Southern Mummy - Page 2 of 11 - A UK Parenting and Lifestyle blog

20
Nov
2017

Christmas Gift Guide: Xmas Gift Ideas for Babies

I can’t believe…..Haha, I realised this is how most of my post starts. New parents, it’s inevitable, this will become you! So yes, I can’t believe it’s so close to December and Xmas shopping. Have you made a start on your Christmas shopping yet? I love shopping for babies. There’s a wonderful Selection of gifts on the market, but how do you choose when there is so many? That’s where I come in and help you out. I have put together a babies Xmas gift guide comprised of items I have either been sent to review. Have reviewed previously and loved or Items I have purchased myself and highly recommend. These gifts are bound to make your babies smile on their first Christmas! If your looking for some inspiration for older kids, you can check out my Children’s gift guide here.

The perfect Xmas gift for a teething baby are the Halia Rose teething Elephants.… Read More

18
Nov
2017

BioCare Review: Keeping Healthy from the Inside with Probiotics

categories: Giveaway, Lifestyle, Reviews

Winter is that time of year when germs are rife. Catching a cold is almost as certain as rain on a warm summers day! Children are especially vulnerable. Especially during the new terms if they attend School or Nursery. That’s where BioCare come in. BioCare suggest the single most important thing you can do to support your immunity this winter is to take a daily probiotic.

With almost 30 years expertise in developing professional nutritional supplements, BioCare has perfected their Probiotic range that helps to support our immune systems and help reduce the number of infections we catch. Surprisingly, most of our immune system is found in our gut. Probiotics help to keep the immune system active by keeping the gut bacteria on low level alert. Therefore supporting its function. Fascinating! When asked if I wanted to review a few products from the probiotic range I jumped at the chance.… Read More

10
Nov
2017

Today I am….8 Months Old!

categories: Baby

It’s November! That means it’s time for Emmie’s update. So this month on 06th Emmie turned 8 months old. Again I can’t believe it’s been a month since her last update! To be honest, this month has passed in a sleep deprived, illness ridden blur. In fact, I went to search my photos to grab some nice ones for this update and apart from a few blurry ones, I haven’t really got much, so I apologise for the dodgy snaps this month. I will try harder for next month! Anyway, here we are, Emmie’s Today I am 8 Months old!

Weight: 16lb 1oz

I took Emmie to clinic Wednesday to be weighed. It’s the first time since she was born that I self weighed. I was always worried about weight gain that I always had something I needed to ask or check over. Today I had nothing.… Read More

06
Nov
2017

Advent Calendars for the Kids: Xmas 2017

categories: Blogmas, Christmas

How is it November the 06th already? Time to get a move on! So, I have given you alternative Xmas Calendars for the ladies and Alternative Xmas calendars for the gents. Today, I bring you the alternative Xmas calendars for the kids! Last year we bought Finlay his first luxury advent calendar and I was blown away. It really was amazing and a great price. Finlay loved the fact that he had a little xmas toy to open each day on the countdown to Christmas. Not only that, but as the days went on, he created a fantastic little xmas scene. I have been a bit slow this year and I haven’t actually bought him one yet, hopefully this guide can help us all decide which ones to purchase. So here are my favourites for 2017!

ASDA, Peppa Pig Advent, £25.00

Count down to Xmas with ASDA and Peppa pig, a must have for any Peppa Pig fan!… Read More

03
Nov
2017

Drusillas Park: No Ordinary Family day out!

categories: Activities, Out and About, Reviews

Regarded as one of the best attractions in Sussex, Drusillas Park is a small zoo in Alfriston, East Sussex. I have very fond memories of visiting Drusillas as a little girl and I was so excited to be given the opportunity to pop down and review the park recently with the family. Do not be fooled by the mention of small, as a visit to Drusillas will provide an action packed family day out like no other! As well as the zoo, the park boasts a huge adventure playground complete with splash pad (for those warmer months!), farm animals, Petworld, an interactive maze, indoor soft play, rides and much more. Read on for our review and to find out why Drusillas really is no ordinary Zoo!

The Zoo

The route through the zoo is well marked and easy to follow to ensure you don’t miss anything! With over 100 different species of animals, there’s plenty of exciting things to see to keep the little ones entertained.… Read More

02
Nov
2017

Organix PUNK’D Oaty Bar Review: The Perfect Healthy After School Snack!

categories: Reviews

.

I was a huge fan of Organix when Finlay was a baby, and I was incredibly excited to learn that Organix had introduced the PUNK’D bars to their range which are aimed at children aged between 5 – 11 years old. Now that Finlay has started school, no longer is he hungry in the afternoon, he is starving! So I have been searching for a healthy snack to fill him up when I pick him up from school. I was delighted when Organix offered me the chance to review their PUNK’D bars, I jumped at the chance!

PUNK’D bars come in two delicious flavours, Cocoa & Orange Crush and Strawberry & Vanilla Smash. Each box contains 6 individually wrapped 23g bars. Perfect for snacking on the go, or even better, for an after school snack! PUNK’D bars come with the Organix ‘No Junk’ promise, of good healthy, organic foods, no artificial sweeteners, added salt, colourings or preservatives.… Read More

30
Oct
2017

Advent Calendars for Him: Xmas 2017

categories: Blogmas, Christmas

A few days ago I posted my Alternative Advent Calendars for the ladies. Today it’s the gents turn! I think sometimes they can get a bit left out. Especially as a lot of the alternative calendars in recent years have been aimed at Women and Kids (find my Kids recommendations, here), I mean most men wouldn’t want to open up a luxury beauty product on the run up to Christmas, would they! Fear not my masculine friends I have scoured the internet and have compiled some of the best Alternative Advent Calendars for him!

My Protein, Chocolate Advent Calendar, £4.99

One for the Gym Fanatic, 24 festive, high protein chocolate balls. Made from delicious cocoa Butter and Whey Protein Isolate. There are no nasty artificial sweeteners either so rest assured this calendar will help keep your guys festive training on track!

Beer Hawk, Craft Beer Advent Calendar, £75.00

The Perfect Gift for Beer Lovers!… Read More

28
Oct
2017

Advent Calendars for Her: Xmas 2017

categories: Blogmas, Christmas

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without an advent calendar, but recently the tides have changed. Gone are the days of weird tasting cheap chocolate. Hello to calendars full of premium chocolates, alcoholic tipples, jewels, luxury beauty products and much much more! There are so many alternate advent calendars now available, you can really spoil yourself or a loved one. I have found 11 of the best Alternate 2017 Xmas calendars for us girls. (Here are my recommendations for him). Either spoil yourself or leave a big fat hint for your other half, here’s what I’ve found!

ALDI, Wine Advent Calendar, £49.99

ALDI is offering us 24 mini bottles of Wine in Red, White and Rose from prestigious regions around the world, there’s even a couple of suprise bottles of sparkles in there too somewhere! This goes on sale on November the 01st instore and online and at roughly £2 a bottle, be quick, this will sell out fast.… Read More

26
Oct
2017

2017 – Our Year in Review!

categories: Blogtober17, Lifestyle

What a fantastic idea for Blogtober17 – A year in review. This year has been jam packed for us. Some highs and some lows. I really can’t believe were almost at the end of October already though. Honestly, where has this year gone?! I hope time begins to slow down, it’s beginning to scare me somewhat. So what has this year dealt us? Read on to find out.

January

January was quite a hard month for me personally. I had been diagnosed with Gestation Diabetes a few days before Xmas. During January I was trying to get my head around altering my diet to help manage it. During weeks 32 – 36 Gestational Diabetes ramps up a notch, due to hormones and growth spurts. It was during January I hit this mark. I was quite stressed this month. Struggling with food and not knowing how GD would affect my birth choice for a VBAC.… Read More

24
Oct
2017

How to Make a Superhero Birthday Cake!

categories: Activities, Blogtober17, Recipes

Blogtober17 is drawing to a close, the topic a few days ago was Villains and Superheros. I wasn’t sure how to approach this topic even though I have a superhero obsessed little boy! Then I remembered for his birthday way back in February I made him a Superhero birthday cake and it was relatively simple to make. So I thought I would share with you how I did this, in case anyone ever needs to make one. Please excuse the poor photography, I didn’t get a good shot at the time!

What you will need

2 x 7 inch round Madeira cakes

Butter Icing and Jam

Icing sugar

Fondant Icing in white, black, blue, yellow and red

Cake/Floristry wire

Printer and paper

Method

Now, I’m not going to go into recipe details or cooking, but you will need a simple Madeira cake recipe. You can use A SIMPLE Victoria sponge, but a Madeira is denser and will hold the weight of the fondant icing better.… Read More