Funny Bones

Scott Adams Dilbert was once quoted as saying, "The best things in life are silly." I disagree, personally I find 'silly' extremely annoying, whether it be school-boy humour, word play or slapstick, it reeks of desperation, I just don't find it in the least bit clever or attractive.

So imagine my horror when my partner, Nick, suggested we watch the new 'Arthur' movie, staring Russell Brand. I was instantly annoyed, 'does he know me at all?!'

He sensed my reluctance; not sure what gave me away; may be my fixed jaw line or perhaps the veins standing out in my neck; but all he had to say were two little words, 'Van Helsing' and I knew I was beaten.

Van Helsing was probably the worst movie we have ever seen together, it starred Hugh Jackman....and I pleaded with Nick to go with me - so now like the Sword of Damocles he wields it over me whenever there is a movie he really wants to see.

So we watched Arthur - it was hilarious, I had real laugh out loud moments through-out the film, it was brilliant, Russell Brand was fantastic, with one-liners that still make me laugh now when I think about them.

One of my favourites was when he is in a restaurant with the woman he was being forced to marry, played by Jennifer Garner, where he is trying to explain why they shouldn't marry as they have nothing in common; he tells her, "...you love horses, I don't trust them, their shoes are permanent, and who makes that kind of commitment to a shoe!" I was laughing so hard I cried.

Of course, Nick was delighted with himself, he was on a roll, he got me to watch a 'silly' movie and I loved it....so he suggested a few nights later we watch a movie called 'Just Go With It' with Adam Sandler no less...the king of  'silliness' - I was in hell.....but of course out came Van Helsing and the recent success of 'Arthur' and once again, I sat down to watch, what I call, 'A Nick movie'.

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are best friends who become fake husband and wife, so he can get the girl of 'his dreams'. The movie is brilliant, so funny; the little girl 'Kiki-Dee' who plays the daughter of Jennifer Aniston, is so funny, if for no other reason, watch this movie to get a glimpse of her, she pretends to be British - hilarious.

This whole experience really got me thinking. I believe we get ourselves on rails and we become inflexible. We determine who we are and box ourselves and dismiss anything that doesn’t' fit with our self-image, whether its due to lazyness or arrogance, we tend not to challenge it - unless forced!

This experience has taught me not to be so rigid and dismissive; but to lift the lid of the box and peek in from time to time and challenge my perception of who I think I am, and what I think I'm about...basically to lighten up a bit and not take myself too seriously.

Popcorn and a comfy sofa...

Cutter delights

For those who delight in the ridiculous add a bit of humour to your next cocktail party by offering your guests these cheesy feet biscuits made with this foot-shaped metal cookie cutter, by Cox & Cox.

The cutter does come with its own recipe, but you can also try your own - they will certainly get your guest laughing - adult and child alike!

Or perhaps these Jigsaw pieces which are equally entertaining; they would be a great ice breaker for a group meeting for the first time.

Have a bit of fun with it...

Belle & Boo charm

Writer, illustrator and designer, Mandy Sutcliffe has created an imaginary world of Belle & Boo; Belle a curious little girl with bobbed hair delighting in the world around her; and Boo, Belle’s adorable bunny rabbit companion and confidant.

From her wonderfully charming illustration’s Mandy has brought to life the vintage clothing that Belle wears on her many adventures.

Here is one of my favourites, a pretty cotton sateen blouse in the spring falling leaf print with a beautiful hand embroidered tree at the hem. The binding at the neck and sleeve cuff is plain with a little contrast colour button; and inside - a surprise, their cute Boo bunny repeat print.

The shorts are made in a comfy soft cotton twill with matching contrast colour pockets also lined in their famous cheeky Boo print.

Mandy has written three books, one of which she has also illistrutated. The publications include Evie’s Seaside Lullaby and Goodnight Me, Goodnight You published by Orchard Books and Night Ride To Nanna’s published by Walker Books.

She has now started a new series of Belle & Boo To Do' books, the first in the series is entitled Bubbles Before Bed. The book interweaves the story of a bedtime routine with beautiful illustrations to colour in, fun creative activities and precious memories to keep forever.

We love Belle & Boo.....

High Chairs from Cosatto

Childhood is a special time and it's amazing looking back how much I remember. Fore instance, our highchair. It like our Silver Cross pram, served all four of us children, through every meal of our toddler lives.

It was very similar to this one pictured here, remarkably practical as it also doubled as a play chair and had wheels so you could wheel the baby into a different room.

Of course, times, fashion and technology changes and now we have a whole new style of highchair catering for the needs of our little ones, as well as our style conscious parents.

One of my favourite designs are from a company called Cosatto who's styles are fresh and futuristic which I find very appealing despite my usual traditional style preferences. This one in particular, the 3Sixti Circle Highchair (Tomato & Pear) is fantastic as it has 360° swivel for ‘up to the table’ feeding and has gas-lift multiple height positions as well three position back rest!

I remember as a nanny one of my least favourite jobs was wiping down the highchair after a meal, as the designs of the day were completely impractical with hard to reach places, but this chair has a removable tray which is dishwasher safe and the cushion is completely removable so cleaning up has never been so easy! Have a look at their video.

Cosatto, who's slogan is 'baby stuff with personality' are definitely a kookie company, full of big personalities, exactly the kind of people you need when it comes to designing children's equipment - it always helps to be in-touch with your inner child.

You can purchase the designs from a group of on-line stockists, as Cosatto's ethos is, “Leave the clucking to the chickens” – in other words, they focus on the designs; and the retailers focus on the selling.

Great colour, great style...

Pregnant and sexy with Cake Lingerie

I find it most inspiring when I come across a company built entirely from a person's own life experience. This is exactly how Cake Lingerie was born, founder, Tracey Montford, teacher of the arts, longed for beautiful lingerie during her pregnancy, but she discovered the world of fashion did not recognise pregnant women, as the only items available were functional and matronly. So Tracey started her own label - inspiring.

This leaves me with a question. Why did the fashion world fail to recognise that the needs of pregnant women are the same as women who are not pregnant? And why did they not challenge the puritanical views of pregnancy? This is after all a body that professes to understand women better than we understand ourselves.

In the 1950's, it was considered unthinkable to use the words "pregnant or pregnancy", the woman was, "with child", "in the family way", or "expecting". Does this suggest shame or at the very least, prudery? Did they cosset pregnant women and put them on pedestals’, dressing them like oversized dolls in order to distance the pregnancy from the act of sex itself?

Do elements of this culture still exist to some degree today? I think they do; you only have to look at certain examples of maternity wear to see that, but fortunately we have companies like Cake Lingerie to bust through this perception and if celebrity endorsement is anything to go by, Cake is a huge success as their client list reads like a veritable Who’s-Who, from Pink to Princess Mary of Denmark!

Tracey's commitment to pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers is to design for them beautiful lingerie that celebrates women and pregnancy.

Makes me proud to be a woman...

Your babies carbon footprint

I read today that 7 million trees are cut down every year just to make disposable nappies. Apparently we get through nearly 3 billion disposable nappies each year in the UK alone and around 90% of these ends up on landfill sites and terrifyingly each one takes 500 years to decompose. Even if these figures are an exaggeration and only half right, surely its pause for thought?

There are of course alternatives to the disposable nappy and I think a great forum to learn about the options are discussed on MumsNet. They also conducted a product review with the aim to discover which is the best product to use according to their members, the Mumsnetters.

It seems that the majority favoured Bambinex formally known as Wambamboo - the company who first starting popularising bamboo fabric for use in nappies.

The Bamboo fabric is antibacterial, is soft and comes in a range of colours; they have a gentle double gusset at the leg which ensures that leaks are kept to a minimum.

You cover these bamboo nappies with a nappy wrap which serves as an outer waterproof layer, which keeps the contents of the nappy firmly contained and they come in a range of six colours.

There are of course other brands such as Bummis, Tot Bots, Baby Beehinds, Fuzzibunz, Little Lamb, Bumble and many more to review.

Also you may wish to consider the financial benefits of switching from disposable to re-usable. It is estimated that you could make a £1000 saving over the time your baby's in real nappies; then if you add-in re-use amongst siblings, your savings will grow further.

When I started my nanny career in the early 80's all we had were terry nappies and then or course the disposable nappy came along, a revolution we thought - it's only in the last few years we have begun to comprehend the impact they are having on 'our' environment.

Essentially disposable nappies are 'convenient' - like the food from the big burger giants - but that doesn't make them good for us.

Worth thinking about...

Swim into summer

So many times I have left the shopping for my summer holiday wardrobe until the last minute and inevitably struggle to find anything I like, especially bikinis because in most shops the summer collection has ended and the Autumn collection is on the shelves.

Frustrating. I have been caught out so many times, and usually end up getting something that doesn't look that great and worse doesn't make me feel great - which is an essential component when wearing a bikini!

But now I have found a company that has an on-line shop with the best designer collection which totally focuses on swim and beach wear for women and girls.

They are called Coco Bay and carry labels such as Seafolly, Moontide, Bond-eye, Baku, Banana Moon and Livia.

They also have a fantastic range of kaftans, shoes, beach dresses, sarongs and buckles, hats, jewellery, really sexy Tankins which are great if you have recently had a baby and you're not quite feeling yourself yet. This will certainly be my avenue to a fantastic summer wardrobe next year.

The company was founded by three sisters, who, frustrated by the annual hunt for beachwear, put together a sophisticated collection of well cut beachwear that not only looks great on models but actually flattered ‘real people’.

The sisters have tried on each of the designs, naturally, and so have an in depth knowledge of each piece and are very happy to give styling advice for all shapes and sizes.

Look gorgeous on that beach...

Tots who do lunch

Being a mum is a wonderful privilege; sadly it didn't happen for me; but I was a nanny for many years and so I know how important it is to get out of the house and meet with friends and share stories and laugh - it helps to keep things in perspective, as its all so easy for things to get on top of you, especially with a young baby.

When you are a bit low, you can find a million reasons why not to go out, but at those times it is the most important that you do. I found that having scheduled weekly appointments with my nanny friends helped a great deal. It gave me structure and by having certain times where I could get to speak with adults was a great comfort - life as nanny as well as a mother can be isolating, so it is essential not to put obstacles in your way and get out of the house.

For the times you find yourself visiting with friends or going to a restaurant or cafe where they don't have highchairs, let it trouble you not. The Totseat is the perfect answer; it's designed for babies 8 months upwards, who can't sit unaided on a chair. They come in a range of fabric designs and are extremely versatile so no matter what kind of chair it is, the designers guarantee the Totseat will fit all.

It squashes into its own tiny travel pouch, is machine washable and comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Get out and meet with your friends...

Boys to men with Little Linens

I am a big fan of the Little Linens collection for boys; it is as stylish as it is practical, being machine washable and tumble dryer proof...boys being boys...!

Personally, I don't like to see little boys in suits, it looks odd; and the boys always look so uncomfortable. You often see them at weddings and 'posh dos' and I think to myself, for who's benefit are these boys in those ridiculous suits, certainly not the child's, all trussed up and fidgety.

I remember as a professional nanny a 'few' years ago, I was looking after a little boy in Greece and his mother, who had been away, was returning home. I had dressed this little boy in his best and told him to sit at the table and not to move and not to get dirty. Now why did I do that? I actually reflected upon this for many months afterwards; and came to the conclusion that I did it so his mother would be impressed with me, because in my thinking a dirty child would reflect badly on me, it was all about me, not the child.

Fast forward four years to another little boy I was nannying for in Surrey, 3 years old, we had spent the entire day at a children's animal farm, stroking the animals, climbing on the hay bales, picking strawberries and running around and having so much fun together in the glorious sunshine.

When it was time to go home; because I didn't drive we travelled home on the bus; this little boy was dirty from all his antics and was covered in strawberry juice, I remember to this day the disapproving looks I got from the mothers on that bus, judging me a 'bad mother' because my little boy was so dirty. Little did they know, my darling dirty little charge had probably had the best day of his very young life.

I think we should pay less attention to what others think; or indeed reflected glory and focus more on the children. I learnt this lesson in Greece and that is why I smiled back at those judging mothers with my head held high with a tired and blissfully happy little boy in my arms.

Little Linens designs are all about the children; they transcend occasion as the cut of the garments are simple and timeless, so they can be worn for both casual and formal events.

The designer Keely Deiniger has collected vintage linen treasures for the past 25 years with the aim of putting together a collection that combines the nostalgia of times gone by with the modernity of today.

Each garment has been made using fine 100% linen cloth, and have been washed to remove shrinkage and make them extremely soft. The linen is light and comfortable - exactly what the focus should be when dressing children.

Dress your children with their comfort in mind...

My delicious pram fetish

It is not easy to be a woman with strong maternal instincts never having had a baby and therefore no pram to push. I love babies, and would have been a wonderful mother - I'm over it - it wasn’t meant to be - BUT I still want a pram!!

I spoke about this in an earlier blog, I simply love prams, I am unable to pass one for sale without pushing it, whether it be a full size pram or a child's pram - I get really excited when I come across one - I have to go and push it up and down, I just love the feel of it!

Bonkers you might say, well indeed, bonkers would be buying a pram and as yet I haven’t gone that far! I did ask my partner, but he said, "no, that would be weird", so that was that.

So I have had to compromise and find a way to get my 'fix' without appearing too weird, so I bought a Edwardian drinks trolley (it's practical) and when I feel the need, I wheel it up and down and around and just pray the neighbours think I'm hovering!

So having fessed up to my pram fetish - which one would I buy were I 'allowed' too....simple it would be the Balmoral, from the Heritage Collection by Silver Cross, as pictured above.

Of course unless you live in the country side or a big city within walking distance of shops they are perhaps not terribly practical; and that is why Silver Cross have designed a new line of prams more suited for today's living.

They are lovely, but for me, it will always be the Balmoral, it's partly nostalgia as we had a Silver Cross when we were babies, and it's partly because the design is so beautiful and elegant - the curve of the handle; the splendour of the wheels and the bounce in the springs, for me it will always be the one.

One day I will own one...

Baby charm with Marie-Chantal

My mother has an old leather family photo album which contains the Kodak moments of our childhood, from babes in the Silver Cross Pram, to our first day at school.  The pram I remember well, I, like my siblings, spent a lot of time either in it, on it, or walking beside it!   My mother often remarks on the fact that she used to have one baby in the pram, Simon, a toddler sitting on top of the pram in a purpose made seat, Lisa, and then a child either side of the pram holding onto the handle, which would be my sister Jayne and myself.

Having been a professional nanny for some years at the beginning of my career; four children under the age of six seems like an awful lot of work to me, but my mother quite pointedly states, it was only as we got to be teenagers that we became 'difficult' - I don't know what she means!

Having served four children faithfully, Simon eventually made the pram into a go-cart, I recall, (probably not, if you listen to my mother), that she was rather annoyed with the little urchin; but the damage had been done. So we entered into the second phase of the life of our beloved pram - namely charging down the slope in our garden, completely out of control and landing mostly upside down in a ditch!

My memories are all contained in the pages of that old photo album - some of the photos I remember being taken; and others, I only imagine I do, simply because they are so familiar to me.

But just looking at the wonderful clothes we were wearing back then, they were so charming and elegantly appropriate. Babies and children were dressed like babies and children should be and that is why I love the clothes from Marie-Chantal.

This lovely little babies coat, is just like one Simon wore when he was a baby. I can see him now, sitting in his pram with his leather reins on kicking up his legs wearing baby brogues, very similar to these - in a frustrated bid for freedom.

Happy days...

Kiddy Balm

My regular readers will know that I blogged about Kiddy Balm a year ago hailing the benefits of the balm for your little ones.

I have just been contacted by Slade & Ottewill Distribution Ltd who are the sole distributors of Kiddy Balm in the UK; and they tell me that not only has Kiddy Balm got a great new look - it has also won 'Product of the Year' award in recognition of eco-friendly, green and organic products, and that Kiddy Balm has also been awarded the Bizzie Baby Gold Award for 2010.

As I mentioned in my earlier blog, Kiddy Balm has been formulated especially for children and babies from 3 months of age. (although it can in fact be used by any older age group!) But what I did not make clear was that it is more than a decongestant.

The exceptional benefits of this product are:

• Absolutely WONDERFUL to help little ones relax
• Comforting at bedtime or anytime.  Evokes a sense of general well-being
• Due to the soothing and calming properties of KB, it really does promote restful sleep.  (They have had a lot of test subjects)!!!!
• It is wonderfully cooling and soothing for niggly itches or itchy/flaky skin
• It calms the discomfort of heat-rash
• Soothes the pain of insect bites and stings
• Also, used as a decongestant, it really does help little blocked noses
• 100% recyclable, including the tin.

Kiddy Balm is completely natural, being free of all parabens, toxins and chemically enhanced additives. The three core ingredients are eucalyptus oil, camphor oil and menthol oil, all of which are used in tiny amounts. The product is also gentle enough for use on even the most sensitive skin.

Have a read of their testimonials and pop a tin in your medicine cabinet.

Sooth your little ones...

Oh my poor feet

Last weekend we attended a friends wedding at Notley Abbey Buckinghamshire and had a wonderful time sharing in their happiness and meeting old friends and new.

I was intrigued to hear that the Abbey has had quite an illustrious history, with an enviable mix of Royalty and Hollywood.

What I found most exciting was that from 1943 the manor had been owned by Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh who hosted parties with a guest list featuring names such as Marilyn Monroe, before selling the manor in 1960 after their divorce.

The weather on the day was glorious, so out came the summer dress and the obligatory high heals and the resigned knowledge that by the end of the day my feet will be on fire!

As with most weddings, if you are not the immediate family, there is a lot of standing around chatting with fellow guests whilst sipping champagne just waiting to be ushered into the next position by the wedding planner.

It was whilst I was standing in the beautiful courtyard chatting to a lovely family from Devon that I finally had to excuse myself as I could no longer ignore the burning agony of my feet.

At which point I was told about these amazing little ballet shoes that simply roll up in the smallesst clutch bag and come out when, like me, you can no longer stand the pain - they are called Rollasole.

So you can start the event in your heels and then as the event progresses you can change into your Rollasole's and continue the celebration in comfort!

There is also another company based in that States that sells a similar product and they infact have a greater selection, including flip-flops and they are called Footzrolls.

There is a company in Ireland called Belle Blu that sells Footzrolls; they don't have the complete range, but probably worth a look.

Be kind to your feet...

The Blabla Collection

The blabla collection is designed by Florence Wetterwald and knitted by Peruvian artisans. Every cute item is made from natural fibres of exceptional quality grown in Peru, making them irresistibly soft and cuddly.

They have designed these extraordinary giant dolls each with their own crazy name, such as Giant Mr. X and Giant Zook and this one pictured here is Giant Pumpkin.  I think these dolls are a wonderful idea; I'm no child psychologists but I would say a child with a doll this size would feel like they really had a very special friend.

One of my favourite designs of theirs are the whimsical backpacks which are hand knitted in 100% thick, soft cotton and are fully lined  with zipper closure and measure 12" by 10", they are adorable.

A wonderful gift for a new baby would be this heavenly mobile to hang over their cot, nothing clunky and plastic - just sweet and innocent and compellingly charming.

Blabla was started in 2001 when two long time friends Susan and Florence went to Peru. There they discovered whole villages of women that have kept the art of knitting alive and so was born Blabla.

Support Fair Trade...

A flower for her hair

As a little girl I remember all too well having my hair put up in bunches using elastic bands! If you have ever had this done you will know how much it hurts - you feel the roots of your hair are going to be ripped out of your scalp!

It wasn't easy being a little girl with long hair in our house, when you saw that hair brush coming towards you, the temptation to run was very strong. As you sat there with you hair being brushed, your head going in every direction at once with the rough brushing, I just gritted my teeth and waited for it to be over as no amount of complaining would make it stop.

During the course of the day with all the running around, the bunches did loosen; and when at the end of the day they were removed, again the pain as the elastic did not want to relinquish its hold on my hair and so were tugged loose.

We don't have any children, but we do have two dogs, they are Bearded Collies which have long coats and long fringes, so I clip back their fringe to allow them to see. Having gone through what I went through and probably countless other little girls like me, I take great care not to inflict any discomfort on my dogs and spend ages putting in their clips to ensure there is no pulling.

Today of course we don't use elastic bands, children of today are at least spared that horror. Have a look at these lovely clips and hairbands that I found, absolutely beautiful, from Little Linens. These fabulous flowers come as either clips or hair bobbles. Adorned with a beautiful mother of pearly button, these hair accessories bring a touch of class to any outfit and any occasion.

Be gentle with your little ones...