Bathtime with Munchkin

Do you know what's really exciting?.. Getting a huge box of amazing products from one of your favourite brands! That's what!

A few weeks ago Munchkin sent us a rather big collection of their fantastic bath toys, which for Ethan (already huge fan of bath time!) was like Christmas coming early!

So without further ado let me tell you a bit about the great gift ideas that Munchkin are offering this festive season to make bath time a lot more fun!

  

Home Decor: A Guide to Buying Bathrooms Online

A bathroom is a big purchase and there is a lot of choice out there. Buying your bathroom online takes a certain leap of faith and may put some people out of their comfort zone. However, there is money to be saved by purchasing your bathroom from a website. It is important that you are careful in your decision-making and ensure that you get the best guarantees and are free to replace any items which may not be right for your needs. Here are some more considerations to take on board when buying your bathroom online.

Holidays: How Times Have Changed

Over the last 30 years we've decided that we need more time to relax, we want more private pools and we now take less books away with us because of devices such as our trusty mobile phones!

Those Crazy Pesky (Yet Wonderful) Cats

Ask anyone that knows me, in fact you could even ask anyone who doesn't know me, everybody knows I'm a the crazy cat lady. I've lived with cats my whole life and though I am a huge fan of all animals, it's cats that hold a special place in my heart. It's strange perhaps, but I feel a sort of connection to them, all of them.

- My Charlie

How to Cut Your Toddler's Hair

Young children often find haircuts unbearable. For some, it's the fear of a stranger being close to their head with a pair of scissors, for others it's the itch caused by dropped hair. Or it may be that they find the experience of a salon frightening, with the pressure of unfamiliar people, peculiar smells, and odd garments. So, why not get your toddler used to the sensation of a haircut from the person they trust most? 

Here's how to cut your child's hair at home:

Items around our Home | #3

I haven't done one of these posts in a while now and I'm not quite sure why, as we've added quite a few new bits and bobs to our home lately. But here I am, back with post number 3 of 'items around our home'. And today I am sharing our three newest items.

 Urban Apothecary Reed Diffuser - £29 

Dream Kitchen Mood Board

We moved into our new house in March of this year and I've never looked back. I love the area we live in and I love what we've managed to do with the place so far. However, our kitchen, which was done new by the previous owners really just isn't to our taste. We've managed to add odd accessories to it and it's sort of made it bearable, but the long term plan would definitely be to re-do it ourselves.

Giveaway | WIN a Nutri Ninja Nutritional Blender!

Hi everyone, hope you are all really well. I have another exciting giveaway to share with you all today.. :)

I’ve teamed up with QVC to giveaway this fantastic Nutri Ninja 900W Nutritional Blender with 3 Smoothie Cups & 30 Recipe Guide.

This versatile nutrition extractor and blender features a powerful 900W motor that delivers a smooth consistency, breaking down whole fruits, vegetables and ice in seconds and cutting down everything from seeds to stems while extracting the most from your ingredients. Prepare fresh juices, frozen smoothies, dressings and soups easily with this fantastic appliance from Nutri Ninja. The Nutri Ninja is purpose designed to extract the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients from fresh ingredients, incorporating all the fibre from fruit and vegetables into the delicious finished product.

Review: GTLC Cavendish Play Kitchen

Great Little Trading Company - Cavendish Play Kitchen

(Currently on a sale offer of £76 down from £95).

I've wanted to get Ethan a play kitchen for so long now. In fact it was going to be his main present this year for Christmas. But when the Great Little Trading Company got in touch with me and asked if we'd like to review them, I couldn't resist. I adore their wooden Cavendish play kitchen - it''s made from such fantastic quality and it has been so much fun to play with with Ethan.

The benefits of hiring a professional cleaning company for your home

Whether you own or rent a property it’s important to keep it spic-and-span, not only for your health (dust mites can be bad for allergies) but also for your wellbeing. It’s thought a tidy, clutter-free room allows for a clear, organised mind and with companies like Molly Maid providing a host of professional cleaners there’s no excuse for a grubby home. Sure, getting someone to do the dirty work for you is a rather a luxury but it’s definitely one you deserve – here’s why.

Creating a Home Spa Feel in Your Bathroom

We’d all love a trip to the spa, but with one thing or another getting in the way – from money to work to the little ones – it’s not always possible. However, there are ways in which you can recreate the amazing feeling you get when you visit a spa in your very own home.

I’ve compiled a list of tips for creating a home spa feel in your bathroom to turn this room into your home into a luxurious, relaxing haven. 

Giveaway: WIN a Premium U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow

Today I have a fantastic giveaway for the pregnant ladies among you. Or if you know of somebody that is expecting, this will make a perfect gift for them! (So it's totally worth entering on their behalf).. I have teamed up with pregnancypillows.net to offer you the chance to win a Premium U-Shaped Pregnancy Pillow! 

New Personal Baby Guide and Checklist App - My Baby Guru

A brand new personal baby guide and checklist app helping expectant parents to find and purchase all of their baby essentials has just recently launched! New mum Katie Young developed the My Baby Guru app while on maternity leave, after failing to find definitive baby product guides while preparing for the birth of her son. 

Survey finds that 60% of parents want fireworks to be sold to professional organisers only .. And I'm one of them!

I know that it may be somewhat late to be talking about fireworks and bonfire night on the 13th of November but I have just read an article online that I straight away agreed with, and then I almost immediately wondered if perhaps my view on it was perhaps rather unreasonable?!..

The article I read was this one here - a survey carried out by UKMedix who asked 1,000 UK residents aged over 18 “Should fireworks only be sold to professional organisers and not the general public?” overall, 53% said that there should be no restrictions on who should buy fireworks as long as they were old enough, however the results showed that the older generation were leaning towards more restrictions than younger generations.

Review + Giveaway | Win a Pair of Michael Kors sunglasses of your choice up to the value of £100!

Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone is having a lovely week. (It seems to be flying past for me!).

Today I have what I think is yet another exciting review and giveaway! I am going to be talking about sunglasses and in particular, Michael Kors sunglasses. Yeah - I know the weather outside is getting colder, but that sun seems to still be shining brightly for now (or it is through my window currently anyway!) and plus - so many of us decide to take our holidays in the colder months! (We just came back from Greece last month and miss it already!!).

Seconds Matter | Arthritis Awareness Post

What does a second mean to you? Does it mean missing the last post or running late and not getting the last train home? 

For someone with arthritis those seconds are regularly missed and they can turn from minutes to hours in the struggle to get through the day. 

To raise awareness of National Arthritis Week 2014, Premier Care in Bathing challenged a man called Nick to wear an arthritis simulation suit, while his twin brother John carried out his daily duties as normal - to demonstrate how an able-bodied person copes when their mobility is taken away. 

The Arthritis awareness video is a real eye opener and does a brilliant job of raising awareness!

Know the symptoms

How to Improve Your Blog Photos

I'm a very visual person, so when I click on a blog I like to see clear, bright, good quality photographs accompanying a post.

UK Holiday Spots That Your Kids Should Love

It’s never easy finding a holiday destination that will appeal to everyone in your family, from babe in arms to grumpy granny. Here are a few recommendations that have something for everyone.

Update: Being back at Work as a Mum

I've been back at work now since June of this year, working two days a week - Monday and Friday. Going back to work was, in the beginning, a lot easier than I thought it would be, I'd read that the beginning of returning to work was always the hardest so I braced myself and was pleasantly surprised that it really wasn't so bad. 

I think a lot of how easy I found it to return to work was because I only had to return to work working two days (a Monday and Friday). It helps a lot that these days are split up and not together. It means that when I am sitting at work really missing Ethan, I just remind myself that I'll be off with him again tomorrow and that kind of makes everything feel so much better.

It also helps that I managed to take a job in a much nicer, somewhat quieter location, which is much more suited to me. I like to take my time with my work and I hated feeling rushed where I worked previously.

There are lots of benefits to being back at work, and one of the ones I remind myself of the most is that it gives Ethan the opportunity to experience life without having me there at all times. It teaches him that it's okay to be around other people, it gives him self-confidence and it allows him to grow and develop in so many ways, but mostly in a social aspect. I love that he spends time with his Dad on a Monday, as I feel it is so important that they get an opportunity to bond when it's just them. I also love that Ethan gets to spend some time with his Grandparents and his Auntie, he's developed a special bond with them and though his routine may not be the exact same as it is at home, he is able to learn to adapt to new routines and new environments because of this. I struggled to do that as a child and I still struggle now.

I am a clingy person and as a child I was shy, unconfident and unsure. I think as parents all we can do is look at some of the things that we'd perhaps like to change about ourselves and try and not let our children go the same way. That's why each week I take Ethan to playgroup, to swimming and on a Thursday evening to his Grandmas, even though sometimes I find it emotionally difficult because of how shy and clingy I can be.

So being back at work.... yeah -  it's not been anywhere near as hard as I thought it would be.. I know that I've been lucky that Ethan has family to take care of him and I've been very lucky that my employer has been able to offer me a good job. But really it's about having a good state of mind and a positive outlook, after all there really are lots of good benefits to returning to work as a Mum. And it really isn't so bad. :)

If you're a Mum or Dad thinking about returning to work. Try Trud.co.uk.*

 Never miss a post:  Follow via Bloglovin | Subscribe to Bump To Baby by Email
Get Social:  | Facebook  | Twitter | Instagram 
*pr collaboration - you can read my blogs disclosure policy here.

Review: Soho Clutch for Mums on the Go

I am pretty much always on the go and I always seem to find myself running random errands outside of the house - I suppose a lot of us Mums feel that way?

So after reading all about the Skip Hop Soho Clutch - I decided that this was the  'on the go' bag for me. You know, for those trips when you don't really need a full changing bag, but you do need a few odd items!

Skip Hop Soho Clutch RRP £30.00

My Autumn/Winter Shoe Collection

Now that it's a colder time of year it's all about the boots for me.  The bright summer dresses and flat heeled pumps have been put away and replaced by pairs of shiny new boots and big fluffy warm jumpers. Oh and just in case you don't already know - it's Christmas next month.. there, I said it - I feel better now. ;) 

So today I thought I would give you a look at my shoe (or rather boot) collection for Autumn/Winter.. I seem to have somehow accumulated four new pairs this year!

Modern/Rustic Kitchen Inspiration Board

By now you probably know how into my home decor I am. I can't help but spend hours of my time just browsing online for new things to some how cram into my new home. Most of the time I don't actually need anything new, but there's always something that catches my eye and ends up getting added to the basket just for later ;) 

Me and Mine: A Family Portrait Project - October 2014

I am SO forgetful, I always forget about my Me and Mine photos each month until I see everybody else's go up! I need to get more organised, but it just never seems to happen no matter how hard I try. 

Luckily I already have quite a nice picture of the three of us from October. And who would have thought that it would be such a sunny one in a month that is usually dark, cold and grey?! This October saw us board a flight to sunny Rhodes in Greece for the holiday I won at Brit Mums Live earlier this year in June. It was a fabulous holiday and it's hard to sum up in words because it was that brilliant! I don't think we will ever stop feeling grateful for the opportunity to have experienced Levante Beach Resort as winners of a competition. It will be a VERY VERY hard holiday to top!

WIN a £50 Tesco Gift Voucher!

Hi everyone :) Happy 1st of November. Can you believe that it is Christmas next month? (Yep.. I said it!) ;) Today is another great day, the sun is shining here in the UK even with it being November AND I have another fabulous competition for you all! :)

How would you like the chance to win a £50 gift voucher to spend at Tesco? Of course you would! Who wouldn't?! ;)