At four years old Curly Girl is a fully-fledged storybook addict. She will sit happily listening to me (or heck anyone actually, who am I kidding) read book after book, asking questions as we go along. She has her favourites though and, as I've learnt to my chagrin, can be quite critical of new books that don't quite hit the mark in her opinion.
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I love quotes, especially the quips that make me smile wryly and nod in agreement. So in a more or less weekly spot (see I even made a new badge *points up*), here's some I've discovered this week...

We took Little Man to be weighed today. At 36 weeks he weighed in at a healthy 18.9lbs *swells with pride*. Clearly we're doing something right. But I still left the health centre feeling just a little bit empty.

While I was waiting to speak to our health visitor another lady was chatting to her, a beautiful baby girl bouncing on her lap. As soon as they were finished talking, the mother moved to another chair near the open door where there was a lovely breeze blowing in and lay her baby down on her lap. I knew what she was about to do not just by the way she'd positioned the baby but by the smiles on both their faces as they gazed at each other. As she lifted her top and started to breastfeed her little girl the fissure in my heart that had mended over the past two months cracked open. I looked away, giving them the privacy they deserved and shielding myself from the pain.

I turned to Little Man, lying on the changing table playing with his toes, pudgy and oh so well and knew that while bottle feeding hadn't been a choice either of us wanted to make, nor was stopping breastfeeding an easy option by any means, it was at the time. It doesn't seem to have affecting him physically; he's thriving by all accounts, but I do so miss that precious time that we spent together, our bodies connected, eyes searching each other's face, little smiles, conversing without words. Now he usually faces away from me while he drinks his milk (his choice, not mine) and it's a mechanical operation. Something to get 'done' rather than to look forward to or particularly enjoy.

But here's the thing. It's World Breastfeeding Week from 1st - 7th August and while I'm no longer breastfeeding our Little Man I'm fully in support of this year's aims which are to draw attention to the importance of peer support in helping mothers to not only establish but sustain breastfeeding. It's an acknowledgement that while in the past families would often support new mothers in their breastfeeding journeys, encouraging them, answering questions and allaying fears, societal changes and in particular urbanisation means that this support isn't always readily available. Support from a wider circle whether it is provided by trained health workers, lactation consultants, friends who are also mothers or other community members is so important. And so as I think back now to that mother feeding her baby girl this morning I'm smiling instead of frowning, punching the air for her instead of feeling sorry for myself. And if I see her again I'm going to let her know what a wonderful thing she's doing for her beautiful baby.

www.worldbreastfeedingweek.org

Uh... hello *waves*. It's OH here, guest posting today for wifey while she kicks back and relaxes in the sunshine keeps the kids amused in the Summer holiday heat.


A while back the kind folks at Lenovo sent us the Ideapad A2109 to review over the summer. We’ve been testing it as a family to put it through it’s paces in a number of different scenarios and this is the first of a series of reviews we’ll be posting as we get to grips with the tablet.

In summary
I liked this tablet straight out of the box. It has a quality feel. It’s an impressive 9 inch tablet that is great for all the family and good value at £170 from PC World at the moment. The tablet is built around a sturdy metal frame which means the Ideapad is a delight to handle and reassuringly robust. Start up is very fast, taking 15-20 seconds from pressing the on button and using it is simple and intuitive. Lenovo covers the Andriod 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system with their own Modrian user interface and it is effective, using icons to start programmes. The icons can be placed into logical groups to customise the layout to your own tastes. For Andriod phone users the interface will feel familiar.

The Ideatab uses a Nvidia Tegra 1.3GHz Quad Core processor with built in GeForce gaming processor, plus 1280x800 HD screen and SRS Surround sound speakers, so it's well equiped for basic gaming and video playback. Front and rear cameras make it also ideal for Skype as well as taking impromptu family photos and videos.

In short the Ideatab is a great value all round family tablet that looks like it will stand up to the knocks of family life.


Usability
The touch screen interface with its icon layout and simple control keys in the bottom left hand corner (home, back, new window) make the tablet simple to use. Settings can be accessed via another touch button in the top right hand corner whilst voice control is situated in the top left hand corner. The pop up keyboard includes a well judged positive sound feedback that makes typing a delight. The keys are also large enough for full size fingers resulting in fewer typing errors, although one drawback is that the keyboard obscures much of the content section in gmail, which requires more planning than usual. For serious typing I bought an Anker bluetooth keyboard which is similar in size to the Ideapad and works very well. It’s only drawback is the lack of a trackpad, but it makes serious typing far easier and it is something I’d recommend to get the most out of the tablet - I’ve written this review using exactly that combination.

The Ideapad screen quality is good with sharp, vivid reproduction. Part of my morning routine is to do my emails, then read the news (on the BBC APP, on USA Today and via MyYahoo). The Ideatab has quickly become my device of choice for this activity due to its quick start up, ease of use and size. It copes well with text, graphics (checking the weather forecast) and video (breaking new stories)

Family feedback
We downloaded two games from the Google Play store for Curly Girl to play on the Ideapad and she happily balanced the tablet on her lap to play them. The Ideapad is a good size for her and easier to use that a Smartphone (we have a Galaxy S2). Little Man is a tad too small to play with a tablet yet although he seems quite happy to sit and watch me tapping away (good lad).


Specification
The all important numbers:

Item Weight - 5 g
Product Dimensions - 1.2 x 26 x 17.8 cm
Screen Size - 9 inches
Processor Brand - NVIDIA
Processor Speed - 1.3 GHz
RAM Size - 1 GB
Computer Memory Type - DDR DRAM
Hard Drive Size - 16 GB
Graphics Card Description - Integrated
Graphics RAM Type - DDR DRAM
Operating System - Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Average Battery Life (in hours) - 9 hours

(Source: Amazon)

Accessories

You really don't need a lot of extras with the Ideapad but there are three things I would recommend that cost us about £45 from Amazon:

1. - this is a necessary purchase to prolong the life of the screen (especially with the number of ice-lollies being waved around in this house at the moment).

2. - £8.18. A sturdy case for the price let down by slightly poor fit (it is slightly too large for the height of the tablet which means pushing the bottom of the tablet up slightly to touch the home key).

3. - a worthwhile investment at £28.77 for more lengthy typing.

Niggles
The Android version that comes pre-installed does not support some types of video playback - as it is a tablet, not a laptop. This is irritating but I’m sure I will find a workaround when I try. At the moment I simply use another device instead.

More to try out
As yet we have not tested the video or camera to any great degree. So that’s for the next review. As is making the most of the connectivity - hooking up the picture to our TV for example.

All in all I feel I’ve come to appreciate the Lenovo Ideapad quickly and I'm already wondering how I lived without it - often the case with new technology I find - but now the true test begins - will I still love it after a few months of use?

I smell. Not in a nice way. In a sweaty, Tour-de-France jock-strap way. Yeah I know, not very lady like. But I'm on a mission people. I'm a 'project'.

OH has taken it upon himself to get me fit. With my breastfeeding days behind me and far too much belly in front of me there's no time like the present to get back in shape. And so it has begun. I've seen that sparkle in my husband's eyes as he devises my workout - not cruelty, no surely not, it must be determination, right? Determination to get his wife back. The wife that managed to regain her shape through sheer bloody hard work only just before finding out she was pregnant again. The wife that complains non-stop about not fitting into any of her clothes. The wife who is asked on a weekly basis 'when's the baby due' before sucking in her belly and holding her breath until she almost passes out. Yep, THAT wife.

So far I've done a handful of workouts and I must say that I'm feeling great. Well, not GREAT, you understand. Everything hurts after not training at all for over a year. Oh and I've pulled a calf muscle. But mentally it feels fab to be making a start. To feel those endorphins flowing again. To know that not being able to move much on day two is because I worked bloody hard on day one.

Last time around I trained on my own using the basic circuit training workouts at bodyrock.tv . Burpees, squat thrusts, press-ups, step-ups, star jumps, high knees, clean & jerks etc. They work people. They may not be sexy or have you dancing round a pole, but they work.

This time I have two secret weapons - OH (who won't let me quit unless I'm physically sick in front of him) and a new book and video combination from the US called Babyweight.tv.

OH's programme so far goes like this:

• Put on Prodigy album to get mentally prepared for hell
• Cycle like a nutter for 10 minutes
• Faint as I bend down to switch cycling shoes for trainers
• Perform 10 clean and jerks with pink sandbag while trying not to knock myself out
• Row 1000m in under 5 minutes while trying to ignore baby crying because he's bored of watching Mummy and she smells bad
• Suck in all oxygen from room and drink a litre of water in one gulp
• Perform another 10 clean and jerks
• Row 1000m again trying to beat previous time
• PASS OUT

Micky Morrison

Babyweight.tv's programme is more refined and a lot less stressful. It was developed by American Micky Marie Morrison, a physical therapist, International Childbirth Education Association certified perinatal fitness instructor and author of . Micky started out designing a pre­na­tal and post­par­tum fit­ness plan for her clients, which she later fea­tured in the book. When she started getting requests for an accom­pa­ny­ing DVD, she realised that there was a gap in the market for something online - thus Babyweight.tv was, if you pardon the pun, born.

Both the book and the online programme are designed for different levels of fitness, whether you're pregnant, just had a baby or, like me, working to remove your baby-belly but all have one thing in common - the exercises are designed to work out the muscles most affected by pregnancy *looks down at belly and scowls*. So far so good then.

The book has lots of information at the beginning about healthy eating and activity during pregnancy including what's safe and not so safe in a pregnancy/post-partum exercise programme. Then there are detailed descriptions of each of the exercises with clear photos and alternative options. A big plus for me is that the photos are of real women with bumps and baby-bellies - and their babies! I LOVE that the book describes how you can include baby in your exercise - kissing him at the bottom of a half press-up for example - and at around seventeen pounds Little Man is adding 'weight' into my routine already. At the end of the book there are some suggested flows for the exercises that build them into a routine - a picture of each exercise and the page number where you'll find it in the book is very helpful here, but to really make it come to life I found I wanted to watch the videos online.

A real benefit of the Babyweight.tv online classes is that I could jump straight into a beginner class in the comfort of our living room without trying to stretch my pre-baby lycra workout gear beyond it's limits. (I had visions of it pinging back and knocking me out, seriously.) Although some of the beginner videos do have babies included in them so you can see how to incorporate baby into the routine (soooo cute!), I started off on my own while Little Man was napping to get a clear picture of the exercises in my mind. We did try a couple of routines when he was awake and happy to be a squashy dumbell. He LOVED sitting on my lap while I did the core exercises and I just switched him to his play mat when he started to get bored.

One of my fav videos is the Advanced PowerMama half hour post-postnatal class. Micky leads this class herself and talks through each move very clearly so you don't have to look at the video the whole time (that's something I really dislike about fitness videos usually!). The class starts with some sun salutes to warm up but don't be fooled - this is a tough class with push-ups, planks, crunches and lots of balancing moves that work your core to the max. These moves HURT but you know they're working those nasty wobbly bits! The camera does change angle from time to time so that you can see exactly what Micky is doing, but I did find it made the video a bit jumpy at times. The beautiful setting with a mountain in the background and an almost unfeasibly blue sky is breathtaking and although I can't do the whole routine along with the video yet I can feel the moves strengthening my core. I WILL do those press-ups along with you soon Micky!

Working out with baby at BabyWeightTV

There's plenty of variety in the videos from the stretching and tuning in of the Yoga­Mama classes to connecting with your core muscles in the Core­Mama™ classes and completely relaxing and releasing daily stresses with the Relax­Mama classes but most use yoga moves in some form so if you have a particular dislike of yoga this might not be the programme for you. Apparently there are some cardio classes planned too which I'd definitely be interested in. But the programme doesn't stop at fitness classes - there are also Health and Well­ness videos with recipes, tips, tricks, secrets, and cop­ing strate­gies from other moth­ers around the world, a Sooth­ing Mamas Woes series where Micky gives tips on how to pre­vent and treat aches and pains com­mon to expec­tant and new Mums plus healthy lifestyle and green-living secrets in the Mama­Cooks and Eco­Mama series.

PHEW!

There are over 70 videos to help you become a fit mama and four membership levels from completely free with a weekly class that you can watch online to a full year's membership with unlimited streaming classes and a free copy of Micky's Baby Weight book. Even the most expensive option at $89.95 (c £60) is good value when you think how much weekly classes cost to attend and let's not even talk about gym membership.

"You may be in a hurry to get back in to shape, but you can’t rush nature. Respect where you are today and progress naturally," Micky says on her website. Wise words Micky *rubs sore calf muscle*. While I'm enjoying having OH train my butt off (literally, hopefully) I loved reviewing the Baby Weight book and Babyweight.tv videos and would recommend them as a progressive way to getting back into shape.

GIVEAWAY
Woo hoo! I'm delighted that Micky Morrison has generously offered me one ecopy of her Baby Weight book plus a six month subscription to Babyweight.tv to giveaway to one of you lucky lot! To enter just answer the question in the Rafflecopter widgety thing below. You can also tweet about the giveaway for another entry. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer, terms and conditions and the all-important small print:
I was given a copy of Micky Morrison's Baby Weight book and a one month subscription to Babyweight.tv to review and offered a six month subscription and an ebook to give away. I received no other compensation and all opinions are my own. This giveaway is open to UK residents aged 18 or over, one entry per household. There is no cash alternative. The winner will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to claim the prize or another winner will be chosen, again at random using Rafflecopter. You DO NOT have to subscribe to Bod for tea or like my or follow me on or as part of your entry.

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I love quotes, especially the quips that make me smile wryly and nod in agreement. Here's some I've discovered this week...

"Once a woman has forgiven a man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast." - Marlene Dietrich

"Keep in mind that no matter how cute and sexy a guy is, there's always some woman somewhere who's sick of him." - Carol Hentry

"They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?" - Diana, the late Princess of Wales

"One of my theories is that men love with their eyes; women love with their ears." - Zsa Zsa Gabor

And my personal favourite for this week...

"Kids are definitely the boss of you. Anyone who will barge into the room while you are on the commode is the boss of you. And when you explain to them that you're on the commode and that they should leave but they don't? That's a high-level boss." - Tina Fey

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuomo / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I received a really worrying email yesterday. It worried me so much that I spent a lot of yesterday thinking about it, mulling it over in my mind, imagining what it might mean. 

Sponsored post in association with Irwin Mitchell

Our Little Man is already eight months old! *gasp* It’s hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly, but when it comes to growing up, babies wait for no one. Keeping this in mind, we figured it’s time to start thinking about baby proofing the house. When we came home from our three year adventure in China Curly Girl was already walking and well-used to not-touching the dangerous things around the house so we didn't really need to do much baby proofing. But I can already see that twinkle in the Little Man's eye that tells me it won't be long before he goes from rolling around to crawling and walking and there's no doubt that when that happens his new found freedom to create havok will cause all sorts of hazards. So with that in mind here's how we're planning to prevent a head injury, as well as slips, trips and other mishaps.

In the nursery. When we start to baby proof Bod towers, we know that the nursery will probably be the best place to start as that's where Little Man spends a lot of his time. When we planned his room we began by researching the safest kinds of baby cots we could find. We ultimately decided on one with slats that were small enough to prevent our little one from poking his head through. Also, we skipped the fancy trim and posts; these are just unnecessary hazards since your clothing or the baby’s clothing can get caught on them. Luckily enough a friend had the perfect cot that she was selling so we didn't have to spend a small fortune on a very good one. In China we had wooden floors and Curly Girl often bashed herself when she was learning to walk so I'm glad we have carpet here under the changing table. This will definitely help avoid a head injury when he's fresh out of the bath and just that little bit *ahem* slippery.

In the kitchen. Next, we'll head to the kitchen to take a look at any potential dangers. Eeek! It's not until you have a baby that you realise it's a miracle we're not all rushing off to A&E every five minutes.  We'll probably put locks on all the bottom cupboards and drawers to keep him from pulling them open and banging around with pots and pans or the various pieces of electrical equipment that are gathering dust in storage and poised for use. I know pots and pans make great, if noisy, toys, but we will need to be careful when he gets a little older and sees them on the hob. Doesn't even bear thinking about, does it? *Sweats*


In the bathroom. In the bathroom, we'll likely be putting mini slip-on covers over all the knobs for the taps. Babies are attracted to shiny things - FACT - so we thought that doing this would take the temptation out of turning the water on and off. Probably won't but at least it will make it harder for him. We've already got a nice whale cover for the spout that doesn't get hot to the touch. We should probably also put a lock on all the toilet lids - or my phone will likely be going for a swim.











Around the house. Baby proofing room by room is a great way to start, but we also need to remember to take a look at all those obscure areas that are easy to miss. First and most importantly, plastic plug-ins to cover all our electrical outlets. These should be as inconspicuous as possible (ours are plain white to blend in with the walls) so that Little Man's wandering eyes don’t land on them. As we already a fairly new carpet I'm not too worried about him falling over on the floors - this was more of a problem for us in China where we had lots of rugs for Curly Girl - but to be honest I just tripped over them instead!

We will probably add to this list as we go. Baby proofing might even mean that we need to change a couple of things when he finally starts walking *gulp*.  So now it's over to you - what have I missed?

What are your top tips for baby proofing your home?

No, don't worry I'm not suggesting a trip to the opticians or anything quite so drastic, it's just that I'm not actually here today. Oh I know it seems like I am but I'm actually over here *points down*



Yes that's me, busy learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone and writing all about it. Ever fancied learning a language but no time to go to classes? Their TOTALe online course is fab and so easy to use. I'm squeezing in bite size chunks while the Little Man is asleep. Anyhoo, my latest article is live over on the Rosetta Stone blog. Feel free to come over and say 'hi'... opps I mean 'ola!'

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So it’s finally summer - Yippeee!! - and time to make the best of the sun with as many days out as possible. If you're anything like me then having the right accessories and baby care items is essential for these summer holiday trips, particularly with two young children. Here are a few things for us all to think about before charging out into the sun with our little ones under our arms.

Car Seats
We all know that a car seat is a legal requirement for a child, right? But which one is best for you, your car and of course, your child?

Belted car seats have been around for ages and proved their worth as a reliable safety item for children of all ages. So then what is ISOFIX? ISOFIX is the latest method of car safety concerning baby and child seats. An ISOFIX base attaches to the actual body of your car thanks to anchor points fitted in many cars. The car seat is then locked onto the base, safely securing your child.

Both belted and ISOFIX car seats will help to keep your child safe if the worst was to happen, but with many cars not including the required anchors it seems that ISOFIX has a way to go before becoming the most popular choice. We were lucky enough to have ISOFIX points in our Hyundai Santa Fe and I love the easy click-on/click-off base which makes like so much easier when I'm running a teensy bit late *ahem*.

Back-carrying Curly Girl in our Ergo baby carrier at Disneyland in 2011

Getting Around
Choosing your child's mode of transport is another consideration. Deciding whether to take a baby carrier or a pram will completely change the layout of your summer trip. Whereas a baby carrier brings a hands free bonus and keeps baby as close as possible, a pram makes a perfect bed for your little one and means you don’t have to carry your baby when your arms and shoulders feel like lead. (Plus it has the added bonus of being a useful place to hang your shopping bags!)

A good idea is to think about your trip before you go. Will I be going in lots of shops? Is the area reasonably flat or am I going to be pushing a pram up Mount Everest? Who am I going with? Ask yourself some simple questions and you’ll soon get an idea of the easiest way to get baby around. Of course you could take an item for every eventuality but at times this can require a small coach *blush* so you may have to be a little more selective.

Clothes (and nappies)
One things for certain if you're out for the day with a baby - you are going to need nappies. Whether you use disposable or reusable, you will need to take a few for a day out. Generally it's recommended that you take two nappies for every hour you intend to be away from home. At times this is far too many, but sometimes you might even be cutting it close. I usually work on taking a few more than I'd use at home just in case Little Man decides to air-wee into his new nappy when I'm changing him!

Spills and mess can strike at any time, so it is best to come prepared with some clothes for your little one to change into after you spill your juice all over them *ahem again* or they decide to cover themselves in whatever they can. Funny how I don't tend to remember to take a spare top for me though...

Entertainment and blankets (or Blankie as it may be)

If Little Man was parted from his Shleepy Sheep... eek!

At all ages little ones need to be entertained. Of course their favourite teddy has to come along for the ride and a cuddle but it's when you're out and about and focusing on the 50% off sale at Joules that baby decides to play the “I throw it, you pick it up game.” Apart from the heart wrenching affect it may have on you, knowing the truth about toys thanks to Toy Story, you may have an inconsolable child when they can’t find that toy that they never cared about before.

Maybe attach a reign to the teddy and the pram, or teddy and your child? Aside from sewing it onto their clothes, it’s pretty much one of the best ways to keep hold of any toys. Don’t forget the odd book either, a little story time-out in the shade is a great way to cool down on a hot day.

Take blankets, or the Blankie if your child is attached to one in particular. Apart from being great soothers, they're essential should any cold weather (or breezes) hit while you are out. In the UK it's a good idea to pack a couple just in case. And snow boots.

The Sun
It goes without saying that any trips in the sun with a young child should involve some (we recommend using as many as possible) form of sun protection. Hats, sun cream and regular rests in the shade are essential for not just your baby, but you as well.

Finally, the key to a successful day trip with your baby is being relaxed and confident at all times. Make sure you enjoy yourself too, because if you're enjoying the day out, it’s most likely that your little one is as well.
_______

This is a sponsored post in association with Bambino Direct - the place to find your essentials for a summer trip or holiday with baby. They have a great range and also offer a live chat system if you have any questions or need any help.

Top image: courtesy of artur84 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net