Follow Friday – 30th Oct 2009

This Friday’s Follow Friday theme are some of my favourite mummy businesses on Twitter – not a comprehensive list by any stretch – but they have helped me with their great products and services and maybe you would like them too… check them out …

MumsLikeYou (Ivet Nikolov) founder www.mumslikeyou.com online mums community
Tums2Mums (Dany Griffiths) lovely lady, hynobirthing guru & resources
Soph4Soph inspirational childrens wear – god daughter gifts – tick!
justdresses because they embracing all things girlie at www.justdresses.co.uk
Aroma4kids loving their Special Little People range – the Christmas blend is devine!
childrensjewell fab childrens jewellery – more off the Christmas list from here!

Wordless Wednesday: Halloween Hands

40% Off At Home with Gusto!

This is what I am going to be doing for supper tonight!

My Twitter Follow Friday’s

If you Tweet you will probably know what #FF or #FollowFriday, here’s a quick explanation though for those that don’t… its very simply a ritual on a Friday of recommending people you follow on Twitter to others by tagging your tweet with #FF or #FollowFriday.  I am flattered, she says blushing as I type to be recommended by others and reciprocate the recommendations but sometimes find it tough to do in 140 characters and end up tweeting a list of user names.  So today, inspired by an approach I saw somewhere else (tweet me if it was yours & I’ll credit you!) I am listing ten of my twitter buddies, in no particular order and in an unrestricted character format explaining why I follow them!

@Tums2Mums – HypnoBirthing guru, invaluable support & super mum to Evan!
@dougggie – She’s doing the Dogs Trust Arctic Dog Sledding Challenge 2010
@clareybabble – fab, true, honest, mummy blogger
@violetposy – lovely lady who is embracing Halloween & working hard for her family
@omgmummy – very cool, funny first time mum
@porridgebrain – kind & helpful & caring, following her dreams & inspiring others
@loveitloveit – because like me she appreciates phrases like “knob all”!!!
@sarahwalters99 – lovely lady, Dandelion Lounge advocate & best RT-er!
@Soph4Soph – super cool kids designer, very funny chick.
@dulwichmum – because her caustic humour never fails to bring a smile to my face

New Arrival News

I am delighted to announce the safe arrival of our baby daughter:

Grace Eloise Lancaster arrived on Wednesday 14th October 2009 at 10:36am weighing 9lb 5oz

Kelly Fairy wins the just for fun baby weight competition with the heaviest baby weight guess, at 9lb on the nose, which was still below my big little girls actual birth weight!

We are all doing well, including and especially Lil’ H in his new role as big brother.  Birth story post to follow very soon … Claire x

Tagged, I’m it, now you!

Thanks to clareybabble for passing this meme on, I’m working my way through a few awards and meme’s at the moment, all helping to keep my mind off my bump!

So here are the rules… 1. Collect the book that you have most handy. 2. Turn to page 161. 3. Find the 5th complete sentence. 4. Site the sentence on your blog. 5. Pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

Ok so on my bedside are three books … this says a lot about where I am in life right now … I have time so I am going to do all three!

1.  Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan
Pg 161, line 5 – I slowly breathe up with each surge.  (Nb. Surge is hypno for contraction!)

2.  The contented baby with toddler book by Gina Ford
Pg 161, line 5 -12 noon-2/2:15pm:  Baby needs a nap of no longer than two and a quarter hours from the time he went down.  (mmm … wondering/doubting if baby knows this?!)

3.  What to expect – The Toddler Years by Murkoff, Eisendberg & Hathaway
Pg 161, line 5 -Sometimes toddlers who are physically precocious – the early walkers, climbers, jumpers, ball-throwers – are later talkers; they put so much of their energy into physical exploits that they have little left over for verbal exploration.

I have to confess, I have only read the hypnobirthing book cover to cover – the rest are there in case of emergencies!  Now then, anyone who want to can pick this meme up but I also think these lovelies might enjoy some randomness…

American Mom in England
OMG we’re pregnant
Sleep is for the weak
Kelly Fairy
Ramblings of a mum on the run

I’m late and irritated …

I’m late, I’m late, I’m late for a very important date … well I’m not but baby number two is and I’m blaming her fathers gene’s for this (already & guaranteed not for the last time!)

So our estimated due date of Monday 5th October has been, gone and I’m three days into extra time and still cooking this baby.  I am no longer able to answer the phone due to the massive irritation that is induced by people calling asking “have you had the baby yet?” – clearly not – clearly in 2009 the digitial era dominated by mobile communication & social networking tools we would have found a way of letting people know – grrrr! 

Don’t get me wrong I love hearing from friends and most of our family but my major irritation comes from those people who haven’t actually bothered to even check in by phone, email or text for most of the last nine months.  Makes me want to scream & shout “so now you want a piece of my new baby do you?” – yeah pretty sure its the hormones!  But I do feel cross and I do feel hurt they haven’t bothered, not interested in me the baby carrier but now seem to want my baby, ok I know I sound like a looney!  The truth is that whilst it will all get put down to my hormones I’m actually quite upset by some folk whom I regard as close friends that I just haven’t heard from for months and months.  I’m not talking about close friends who are single or without children, those without I understand don’t understand, I’m talking about close friends with children of their own too.  People who I care about and make time to check in with to see that life is treating them and theirs ok.  I feel like my socialising limited self got dumped when I declared myself pregnant back in March/April time.  Its second time around so unlike with Lil’ H I’m not even a willing designated driver!  So lets just strike it down to hormones but just for the record I’d be lying if I didn’t say I hadn’t been upset by this over the last few months.

I also know I have a number of amazing friends, both near and far away – my own sisterhood of ya yas – Carrie, Tiff, Mich, Izzie, Sarah – you know who you are and mwah, I love you, you’re ace!  I also know I have amazing parents and need to say a big THANK YOU to my mum and dad, Grandma & Grandpa to Lil’ H and baby number 2, who really couldn’t help more, they do much for us I’m too embarrassed to say it all.  But if I say they look after Lil’ H at least three half days a week and I still have only ever washed 2.5yr old Lil’ H’s clothes when mum is on holiday and he is always in clean ironed clothes it will give you an indication of the scale of assistance we get from them. 

So I will sign off, still here, still in one piece, still pregnant … soon, soon, soon, please let it be soon that I am back here posting with happy new baby news!  Claire x

My secret weblife – revealed …

I was invited and delighted to contribute to the “Secret Weblife” series over at Self-Employed Mum so here’s the inside track on my internet explorer delights!

Hello!  My name is Claire Lancaster, I am mum to 2½ year old Hugo with baby number two due early October 2009.  I am a self employed marketing consultant and founder of Dandelion Lounge www.dandelionlounge.co.uk.  My consultancy business specialises in helping clients establish and maximise their customer relationships through their marketing initiatives and Dandelion Lounge is an online store offering personalised stationery celebrating babies, children & family milestones.  Here are my top five favourite online stop offs …

http://econsultancy.com In terms of a frequent professional port of call my starting point for most things is here.  Econsultancy publish a wide range of guides, benchmarks, studies, surveys and stats.  As the online arena is so fast paced and such a critical component of all my clients businesses as well as the backbone of my own, time spent here helps me keep me up to speed and my finger (allegedly!) on the pulse! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk I have been an “eBay-er” for over 5 years now and mostly I use it to sell stuff I don’t like, need or use anymore.  I have been especially busy on eBay in the last few months selling my sons grown out of clothes (all four suitcase of them!) as baby number two is a girl.  Now I have a nice pot of money to indulge my addiction to buying children’s clothes and Brio train set pieces with!

http://www.notonthehighstreet.com I like to be different when it comes to gifts and I discovered this site in 2007 when I was housebound with a newborn baby, shopping withdrawal symptoms and gifts to buy!  This site makes it possible to buy amazing and unusual things, children’s clothes you’ve never seen before and charming, thoughtful and original gifts that people always ask “where did you get that from?”  All things you’d never find on the average high street. 

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com I am the “financial director” in our home.  I look after where our money is, or as importantly isn’t, spent and invested and keeping on top of that is one of my many jobs.  This site by Martin Lewis helps make this a much easier task.  I would say it is a pro-consumer guide to being financially savvy in all aspects of your life with some great tools, tricks and offers.  The weekly newsletter is one of only a few of the many I subscribe to that I make sure I always read.

http://www.kodakgallery.co.uk I love my photographs, the driving factor in Dandelion Lounge. I love taking, using, looking at and sharing my photos. Every month, well I try to do it every month but sometimes its every few, I load all the photo’s I’ve taken and share these with our family. My husband’s side live 250 miles away so it updates the grandparents, their boasting books and living room photo frames – it also acts like a free off site back up for our digital photos too!

Unicef and Pampers – Gift for Life

This is a post about saving lives and making a difference.  So if you will be so kind may I have your attention for a few short minutes?  Sitting comfortably?  Then I will begin …

Pampers and Unicef have been joint forces for a number of years now in their “Gift of Life” campaign to eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus. Each year tetanus kills 128,000 mothers and babies in the developing world.  We don’t have to worry about it in the UK because of the national vaccination programme starting when babies are 8 weeks old, something we possibly take for granted.  Pampers support Unicef’s programme by donating donate the cost of a vaccine for every one pack sold to Unicef. This is the third year they’ve run the campaign and have so far donated the funding for 200 million tetanus vaccines. You can read more about this on the Unicef website.

If you don’t buy Pampers because your children are older, you prefer cloth or other nappy brands or are not a fan of corporate-charity tie-ins then you can support Unicef directly here. Supporting the cause and raising awareness of the issues and Unicef’s work is the priority.  Whatever your views, I ask every reader of this post to click here for a free song download which will donate a vaccine to the Gift For Life campaign at no cost to you.

Lots of fellow bloggers have been promoting and spreading the word about this campaign and I’d like to thank BabyRambles for tagging me with this Gift for Life meme.  So I am passing the baton onwards and here are the rules:

1 Open the virtual Gift For Life by going here
2 Write a small post on the campaign
3 Pass on to at least 5 other bloggers
4 Add the campaign badge to your sidebar
5 Feel incredibly proud that you are helping to make a difference!

I am passing the Gift of Life on to:
The Hectic Mum
OMG We’re Pregnant
The Accidental Businessmum
Violet Posy
Awe & Wonder Mum

Rhodes to Heaven

I’ve mentioned the Mums Like You website before and it is through that community that I received two Rhodes to Heaven products to review from the Natural Baby range – their “Shampoo & Bodywash” and a mini sample of the “Botti Balm”

So I’ve been using the Shampoo & Bodywash with Lil’ H for a few weeks now and want to share my thoughts with those kindly taking time to pass past my blog (thank you by the way!)

Like all “smellies” the first thing I did when I received these is open and sniff and my honest reaction was an audible “Ooooo”.  The Shampoo & Bodywash has a fresh delicate almost citrus aroma.  I choose the word aroma carefully because it’s not a domineering scent or fragrance like other products.  It also excludes the known to irritate nasties such as Sodium Laureth Sulphate, which with other products mean almost no bubbles which means you can end up using lots of product but a foam pumper dispenser solves this.  My Lil’ H loves the almost creamy, shaving foam like, bubbles its produces and they stay on his hand compared to the liquid wash pump dispensed washes which run/slip off making it easier for him to have a go at washing himself.  I would say it is easier to use as a bodywash than a shampoo as my Lil’ H has lots of very thick hair so I need a good few pumps to get his lathered and clean but it does rinse quickly, easily and really well.

My Lil’ H very much knows his own mind and my Johnson & Johnson top to toe wash, J&J Bedtime Wash and Daniel Gavin Organic Baby Wash (I am a self-confessed cosmetic & skin care product addict!) have remained lined up in the bathroom but have been unused since our Rhodes to Heaven top to toe wash arrived.  I ask H to choose which product he wants to be washed with and as yet none of the predecessors haven’t be requested as every night he points at the Natural Baby wash by Rhodes to Heaven declaring “Bubbles” his preferred choice! 

Also set to me was a mini sample of the “Botti Balm”, I am lucky in that as a general rule Lil H doesn’t need any extra botti care!  In the note though it mentioned its great for dribbly chins and chaffing which H’s best female friend, AJ, has recently developed so I passed this on to AJ for use, feedback and review and it is also getting a thumbs up.  Whilst vaseline-esque in texture its petroleum free, made completely from vegetable, clear and perfect for around AJ’s mouth.  Whilst a toddler chin is only ever going to fully heal when they stop putting their fingers in their mouths and dribbling through sniffles and colds it has done a great job of taking the red, dry soreness away and continues to be a staple item in AJ’s mums handbag!

So in summary …
Did I like? Yep, I would be comfortable to use on both toddler and newborn baby
Did my toddler like? Yes he did, the foamer pump is a bit hit!
Would I buy in future? Yes I would, whilst pricer than alternatives it lasts longer
Would I buy as a gift? Again yes I would, it would be a lovely gift for a new baby