NappyKind Baby Leg Warmers Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Not long ago I carried out a review on NappyKind baby leggings, cute leggings in unique designs made in stretchy and comfortable fabric for active babies learning new skills and exploring!

So many people gave responded to the review curious about these beautiful leggings and the other products that the unique NappyKind Boutique had to offer.

Still interested??  Well NappyKind have offered a little something to my lovely blog readers to whet your appetite...

How cute are these baby leg warmers? And with the last of the summer weather washed away these leg warmers are a cosy and cute addition to any baby's autumn wardrobe.  They are unisex and come in a range of sizes.
Fancy trying your luck at winning these lovely leg warmers?  Then enter the Rafflecopter giveaway draw above, draw closes on Sunday  - you got to be in it to win it!  Good Luck! Oh, and you lucky ducks can get up to 4 entries each! Xx

My happy bowl.

I have a very clever friend called Aisling.  I used to work in the most horrible office in a job I absolutely hated.  Everyone was fed up, annoyed and desperate for a way out to greener pastures.  From this awful place I made some of the most amazing friends, and this is where I met the clever Aisling.

About 2 years ago Aisling spied a wee dream flat that she set her heart on.  She put an offer on it which was considered by the agent.  Aisling threw herself into Pinterest, creating design themes and imaginarily arranging imaginary furniture.  Seeing her at this busy task one day I got excited;

'Oh Ash! Has your offer been accepted??' 

'No, no' she said 'but I figure that if i behave as if I own the flat, the universe will make it all fall into place.'

Lovely, positive mental attitude personified.  Either that or delusional.  I choose to buy into the former.  

It was my birthday was on the 4th of September (forward all belated birthday gifts to my secretary).  My dad got me a voucher for a place on a short course where I would make a glass bowl.  The class takes part in the 'Blue Pod' in Project24, Queens Parade, Bangor.  

What is the point in these two separate bits of information?  Well this is where they link together.  Last week, on friday, my husband and I made an offer on a dream house.   On Sunday, in true Clever Aisling positive mental attitude style, I took up my place at the glass fusion course to make a glass bowl for my new (fingers crossed) kitchen.  

Project24 is a temporary art project transforming a once derelict space at Bangor's otherwise beautiful sea front.  The project contains 6 Pods with studio space for 12 artists.  

In the Blue Pod you will find Kenny Devon.  A friendly, warm and welcoming man who is passionate about glass in all its forms!  The course, costs £25, and is a 2hour session including tuition, materials and the cost of firing.

There was also a mother daughter team taking on the glass bowl making challenge along side me, they were fantastic comany and it was great to watch their creation take shape also.  

Kenny welcomed us with a brief but passionate tutorial on the chemisty behind glass making, its history and the health and safety details relating to the activities we would be carrying out that afternoon.  He finished with a promise of a cup of tea and a kit kat at the half way point and with the single rule for the day, NO STRESS.

The first stage was choosing the colours and design that you want to do.  

Kenny provides a selection of 5 different colours of glass to choose from.  Getting started was a bit overwhelming, there are so many possibilities.  I settled on a green theme to fit in with my new kitchen. 

Kenny continued work on a black and clear themed piece that we all decided either reminded us of a cow or a football.  Team mother daughter went all out, deciding to use all the colours. 

Here is the beginnings of my glass jigsaw, selecting glass pieces to fit together in a design I was happy with.

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Getting there.... with frequent checks from Kenny to make sure I wasn't leaving too many gaps that would leave the finished product weak.  

Reaching the half way point.  Here I had completed the outer layer of my bowl.  This is the task that takes the bulk of time as it is important to take care to ensure there are as few gaps as possible.  This means that the bowl will be strong.  Any small gaps I had I decided to fill them with blue glass to give another level of interest, followed by a celebratory cup of tea. 

The next stage was to fill in the inner layer of the bowl.  My plan was to simply mirror the pattern I had completed on the outer layer.  Mother/daughter team went for contrasting colours.  During the piecing of the second layer I got told off for turning the bowl in an over zealous way.  Kenny had experienced students in his class who had got to this stage but with s sharp jerk has tipped the bowl and lost all their hard work!  I was extra careful from then on!  As we completed our glass jigsaws we chatted.  Kenny told us of his hobby for researching family history and mother/daughter team chatted about their impending house move.  They had just got sale agreed on a house and were settling in Bangor.  They explained they loved Bangor as it was their first home in Northern Ireland when they moved from Poland.  They were making a glass bowl for their new house too!  Through chatting, tea drinking and bowl making I did not see the two hours fly in.  Before I knew it our session was over.  

This is a photo of mother/daughter teams finished product.  Isn't it beautiful???  It is ready to be sent to be fired.  Kenny takes the bowls to be fired and ready to be collected the next day.

After the two hour session I am hooked!!  I want to make more glass creations.  Kenny displays many of his pieces in and around the Blue Pod to inspire future projects.

    

Kenny also offers an option to create glass christmas gifts in his classes.  I love the idea of spending the afternoon making glass creations and at the same time ticking a few people off the christmas present list.  Much more pleasant than attempting to negotiate Primark!

 
There is the chance to make some of these beautiful and individual christmas tree decorations....

....as well as these unique tealight holders.  You could never make the same one twice and so every creation has its own individual charm.  Kenny allows all ages to take part from the age of 6 upwards.  There is the option of booking a family session for creating christmas goodies.
 

Interested?  Contact this guy.

Kenny Devon at the 'Blue Pod' at Project24, Queens Parade, Bangor.

Email ; kenny@devons.orangehome.co.uk

Phone; 07758374863


Want to see how my bowl turned out?

Isn't it beautiful? I'm so pleased with it.  Every time I look at the glass bowl I notice something new about it, the different shades of green that the layering and firing process have created, how it looks different in different lights, the interesting shapes and quirks that have been produced as it has been fired. Obviously it will look even more glorious in its intended place, our new kitchen, in our new house.

This week our offer was accepted on our dream house, it's all still very early days and I continue to keep all my fingers and toes crossed that the path runs smooth.  Clever Aisling was outbids in the end by a cash rich developer and she lost her dream flat, but it turns out the universe had much bigger plans for Ash, she is now sunning herself in Mexico living her passion, teaching English, poetry and drama and of course, drinking Mexican beer. 

I hope mother/daughter team have a stress free time organising the move to their dream house. I'm sure that their bowl is beautiful and will one day take pride of place in their new home. ( maybe if they stumble across this blog then they could upload a wee photo? )

Let's all raise a beautiful unique glass (bowl) to big dreams!

     

  

NappyKind Baby Leggings, An Honest Review.

If there is anything I hate more its that 'What To Wear' rush in the morning.  I need a personal stylist to dress me, whisper reassuring compliments in my ear and be ready at a moments notice with an industrial baby wipe to rid me of boke/bogey/unidentifiable stains.  Failing that, people need to be ok with me going to work in my pyjamas.

When choosing my outfit my number one concern is comfort.  When I flick through my disastrous  wardrobe I think about what I will be doing that day.  Cleaning the house, doing the food shop, all with baby Joel on my hip - stretch jeans, comfy boots and forgiving jumper.

I often think about baby Joel and what he would choose to wear if he could stand tall on his wee feet and flick through his wardrobe.  I'm pretty sure he would not choose the super cute but super annoying fancy trousers and braces I sometimes dress him up in (note to self; remember Joel is not a doll).  He would think about what his plans were for the day; eat, poop, roll around the floor exploring my different toys, perfect my skills at flipping from back to front and vice versa, get on my hands and knees and go backwards, try and crack this crawling malarky! What a busy physical day.  I'm pretty sure Joel would be going for comfort, I'm pretty sure he would go for baby leggings!

I first discovered baby leggings in Matalan, but to be honest they were fashion leggings...for baby girls. But I chose them in a boyish shade of blue as I just thought they looked so comfortable for Joel as he was at that learning the skills to crawl stage.

I first discovered NappyKind on Twitter.  I happened to click in their link and browse their website. They sell a selection of baby clothing including socks, leg warmers, rompers, hats and more.  I love they halloween leg warmers they are selling at the minute but most of all I was drawn the the baby leggings.  There is a great selection of unisex leggings and leggings for boys in super cute designs.  I couldn't decide which ones to order, so I ordered four pairs.  I was excited for the package to arrive and I wasn't disappointed.  With super quick delivery only 2 days later I didn't have to wait long.  The designs were even cuter in the flesh!
 

Joel seemed pretty chuffed with them too...

 At just 8 months old Joel is a big boy for his age.  I went for the 12- 24 months size and as you can see they are a pretty good fit - but still with plenty of room to grow and plenty of nappy room.  With the soft elastic waist and the stretch fabric Joel seemed very comfortable and went about his normal exploring business.  Still no crawling, the leggings may be cute, but they are not magic.

The material, although soft and stretchy is quite heavy.  I would not suggest it is suitable for summer.  The material is not breathable and my mummy friend Tracey reported that her 10month old boy's legs became quite clammy on a warm day.  Joel has sensitive skin and so I would not choose to dress him in this material in warm weather.  However for those days with a but of nip in the air the leggings are lovely and cosy without being bulky and preventing easy movement for my little explorer.

Tracey reported that her leggings became plucked quickly.  I also experienced this with one pair of leggings out of my batch.  In fact a hole appeared.

Perhaps this isn't surprising considering the wear they are getting with out two active baby boys who are both on their knees trying to learn how to crawl and spending alot of their day stretching and rolling on the floor.   Even so, I would expect longer wear out of baby clothes and so I contacted NappyKind directly.  I have to give a big thumbs up to their customer service as my plucked leggings were replaced within days!

Taadaa!! Lovely shiny new leggings!

Having had a disaster of a broken washing machine (AGH!!) this month, the leggings have been sitting in the washing pile.  To be honest I wasn't confident about how they would wash up after the plucking incident.  We got our new washing machine on saturday, the leggings went in the first wash.  I thought I had chosen a 'Quick Daily Wash' but apparently me and my new machine have communication issues as 3 hours later I was still standing perplexed by the machine.  The leggings washed up great, and if they could survive that extreme super long wash, well they can survive anything!!

When discussing it with Tracey she thought wasn't sure if she would choose to buy baby leggings over comfy tracksuit trousers for her baby boy.  Me?  I'm a sucker for the unique cute design.  I found that Joel seemed comfortable in his busy work rolling and exploring.  I am happy with the general quality, how they wash up and impressed by the excellent customer service after the plucking incident.

It should be noted that I received considerable discount in exchange for blogging about the product but truth be told, I would return to NappyKind and buy the leggings again....and maybe one of those gorgeous animal romper suits...

Check it out   http://www.nappykindboutique.co.uk

Quest to become a Quilter!

I am just home from my first quilting class at Quilters Quest, Woodstock Road. 

I have to say I was very nervous about going, it all seemed like a great idea in July when I paid my deposit and signed up.  However the more I thought of it the more I realised that I possess none of the basic skills required to make a quilt.  I cannot sew or use a sewing machine, I lack patience, I have the attention span of a flea.  And when I arrived at the class, with my basic sewing kit hopefully tucked under my arm, I realised I have None of the essential equipment to begin quilting.  I have borrowed a sewing machine from my lovely sister in law but am yet to build up the confidence to open it, I have no blades and cutter, measuring ruler, mat or even useable material! 

My fears were confirmed, I was in well above my head.  

My friend Gemma and I were first to arrive which meant we had a chance to explore the treasure cave of beautiful patterned fabric.  We planned the quilts we would make, meanwhile realising we know nothing about fabric measures.  

Note that around five sections of this fabric is christmas themed!  YAY!

  

One by one the other member of the class began to arrive and it became clear to us that we were the only beginners as they all greeted each other warmly.  Everyone was very open and friendly and made us feel very welcome in she class.  

The class instructor, Varlerie quickly sussed out our skill level and advised us on what project would suit us best.  I had brought with me a wee bundle of Joel's baby clothes as my hope was to make a quilt out of them.  She discussed with me the challenges that my notion presented, and warned that the stretch of the soft fabric of his clothes would be tricky for a novice sewer like me.  So with her encouragement we decided that the best idea was to begin with a simple cushion pattern to learn all the basic skills and then decide if I could transfer these newly learnt skills to the baby quilt I wished to make.  

So we began by choosing our fabrics, anyone who knows me will know that I made a bee line to the christmas section (SQQUUUEEEEEE!!!)

It was difficult to choose which fabrics to use as there was so much choice!  I pulled a variety of different fabrics down and lined them up and finally decided on these three.

  

Once they were cut to the amount of fabric we needed we ironed the creases out.  This is important to ensure that when cutting the fabric to size out measurement weren't skewed by wrinkles and creases. Here is lovely Gemma demonstrating how to iron like a quilting pro.

  

Next it was time to cut the fabric to size.  We needed a measuring ruler and a fabric cutter.  I'm pretty sure those aren't official terms.  Valerie showed me how to use these tools to measure the required size the cut safely, always move the blade away from you! Making the first cut to the beautiful fabric I had just purchased was scary, I was terrified I was going to make a mistake.  However once I had taken the initial step it was satisfying to cut the fabric into perfect square's.

Like I said, I didn't have any of these equipment but the other girls in the class were generous with their stash and were happy to offer me the lend of what I needed.

Its all I managed in my first 2 hour class but it was a great sense of achievement!   AND WE GOT A CUP OF TEA!

Look at that lovely perfect cutting! 

I'm really looking forward to the class next week, I will be bringing the sewing machine with me to learn how to set it up and how to sew together my perfect cutting. 

 

I have a feeling the next week will be filled with obsessive internet hunting for good value equipment and unusual material.  

Any hints and tips and equipment recommendations are welcome!! 

Check out this place;

http://www.quiltersquest.co.uk

A treasure trove of fabric and a great bunch of welcoming girls.  Beginning to think that making a quilt might be achievable... 

Sleep, someone tell me the magic ingredient??

Is anyone prepared for the lack of sleep a new baby brings?  Oh we are all warned about about the crippling sleep deprivation the whole way through our pregnancies.  I don't know about you but by the end of my pregnancy I was fed up of know-it-all parents scoffing when you were mentioning the tiredness of pregnancy, 'pffftt, you think you're tired now?? Scoff scoff.'  Shut up stupidface.  But they were right.

When Joel was just born, like all new born babies he did not know the difference between night and day.  How!!!??  He had been growing inside me for 9 months and I had been awake at day, and asleep at night the whole time, how did he not learn?!

Joel was an awful sleeper at the start.  He had colic which meant he as inconsolable, and very unsettled from dinnertime until about 1am or 2am.  It is funny that he was at his most awake at these times at this is when Joel was most active during pregnancy.  Phil would often say to me 'How did you sleep last night?  Your belly was going crazy, I could feel baby moving until 2am!  I monetioned this to the midwife and she warned me that it was a sign of things to come.  She told me if baby was most active at this time it would probably be a pattern that would continue outside the womb.  She couldn't have been more right.
Colic is devastating,  Joel appeared to be so distressed and there was very little we could do to sooth him.  The doctors met our concerns with a shrug, a sympathetic look and reassurance that Joel would probably get over it in a few months.  A few months? One doctor suggested that we sooth Joel by letting him nap in front of the extractor fan of the oven as babies appear to like white noise.  This was their solution?
The rest of the time Joel wasn't much better, he always wanted to be held, if he slept he slept lying on me, as I lay about like a baby pillow.  Anytime I gently moved him into his moses basket and tip toed into the bathroom to get a shower it would be only a matter of moments before he woke and was crying.

If Joel did sleep it was always when we had visitors.  The visitors would hold on and wait in the hope that he would wake and they would get a cuddle.  I would be silently willing them to leave so I could put my head down, even just for 30 mins...
The first few months were tough but we stumbled through it and found our coping strategies.  Here are my tips to survive no sleep!

(1) Sleep in shifts
For the first wee while Phil, my husband, and I were like passing ships.  No, passing zombies, taking turns to sleep.  We felt like we never had any time with each other but at least we had a little sleep.  When Phil came home from work I had his dinner ready.  I made sure he had his dinner in peace while I jiggled a crying Joel and once he had finished his dinner he would take over jiggling duty and I would have my dinner.  After my dinner at around 8pm I would go to bed and Phil would be in charge.  I would get 4 solid hours sleep and at midnight I would take charge again for night feeds so Phil could get a solid 7/8 hours for work in the morning.  I'm pretty sure these 4 solid hours each evening saved me.  However I am aware that this is not a possibility for all mothers, for example, mothers of hungry babies who are exclusively breast feeding and single parents.

(2) Ship baby out
This is totally against all health visitor/midwife official recommendation.  The guidelines state that to lower the risk of cot death baby should be in the room with parents until 6 months.
I found that when Joel was in the room with us I worried more.  I jumped a every noise he made, thinking he was going to wake.  I would bounce up ready to get a bottle ready.  I was concerned he would wake my husband if he cried so with every noise I lifted him incase that noise was leading to crying.  Joel wasn't getting a chance to settle as I was lifting him at every squeak and I wasn't getting a chance to settle as I was a nervous wreak!  Phil had really disturbed sleep and would talk and shout in his sleep.  He would sit up suddenly, lift the covers and look for Joel until I reassured him that he was in the moses basket.   Joel was never in the bed with us, I have no idea where this fear come from, the joys of disturbed sleep, eh?  At 11 weeks Joel was too long for his moses basket so he was moved into his big cot in his own room.  With hat we began a sleep routine, bath and story and bottle before bed.  Joel slept better, we slept better.  Within a week Joel was sleeping right through until 3.30am/4am, waking for a night feed and going down again until 7.30am/8am.

(3) Limit visitors
Easier said than done, a skill I never really mastered but I always found that when Joel had lots of visitors and was passed about, he was more unsettled in sleep.

(4) Accept help
Why not!? Don't be proud, get family and friends to help.  Like it or not in those first months baby doesn't care who is looking after him as long as he is fed.  We had family members who would do a three hour shift looking after Joel while Phil and I had a nap together.  Bliss.

(5)  Keep busy
Obviously within reason.  Do not burn yourself out but I found the best way to cope with exhaustion was to have plans to occupy my mind.  If I was in the house all day I found that Joel was more demanding and I was simply counting down the hours until Phil came home to take over.  Small plans like meeting a friend in the park for a walk with the pram would make all the difference help pass the time.

(6) Trust your instincts
The world and his wife will be offering their two cents about how to get your baby to sleep for 8 hours straight but you know your own baby best.  I was told to out a rusk in his bottle, if he wakes let him cry it out, give him water when he wakes.  I took advice on board, but I did not carry it out if I didn't feel it was right for Joel.

Sleep is so important to your recovery from pregnancy and labour and for your mood.  Happy mum, happy baby so make that time for yourself to sleep if you can find it!

Joel continued with his regular sleep routine, sleeping until 3.30am/4am, bottle and sleeping again until 7.30am/8am until around 41/2 months and then he began wakening twice during the night for a feed.  We saw this as a sign that he was ready for food and at 21 weeks we began weaning.  Even when Joel was established on 3 meals a day he still continued to wake at around 2am for a night feed.  This continued until he was over 6 months old.  I was fed up of hearing about other peoples babies who slept through the night from 5 weeks.  In fact I've considered a swift punch to the face to any parent bragging about sleeping.  I was starting to think we are doing something wrong.  Until on 12th July we tried supper for Joel.  A hearty bowl of porridge and a bottle before bed.  It worked a treat and he hasn't woke for a feed since.

He hasn't woke for a feed, but he still wakes.  Joel seems to be getting worse at sleeping, waking at 5am or during the night. He is learning so many new skills that it seem when he wakes he wants to flip over or crawl around his cot rather then go back to sleep...

Sleep is a skill to master just like everything else.  Joel is a new human who has to learn how to crawl, how to talk and how to walk but he also has to learn how to sleep.  I am hoping that I am creating the right environment to allow him to do that.....unless someone can tell me the magic ingredient.

A GALLERY OF SLEEP