I'm really hoping summer is going to show its face soon for a long stint. There are so many lovely ways to get the family together and enjoy dining al fresco. In our house food brings family together and creates memories so here are some of our favourite ways to dine outdoors.
1) Picnic
We adore picnics in our house. We always tend to have eyes too big for our bellies but isn't that what most of the fun is all about, preparing lots of food and nibbling as you please. We've enjoyed plenty of picnics in the garden this year and we have even had some in our living room as typically the great British weather doesn't always do what we want.
I bought a fab picnic rucksack this year which has been invaluable for when the 4 of us are having a picnic away from home. It comes complete with plates, glasses and cutlery. I always pack a picnic rug to snuggle in to and our Messy Me Mat to sit on. It's ideal for picnics and outdoor use as it's wipeable meaning it's super easy to clean.
We like to make lots of different things for picnics such as sandwiches, veggie sticks, fruit, quiches etc. I use my Babymoov Babybowls for storing a lot of the food. They are so handy as they have lids, can be stacked and you can also write on them (which then washes off). Eva loves them and tends to fill them and pack them herself.
2) BBQ
Nothing says summer dining better than a BBQ. I'll admit, we haven't used ours as much as we'd have liked but again I think that's been down to the weather. Whenever we have had one it's something that all of us have enjoyed, even Ophelia.
Luckily Ophelia loves finger food so she always seems to want whatever we have. She's tucked into hotdogs, burgers, meat and fish skewers and she is a huge fan of potato salad. If you're babies aren't onto a finger food stage you can simply make them a puree of whatever meat and salad/veg you are cooking.
3) Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea's are a tradition in our house. We really enjoy them. One thing we haven't done yet is an afternoon tea party at our house. We always have them at a hotel or restaurant. Fortunately, it is afternoon tea week so I am planning to do a surprise one for the girls in the garden on the weekend.
Eva will love it. She loves anything that resembles a party so she will love having sandwiches and cakes in the garden.
I'm thinking of doing soft cheese, cucumber and egg for the sandwich fillings and i'm even going to attempt to bake. I think i'll try and make some savoury muffins for Ophelia to eat.
I'll just have to make sure she is wearing her Bibetta Bib to catch all her mess and protect her clothes. She loves to touch and feel everything and of course squish it everywhere, which we encourage.
4) Breakfast
We've had breakfast out in the garden a few times. I always find we have a better day if we start it outdoors and in the sun. It's a great way of waking yourself up. We've had French breakfasts with croissants, pastries, coffees and juice and we've also had American breakfasts with lots of pancakes. Both the girls love pancakes.
5) Camp Fire
One thing we are yet to try but is on our bucket list is to have a camp fire at night and toast some marshmallows and have hot chocolate. If the weather stays nice we are planning to camp in our garden at the weekend so we'll hopefully get a chance to do this over our fire pit.
6) Movie Night
Last on the list is to have an outdoor movie night. We have wooden sofas as our garden furniture and they are very comfy. We have snuggled under blankets and watched a movie on our iPad with popcorn and treats. The dream is to get a projector so that we can project a film onto one of the walls or fences.
You can also try this if you have a big trampoline. Get yourself some sleeping bags, cushions and blankets and snuggle up together under the stars whilst watching your favourite family film.
Do you do anything off our list of ideas? Have you got any other suggestions?
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Have you ever heard your child uncontrollably screaming in the middle of the night? You rush to them in a panic to find they look like something similar to a horror movie. They are bolt upright, eyes open, crying, talking and seemingly in a very bizarre trance. You can't console them at all. You try to talk to them but they thrash around and don't even recognise who you are.
I'll fully admit when this first happened with our eldest, we honestly thought she was possessed. We can laugh about it now but I can assure you it was very frightening to witness the first time. These occurred quite a few times between the ages of 2-3.5 but luckily we haven't experienced any recently. We had never heard of night terrors before but we were about to learn a lot about them.
Night terrors are different to nightmares. They usually occur in the first few hours of sleep and your child won't remember anything about them the next day. They can last for quite a few minutes. As mentioned above they may be shouting, thrashing out, sweating or even sleep walking. They may be talking total gibberish.
We researched why they occur and found that they can be triggered by anything that make your child wake from a deep sleep such as over excitement, lots of daytime activity, anxiety, stress, loud noises and needing to go to the toilet. They can also occur from having a fever, tiredness and certain types of medication.
We couldn't really understand why she was having them but on closer inspection of our lives we could pinpoint a couple of things that may have set them off. Both hubby and I were working and no day was ever the same for Eva. She never had a proper routine as either I was not there or I was late home from work and vice versa. She was either at nursery or with grandparents. Her routine was basically all over the place.
We also realised this lack of routine may be making her a bit anxious. She would scream every time I went to work and I wondered whether it was because due to the type of work I did, more often than not I was never home before she went to sleep. I think she was worried that I would never return.
We had no idea how to deal with them. At first we were trying to wake her up as we were panicking as much as she was. It was quite upsetting to witness. We later found out that this is one of the worst things you can do. It's advised to leave them alone and just make sure they are safe in their environment. This was such a difficult thing to do as it's quite distressing to witness as a parent. If they are seeking a cuddle then it's ok to give them one but if not it's best to stay clear.
To deal with them we addressed her bedtime routine. She now has dinner and then we have a short time of reading or quiet craft activities such as colouring or sticking She then has her bath, followed by night time stories in bed. We make sure she has no tv at all after dinner or is involved in any activity that will get her over excited. Timings aren't always perfect but we aim to do everything each day around the same time.
This change in activity has definitely helped. Don't get me wrong there are days when she is still wild and won't follow her routine but in general the quiet time after dinner is helping her wind down.
Another thing we now do a lot of is talk to her more about anything that may be bothering her and actually taking it seriously. Whenever she used to talk to us about monsters or not liking the dark etc, i'll be honest and say quite often we would just brush it off. If she ever said I don't want you to go to work or don't leave me we used to find it annoying, rather than taking her anxiety seriously. Having conversations with her every day about her day and anything that is bothering her has also helped to put her mind at ease. Reassuring her has really helped.
You can also try to wake them up about 15 minutes before the night terrors occur. We have never tried this but apparently the terrors normally occur around the same time of night and that if you wake them up over a course of a few days, you may be able to break the cycle.
It's been a long time since we last had a night terror. I'm pretty sure the last one was whilst we were in Australia at the start of the year. I'm so happy with the progress we've made as they were so disturbing to witness.
Have you ever experienced night terrors? Have you got any tips on how to deal with them?
As parents we all know how important sleep is to both our children and ourselves. We are quite lucky in that both of our girls have generally been good sleepers. There are various things we do to help them get a good night sleep such as reading before bedtime, comfy bedlinen and mattress.
Before I had Ophelia we knew we wanted a bedside crib as opposed to a moses basket. We ordered a SnuzPod and we haven't looked back since. We had read lots of reviews and ordered a mattress from Little Green Sheep to go with it.
We were delighted when they asked if we would like to review a mattress for Eva. We've been so pleased with Ophelia's that we jumped at the chance. Eva is now in a normal size single bed so we ordered her one to fit her bed which is 90x200cm, mattress.
Little Green Sheep mattresses are all made with the best natural ingredients meaning that your child is sleeping safely away from any chemicals and are allergy free. The 4 ingredients are coconut, cotton, natural latex and wool.
The cotton aids breathability and has been grown without the use of pesticides. The coconut fibres form a supportive core acting as tiny springs and reducing pressure points. The natural latex binds the coconut fibres and acts as the comfy, supportive layer. Finally, the wool is hypo-allergenic and temperature regulating. The organic sheep's wool remove the need for chemical fire retardant sprays due to its natural fire proofing properties.
An organic mattress is kinder to your child's delicate skin and to our environment as it's free from harmful toxins.
Eva was delighted with her new mattress. The first thing she did was jump on it. This is clearly the top priority test for a 3.5 year old. Luckily the mattress passed her vigorous inspection.
I asked her what she thought of her new bed and these were her own words and opinions:
"It's very soft and comfy. I like sleeping on it and so does bunny (her teddy)." As you can see, she approves.
We've been so happy with the quality of both Ophelia and Eva's mattresses. They are firm and very durable. Even though they are firm they are soft to touch and provide the girls' with a comfy, yet supportive night's sleep.
We'd recommend the brand to everybody. We always choose high quality mattresses for ourselves and are very fussy about what we sleep on so it's only natural that we would do the same for our children.
Ophelia has now moved into her own bedroom and is in a cot. We've been looking at their range for cots and we will be buying one asap for her bed. You can view the range here, Cot Mattresses. They are unique in that they are dual sided. One side is firm and can be used up until the age of 12 months old as recommended by industry experts. The other side is more supple with durable support which can be used up until age 5 years.
We just wish they did them for adults..
Have you heard of the brand before? Have you used any of their products?
I don't know if you read my Me and Mine Project post for June, Post but I was saying how hopefully I was about us taking lots of family pictures because we were going on holiday. How wrong was I?!
We went on holiday to Turkey last month for 10 days. I was sure we would get some family pictures but to be honest, we were having so much fun that it just slipped our minds. i am gutted that we didn't take more but at the same time, I am happy that the memories are there in my head.
Turkey was amazing. It was boiling hot but we all coped very well with the heat. The flight over was a bit of a disaster. We didn't have a very good experience with Easyjet. If you haven't read that, make sure you do as it may help you when travelling with little one's in the future, EasyJet Post.
We stayed in a lovely, quiet apartment block which only has 8 rooms. It's run by a fab couple called Reg and Heidi. They really looked after us well and were excellent with the girls. They made tasty breakfasts and Heidi's homemade jam was the best i've ever tasted.
Whilst there we spent most of our time relaxing and playing in the pool. Both the girls took to the water like mermaids. It was fantastic to see. We need to keep their momentum up and make more of an effort to go swimming back home.
We went to the beach a couple of times. We enjoyed lots of lovely meals and drinks out and savoured some stunning views. I don't want to say too much about the holiday as it'll all be in its own blog post.
In july, we also went fruit picking together. We loved it so much that we bought a family pass to be able to go all summer long. I think hubby enjoyed it more than any of us. We're hoping to make it a weekly thing now (along as the weather holds up). If you have any strawberry or raspberry recipes i'd love to know them.
We don't have much planned for August as i'm heading back to work on a few Saturday's. We are going to try and make the most of the summer though as Eva is starting nursery school this September. Massive sad face alert.
Together this month we've loved:
We went on holiday to Turkey last month for 10 days. I was sure we would get some family pictures but to be honest, we were having so much fun that it just slipped our minds. i am gutted that we didn't take more but at the same time, I am happy that the memories are there in my head.
Turkey was amazing. It was boiling hot but we all coped very well with the heat. The flight over was a bit of a disaster. We didn't have a very good experience with Easyjet. If you haven't read that, make sure you do as it may help you when travelling with little one's in the future, EasyJet Post.
We stayed in a lovely, quiet apartment block which only has 8 rooms. It's run by a fab couple called Reg and Heidi. They really looked after us well and were excellent with the girls. They made tasty breakfasts and Heidi's homemade jam was the best i've ever tasted.
Whilst there we spent most of our time relaxing and playing in the pool. Both the girls took to the water like mermaids. It was fantastic to see. We need to keep their momentum up and make more of an effort to go swimming back home.
We went to the beach a couple of times. We enjoyed lots of lovely meals and drinks out and savoured some stunning views. I don't want to say too much about the holiday as it'll all be in its own blog post.
In july, we also went fruit picking together. We loved it so much that we bought a family pass to be able to go all summer long. I think hubby enjoyed it more than any of us. We're hoping to make it a weekly thing now (along as the weather holds up). If you have any strawberry or raspberry recipes i'd love to know them.
We don't have much planned for August as i'm heading back to work on a few Saturday's. We are going to try and make the most of the summer though as Eva is starting nursery school this September. Massive sad face alert.
Together this month we've loved:
- Strawberries
- The Sea
- The Beach
- The Sunshine
- Watermelon
We were recently sent the new Summer Infant Babble Band which is the first wearable audio baby monitor to review. I'll admit that we do have a video monitor in Ophelia's room so I wasn't sure whether I needed another one. However, the fact that you can wear it around the house, got me very curious.
The Babble Band is the first of its kind. It's revolutionary in that you can carry on getting jobs done around the house or garden without having to move a monitor around with you. The wearable part is similar looking to a watch. It's a wristband made of silicone which is easily adjustable to fit both men and women.
The audio transmitter unit is left in your babies room or wherever they are sleeping. The unit also doubles up as the recharging base for the wristband. To recharge you simply place the wristband on top of the unit and it fits neatly on. Once charged it lasts for 8 hours of continuous use.
The Babble Band has a range of 600 ft which is pretty far. It certainly covers my 3 storey townhouse and garden.
There are 3 monitoring modes to choose from:
- Audio and lights
- Sound lights only
- Vibration and lights
We've used the Babble Band more than we thought we would. It's one of those products that you don't realise you need until you have it. As you may know I have 2 children so even when Ophelia is sleeping, I am still on the go either doing some activity with Eva or doing housework.
When there has been sunny weather, Eva and I have been able to enjoy playing in the garden together without me having to go inside every 5 minutes to check on the baby. I have been able to peg the washing out and cut the grass.
I've managed to cook and do the washing and ironing with the reassurance that I can keep track of Ophelia's sounds.
I love the fact that you can choose which monitoring mode you want to use. If i'm doing a particularly noisy activity such as entertaining Eva and her friends or cooking, then I set the band to vibrate. If i'm reading or doing ironing then I have audio and lights.
It's really given myself and hubby the freedom to carry on with our everyday activities without being tied to one room and being fixated on a video monitor. I will say that we do still use the video monitor for bedtime.
I like the fact that it's quite compact. The band fits neatly on top of the audio transmitter unit and therefore is easily stored away.
We have just returned from a holiday to Turkey and we had a ground floor apartment. We were able to leave Ophelia sleeping whilst one of us sat on the terrace (usually me reading a book whilst hubby was in the pool with Eva). It was a massive help on holiday and it didn't take up a lot of room in the suitcase. It's now a must have travel item of mine.
The only complaint comes from hubby who said he would like it to look more manly. Silly really as it's not a fashion accessory and he only wears it in the house and garden. I think he would prefer it in black though.
Overall, we are both really pleased with it. It's a very clever invention that has helped make our lives easier. It's reasonably priced at around £50. For a list of stockists check here, stockists.
Have you used this before or heard about it? Do you think it is something you would use?
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