Dark and Dreary to Fun and Cheery?

Since the clocks went back two weeks ago it's been getting dark so early here!  It hasn't helped that it's been persistently grey and rainy either.  My go-to free activity with Blondie Boy used to be a walk at the country park or a walk around The Glasgow Fort to go window shopping, but now as it's getting bleaker, colder and darker I'm at a loss at what to do outside the home, but is still free.

Any ideas of what to do with a very active 10 month old that doesn't cost anything?  I guess I could just bundle him up and hit up the park if it is dry, but does anyone have any other ideas?  Most I've seen are for older children.

Blondie

Bounce and Rhyme

Blondie Boy and I decided to go check out Bounce and Rhyme Time at our local library. Blondie Boy loves reading and singing so it seemed like a perfect fit! Plus it's free and was only a mile and a bit walk from our house.

There were lots of other Mommies and babies as well as some older toddlers and children, too. The session started with a "Hello" song to all the babies and then worked it's way through lots of nursery rhymes; the older children got to request their favorite songs.

Unfortunately for Blondie Boy I couldn't sing along to most of the songs-- some of them I'd never heard in my life (Wind the Bobbin up), some had different tunes (Baa Baa Black Sheep) and some had different words (Wheels on the Bus). I guess that's one of the downsides of being an American Mommy abroad and I had to wonder what a similar type of class would be like back home in the States.

I can't bring myself to sing "incy-wincy spider" instead of "itsy-bitsy spider" so poor Blondie Boy is going to grow up singing differently to all the other kids. Any other moms/mums have this problem?

Blondie

Born Free Teether Review

Enjoying some teething relief with the Born Free Teether!

To be honest I didn't think Blondie Boy was going to like the Born Free Silcone Teether, but he absolutely loves it! The teether is designed to stimulate, soothe and even clean baby’s gums, the teethers feature multiple textures that allow your baby to get used to chewing various solid textures and to aid their transition to solid foods and can be chilled or frozen for your baby's comfort.

Normally Blondie Boy prefers teethers he can shove right back into the back of his mouth, but he's sat happily gnawing away on the Born Free Teether with a smile on his face. We don't use teething gels, but there is a tray on the teether you can use to apply gel to your baby's gums if needed.

The teether is medical-grade silicone and BPA free which is very important and has 5 different textures to enhance tactile sensation. The Born Free Silicone Teether was designed by a Pediatric Dentist for babies of 4 months and older.

Available in pink or blue at www.babybornfree.co.uk or at Boots, Mothercare, Amazon.co.uk and other fine retailers.

Blondie

Milton Cold Water Sterilizer and Antibacterial Fabric Solution Review

We've been using a steam sterilizer for Blondie Boy's bottles and other odds and ends since he was born 9 months ago.  I'd heard of cold water sterilizers but hadn't ever given them a try before we got the chance to try some of Milton's sterilizing products.

The cold water sterilizer is great if you are travelling or somewhere without electricity as all you need is water and either tablets or sterilizing liquid.  The unit even has a handle that locks the lid in place so it won't spill while you are on the go.  I think it would be perfect for road trips, picnics and other times you are out of the house.

We also got some of Milton Antibacterial Fabric Solution which I was excited to try since we use cloth nappies.  You add 20ml to your normal wash and it kills germs and bacteria that might normally survive even a hot wash.  Blondie Boy's nappies smelled a bit medicinal when they first came out of the wash, but after drying it was not as strong.  It certainly seems to have gotten rid of an ammonia type smell that can sometimes plague cloth nappies.

There are lots of other products in the Milton range which can be purchased in store or online here.

Blondie

Yummy Blueberries

What, is there something on my face?

Blondie Boy has a new favorite food: blueberries.  Since Blondie Boy has eczema and is at higher risk for allergies we are holding off on strawberries and raspberries since they are a high allergy risk.  He hadn't had any berries at all, but then I learned that blueberries are closer related to cranberries, a very low allergen, than other berries.  Blondie Boy's Grandma had kindly brought us over some blueberries and as they seemed easy enough to mash, I thought we'd give them a try.

All I did was cut the berries in half and give them to the boy raw.  OMG he loved them.  He could not shove them down his pie hole fast enough and in the end he ate half of the 125g packet!  I was convinced he was going to turn into Violet Beauregarde.

Surprisingly blueberries are not that messy to eat.  I'd pictured purple stains all over, but the juice runs clear when the berries are raw.  However, when the berries come out you get purple poo.  Yes, you heard me right, purple poo.  Oh well technicolour poo is a small price to pay for deliciousness!

Blondie

Meet our author - Blondie

If you haven't noticed already we have some new peeps helping us deliver to you an exciting blog which will help you make parenting an easier and more fun ride!

Now you will get to meet Blondie which will be sharing with us her new mummy ramblings and reviews! Glad to have her with us.

Now over to Blondie...

Monica x

Blondie and Blondie Boy

Hi y'all! 

I'm Blondie and I'm Mommy to 8 1/2 month old Blondie Boy and wife to my Scottish NotBlondeHusband. As you might have guessed from the "y'all" and "mommy," I'm American, but have been living in Scotland since 2004. Our family is spread across the UK, US and Thailand so I started blogging to keep them updated on what we've been up to and since becoming a first time Mom my blog's morphed into something much more babycentric.

Right now I'm on maternity leave and loving playing, loving and learning with my wee boy. We are a cloth diaper (nappy) household, with occasional disposables and I make all of Blondie Boy's food and am enjoying altering recipes to make them hypoallergenic and baby friendly. Blondie Boy has eczema so we are very careful to make sure it doesn't flare up more than we can control.

I love to travel and I can't wait to show Blondie Boy what all is out there in this big, bad world. I hope y'all will enjoy what I have to say and I can't wait to hear feedback from y'all, too!

(Photography credit: Kortnee Kate Photography)