made it so natural for me. When I found out that I was pregnant with Amy, I had no doubt about the way I was going to feed my baby.
So why do formula feeding mums look at me like I am some sort of freak just because I am breastfeeding my baby and dare to do it for longer than a week? As soon as people find out that I am not formula feeding they start questioning how long I will survive breastfeeding. Why? I enjoy feeding my baby. I enjoy giving her the best possible start I can and I enjoy being close to her. The formula feeding mums I have come across see breastfeeding as a burden. I don't, I am proud to be breastfeeding my baby and I couldn't care less about your negative attitude!

PS: I am not addressing all formula feeding mums here. This post refers to the ones that tried making me feel like an alien for breastfeeding my baby!

If you have ever made feel bad about your choice to breastfeed, I would love to hear about your experiences. What did people say? How did you react? Did their criticism make you even more determined to breastfeed?

Monday 20 June 2011

Mummy Alarm Competition: Win 2 copies of 'Shoot the Baby"

Shoot the Baby is a beautifully presented book offering advice on how to take great photos of babies and toddlers – and we have two copies to give away. Ideal for the amateur photographer, it is packed with tips, advice and composition ideas, presented in a light-hearted style to help parents to capture the best of those precious first years. Shoot the Baby bridges the gap between novice photographer and keen hobbyist - a market which hasn't been addressed by photography books to date. The advice and ideas in the book work with a full range of cameras from mobile phone to digital SLR. No additional expensive equipment is required to take advantage of the tips to create stunning baby photos.


The book is split into two key sections: top tips and composition ideas – with beautiful images used throughout. The tips are written succinctly in list format and cover a range of topics such as planning, lighting, props and how to encourage a winning smile.
The second half of the book - ‘The Subject Matters’ - gives fully illustrated ideas for suggested shots and key milestones to capture such as the first haircut, tooth, birthday, Christmas – and shoes.
Shoot the Baby’s humorous style and winning images mean it can be enjoyed by anyone who loves children; photographers and non-photographers alike. Published by Vero Press, Shoot the Baby is available on www.amazon.co.uk and www.shootthebaby.co.uk at a cost of £12.99.

How to enter the competition:

1. If you were a paparazzi, which celebrity would you like to take a picture of and why?
For 2 extra entries:
1. Follow @caro_mad on Twitter and tweet "I want to win a copy of 'Shoot the Baby' with @caro_mad. You can enter here http://bit.ly/jWdC0P"
2. Subscribe to Mummy Alarm's RSS Feed
3. Leave a comment on a non-competition blog post and tell me which post you commented on.

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 11/07/2011
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.


Friday 17 June 2011

Mummy Alarm's Big Father's Day Gift Guide

In the build-up to Father's Day my better half has been spoiled rotten with lots of lovely gifts from various companies and their representatives. There is some seriously great stuff amongst the things we were sent and we simply want to use this post to give you an idea of what to get if you haven't done your Father's Day shopping yet:


The clever people from Toblerone have come up with a treat that both daddy and I absolutely loved: the "Dad of the Year" bar. I know, I know it's Father's Day but which mummy could resist a whopping 400g of delicious chunky chocolate triangles infused with honey and almond nougat? Not me! At £4.69 the bar is really great value for money and if you are clever and don't invite me round, it will last you ages. You might even be lucky and win a holiday to Switzerland with your bar.


When we found out that we were expecting our little girl, Ben instantly decided that he was going to stop smoking. He went to see the NHS Quit Nurse and never looked back (You can't believe how proud I am of him). The only treat he had since than is a cigar for Amy's birth and apparently you don't even smoke but puff them. Well, to make sure that daddy's lungs do really stay healthy, I'll just feed him Chocolate Cigars from Rococo Chocolates now. Ok, with a price of £6.99 they are slightly pricier than a real cigar but at least you'll get a crunchy hazelnut praline covered in dark and milk chocolate for it and not some dry leaves.


“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” - Ben is no exception to this rule and absolutely mad for a good steak... or two. Knowing men, The East London Steak Co. has put together a special gift box for all the dad’s that love their meat. It contains a variety of quality cuts including a 600g t-bone, a 350g rib eye, sirloin and rump. As well as a 300g bavette and onglet steak and their signature Classic Rub. We haven't tried the meat yet, but be sure to visit Ben's cooking blog 'Just Mad Cooking' for a thorough review and to find out what he cooked. The box costs £35, which we thought is really reasonable for a big box full of quality meat.


"Hmmmmm delicious" was what you could hear from our mouths when we tested Delimann's 'Devonshire Cream Tea' that was delivered to our doorstep and allowed us to indulge in this authentic West Country treat without having to leave our house or stand in the kitchen for hours. The beautifully packed gift box comes with two oversized Devon scones, extra thick clotted cream, Devon strawberry jam, a rich and moist fruit cake and tea so good that daddy says it's the best one he has ever tried. All that you get for just £15 plus delivery. In our eyes this deserves a big thumbs up and a big order from us.


You might have found out that Amy's daddy is a bit of a foodie. So it's not surprise that he looks like a serious hoarder when it comes to kitchen sauces, oils and everything that makes a meal that little bit nicer. The newest addition to his collection is a set of Tabasco® sauces that he can carry around with him wherever he goes. The range starts with 57ml bottles that easily sit on the table and goes up to a gallon-sized jug that will the perfect choice for hot pepper sauce fanatics, real chilli heads and true Tabasco® fans.


Radox have brought out a new range of 2in1 Shower Gel & Shampoo and Body Scrubs just in time for Father's Day and have kindly sent daddy some samples to try. He was delighted as he is a big Radox fan and instantly jumped under the shower. His verdict: as foamy and refreshing as the original and just what a new daddy needs to wake up in the morning. The new range is available in Watermint & Sea Minerals, Lime & Ginger, Mint & Tea Tree and Lemon & Tea Tree and comes with the famous Radox hook, making sure that daddy leaves enough space for mummy's bubble bath, shampoos and conditioners. RPP £1.99


Formulated to leave you feeling like royalty every day, Kings & Queens is a unisex brand harnessing the beauty and wellbeing benefits of herbs and spices. Their products are actually so beautiful that the man of our house thought the bubble bath was for me. I wish - the products don't only look beautiful, they do also smell absolutely divine. I think I might have to have a sneaky bubble bath myself - I'm the one who made him a daddy after all! Kings & Queens soaps retail from £3 onwards.


God, what were we excited when the SodaStream Fizz Drink Maker arrived. Ben and I have both childhood memories of creating our own fizzy drinks but the SodaStream isn't what it was back then. It is better! It comes in a new stylish design and has a digital display for an accurate and timely amount of bubbles. The SodaStream Fizz even allows you do dose how fizzy you want your drink and displays how much CO2 is left in your cylinder. Also the range of flavours has greatly improved with dozens of different tastes to choose from. Our absolute favourite is Cherry but we've got still quite a lot left to try. SodaStreams retail between £40 and £150 - the SodaStream Fizz costs £119.


As it looks like we are having yet another rainy BBQ season, our new George Foreman Easy Clean Grill & Melt Family Grill might become a real life saver this summer. Instead of standing next to the BBQ wearing wellies and holding an umbrella while flipping burgers, we can now grill tasty meats in the comfort of our kitchen - quick & easy. But that's not the only great thing about our Easy Clean & Melt Grill: It combines the unique grill and melt feature with removable plates and comes with a digital timer making sure that I don't ruin yet another meal. The family-sized grill retails at £89.99 but is currently on offer for £70.

 
Hot snacks from fish fingers to pizza slices or even chips - the limited edition Toastadad is a truly versatile kitchen helper. You can even make sandwiches and naan-breads with it and all you have to do is pop them in the bag and toast them until hot. Easy, don't you think? The limited edition pack for Father's Day comes with Dads’ Favourites recipe booklet and two gold, re-usable Toastabags (up to 100 uses). With a price of £1.99 for two bags, the Toastadads are great value for money and a life saver for stressed first time parents. 


Every daddy loves his gadgets and if your better half or daddy is anything like mine you'll know that the amount of cables needed for mobile, iPod, Playstation and all the other devices can be a real source of danger. The Powermat puts an end to tangled cables. Just pop a Powermat receiver on your device, drop it on the Powermat, and watch it start charging. At £69.99 the price might seem a bit steep but the Powermat will last you for ages and its intelligent technology will help you reduce your energy bill in the long run. Thumbs up!

And the winner is...


@ashlallan
@feefeegabor 
@pandcands
@marzutek 
@mummy_loves 
@Dorothee77 
@littleboo_21 
@muminmeltdown
@curiousgregor 
@second_time_mum 

 Congratulations - I'll be in touch shortly!

Monday 13 June 2011

Review and Competition: Win 1 of 10 Father's Day Toastabag

It's Father's Day on Sunday and I've been thinking for weeks on what to get my better half for this very special day - it's his first Father's Day after all. I have come up with a couple of ideas on how to put a smile on his face and these are certainly going to help with mission "Make Daddy smile":


They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so I'll make the brave way into the kitchen (in our house it's Mummy who is lacking in the kitchen department) to try and rustle up a gorgeous Father's Day sandwich for Daddy. For once I am optimistic that I'll succeed, because the system behind these Father's Day toastabags is really simple: Pop hot snacks from fish fingers to pizza slices or even chips into the bag and toast it until hot. Easy, don't you think? The same principle does also work for sandwiches and even naan-breads & Co.The limited edition pack for Father's Day comes with Dads’ Favourites recipe booklet and two gold, re-usable Toastabags (up to 100 uses). It is available at www.toastabags.com and is priced at just £ 1.99 great value for money.


How to enter the competition:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you would pop into the Father's Day toastabag - required

For 2 extra entries:
1. Follow @caro_mad on Twitter and tweet "I want to win a Limited Edition Toastabag with @caro_mad. You can enter here http://bit.ly/muLvS4 "
2. Follow Mummy Alarm via Google Friend Connect

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 16/06/2011
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.

Thursday 9 June 2011

Mummy Alarm Competition: Win a £25 voucher for a unique baby blanket

Babies love being warm and cosy, so a lovely blanket for baby to cuddle up in is an absolute must-have for every parent. But it's not only you and I who know about the comforting effects of a snuggly baby blanket: The clever people from Pledd have come up with a wide range of baby blankets that make great christening or birthday gifts for all little cuddle monsters and also keep them warm and comfy. My absolute favourite is Pledd's personalised baby blanket that is made from 100% organic cotton and is adorned with baby's name, birth date, weight and length. Isn't it adorable?

If you feel like ordering your little one a snuggly baby blanket now, wait a minute: Mummy Alarm and Pledd have teamed up to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a £25 voucher to spend in Pledd's online shop. Have a look at it here


How to enter the competition:

1. Visit Pledd's website and leave me a comment with the name and link of the product you like best. - required

For 2 extra entries:
1. Follow @caro_mad on Twitter and tweet "I want to win a £25 voucher for a unique baby blanket with @caro_mad. You can enter here http://bit.ly/iehfqO"
2. Follow Mummy Alarm via Google Friend Connect

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 30/06/2011
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.

Tuesday 7 June 2011

How to protect your family in the sun

Supposedly we are in for a long and hot summer with lots of sunshine. So let's be optimistic and hope for sunny days at the beach, picnics in the park and many barbeques with the whole family. But let's also be careful and make sure that we protect us and our children from the damaging effects of the sun.

To give you the information you need to protect your family, Mummy Alarm has teamed up with Clare Kerr, sun care expert from Lloydspharmacy who is sharing her top tips with you:

  • Children and babies need extra protection because their skin is more delicate, especially if they have red hair, pale eyes or freckles. It’s best to use a water resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 to 50, and keep babies under six months out of direct sunlight completely.
  • Even if you are in shade you can still get burned, some rays do get through so sitting in the shade is not an excuse to not wear sunscreen. 
  • The sun’s rays can still burn you when it’s overcast. The sun may not have his hat on, but you and especially your little ones should! 
  • In the UK, when applied correctly, sunscreens with an SPF of 15 and above can provide adequate protection against sunburn, skin damage, premature ageing, wrinkling and skin cancers. As basic rule, those travelling abroad should use at least SPF30.


  •  Research shows that many people do not use enough sunscreen to provide adequate protection. Apply a generous amount of sunscreen  about half an hour before going out in the sun so that it has time to absorb into your skin and dry. 
  • When applying sunscreen, pay particular attention to the skin near to the edges of clothing, such as straps and necklines, as these areas can easily be missed. 
  • Reapply sunscreen regularly (at least every two to three hours) as it can rub off on towels, sand or after going in the water. Even water-resistant sunscreens should be reapplied after you come out of the water as it can be rubbed off when drying yourself with a towel. Try setting a reminder on your phone! 
  • Use a stick application with a high SPF for exposed areas, such as your nose, ears and lips because these areas tend to burn more easily. 
  • Always use after sun to put moisture back into your skin after you’ve been in the sun. It’ll keep you looking young! 


    Over the next couple of weeks, Mummy Alarm will run a series of features and product reviews to help you make sure you'll get through the summer safely. So pop round regularly to see how you can protect yourself and your family without missing out on fun time in the sun.

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