Take a leap?!

Is it your birthday today? How old are you 8? How old you do feel...32? Well Happy Birthday Leapling!

Birthday

[Legally your age depends on which law you abide to, as different countries count time intervals in different ways. In England and Wales the legal birthday of a leapling is March 1 in non leap years, this is the same in many of the old English colonies - Hong Kong included! Taiwan and New Zealand the legal birthday of leaplings is 28 February!]

Propose for some diamonds?!

The other tradition that everyone associates with the 29th February is the one where a lady is perfectly within her rights to propose to her gentleman friend. A bit dated this tradition as we all know that if we really want to propose we can do so any time of the year.. however there are some lovely folk traditions surrounding the women proposing.

If a man refused the proposal, then the woman needed compensating - Queen Margaret of Scotland required that the man pay a fine - which could range from a kiss to a silk gown! In the 18th Century if a woman was to propose she was to wear a scarlet petticoat - this may provide enough warning to the young man that he could disappear from view and avoid the silk gown fine!!

If he says no demand a silk dress!

In Denmark, the refusal must be compensated with a pair of gloves, given to the asker within 12 days.

As where Finland we're back to clothes again, but just the fabric to make a skirt!!

In Greece however, it's considered unlucky to propose or be married on this day.

Pregnant? Itchy? Get yourself tested!!

Not many people know but I suffered from an uncommon problem when I was pregnant - I had OC (obstetric cholestasis). That is I had bile / liver issues caused by my pregnancy.

It started out as an itch, the skin around the bump was itchy but I put this down to the bump growing so quickly in my last semester. Actually I had the same profile as Mr. Greedy by the end of my pregnancy - I had to walk about holding the bump!

The itch grew worse and I would find it hard to fall asleep, it would feel as if I had chilblains on my feet. I had to scratch my feet until they nearly bled before going to sleep. We'd had a new wool carpet installed downstairs - I thought I had developed an intolerance to wool during my pregnancy!

Then (excuse me if you are eating your lunch) something odd happened. My number twos turned a pale yellow colour. I'd not eaten a lot of cheese or cream or too much of any dairy product but I seemed to be having this odd side effect.

I lost my appetite, I became prone to falling asleep without realising it...I'd wake up on a sofa with the hoover attachment still in my hands - disorientated wondering how I managed to end up on the sofa!

Bruise from all those blood tests

So I mentioned the itching to my midwife during one of my usual check ups. She took blood for tests straight away!

My local hospital carried out the wrong tests and a week later I was asked to go to the hospital clinic to have MORE blood removed.

Another week passed by and one of my knees swelled up and was really very itchy. My husband took me to A&E fed up of his wife scratching herself to a bleeding state! 6 hours later I was taken up to the maternity ward for examination. A nice student doctor informed me that I had an insect bite but when a nurse asked me my history the student doctor decided more blood tests were in order. Since this was 11.30pm they decided to keep me there until the morning.

No pregnant lady weeks away from her due date should have to spend the night on a maternity ward listening to women being induced, women in labour and women coming in giving birth having waited at home too long! A horror movie couldn't come close to the primeval sounds women make during this time. I got NO sleep at all and became more determined to have a nice controlled water birth (ha ha ha ha LOL so much for birth plans)

An obstetric doctor discharged me the following lunchtime informing me that I could take a piriton when the itching was very bad.

I was turned away by the first pharmacy, they don't give piriton to pregnant ladies. I sent the husband in to lie on my behalf to the second pharmacy. I needed relief so that I could sleep.

It was 5 full days later that my blood was finally tested correctly, so it was a rushed call from a student doctor at 11.30pm (for some reason this seems to be the only time student doctors who work in obstetrics have the chance to do any paper work). My liver was in trouble, I had a condition called OC and they had to induce the baby now or I'd lose the baby.

Baby was happily kicking away as usual and thanks to my friend piriton I felt OK. So I informed the Dr that I would come in for a chat in the morning after a nights sleep.

12 hours later I was back on the maternity ward, in a bed waiting to be induced. It was Saturday 1st May at 12.30. My labour started at 4pm on the Saturday - three days later my beautiful baby daughter was born.

First midwife forgot to add my 2pm induction injection, my second was a 9pm
So add another 7 hours to that 59hrs, 10 hrs for my second stage seems about right.

There are a few positive pieces about my birth story - once I was on the labour ward the staff were knowledgeable, professional and informed. The Snr Registrar looking after me took notice of my wishes, even saving me from the emergency cesearian I didn't want.

My midwife aftercare was professional and kind as it had been throughout my pregnancy.

However, I knew nothing about my condition and therefore wasn't able to make informed decisions or inform those not familiar with my condition (maternity ward staff) the complications of my condition.

For anyone who recognises my symptoms I give you this wonderful website: http://www.ocsupport.org.uk/about.html 

If you are worried or have concerns then please don't hesitate to email me or send me a message through Facebook. I lost a lot of blood and never did get the all clear from my post pregnancy blood tests (once again the wrong tests were carried out - I give up!) but both baby and I are happy and healthy!

Fair trade fortnight...cup of tea at mine everyone?

Fairtrade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. 

"The purpose of fairtrade is to create opportunities for producers and workers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system. If fair access to markets under better trade conditions would help them to overcome barriers to development, they can join Fairtrade.”

Fairtrade is a tool for development that ensures disadvantaged farmers and workers in developing countries get a better deal through the use of the international FAIRTRADE Mark.

The FAIRTRADE Mark is a registered certification label for products sourced from producers in developing countries.

 Today kicks off the start of fairtrade fortnight.  

Millions of people in developing countries depend on farming. But they are trapped in poverty by the rules of world trade, keeping those at the start of supply chains powerless to earn enough to cover their costs and with nothing to save for their families.

Choosing Fairtrade offers farmers and workers a better chance to work their way out of poverty, through fairer wages, safer conditions at work and a little extra, called the Fairtrade premium, to invest in projects to improve life for their whole communities.

Fairtrade are launching a "Take a Step" campaign to try and support the 1.5 million farmers working within the scheme. With a little help from everyone they can reach the 1.5 million step goal. Your step for Fairtrade can be as simple as trying a new Fairtrade product, or as big and bold as launching  a campaign to get your whole town or local school to go Fairtrade. Every single one counts, because together they lead to life-changing projects in developing countries. Here are some of the ways you can help,

How about....

•                Inviting a friend out for a Fairtrade coffee

•                Organising a Fairtrade chocolate tasting at school

•                Telling your friends on Facebook about your favourite Fairtrade product

•                Buying Fairtrade tea bags when it’s your turn at work

•                Joining your local campaign group

•                Asking your local shop to stock more Fairtrade choices

Every step counts towards the fairtrade total of 1.5 million steps that Fairtrade are hoping to achieve by the end of 2012 – one step for every farmer and worker in the Fairtrade system.

Register to step now


So, I am off to register and buy Fair trade tea bags and invite all my Mummy friends over for a brew.


All information for this blog has been taken from the  fairtrade website. Pop over and register. 

The importance of PLAY

I spent a little bit of time in hospital this week with one of my little ones who has been a little poorly. As a hospital Virgin (other then having my babies in hospital) I was very impressed with the time and importance in PLAY TIME recovery that they have on a paediatric ward.

Every child, no matter how old they are, is visited by a specialist in PLAY who comes and explains to Mummy and child where the playroom is and where the age appropriate toys are. For youngsters young enough to PLAY by him or herself, the PLAY specialist encourages getting out of bed, PLAYING and interacting with other children. This relieves parents and gives them a breather enabling them to organise life outside the hospital. For very little ones, parents are encouraged to move from the four walls of the ward to a room where the child and parents can get back to a little routine of playing with one to one time. 

For the child, the results are endless. PLAYING can help the child learn about their illness, help relax them and relieve the boredom of being in hospital. 

For adults, we can easily forget that PLAYING is crucial to our little ones in developing into young adults who can make decisions.  PLAYING in a hospital environment is even more important. At a time when they are exposed to new sights, sounds and smells, PLAY is even more important.

By encouraging a child to PLAY in hospital or in home teaches them everything about the world they live in. PLAYING builds self esteem, builds social skills, allows a child to work out their feelings, develop their language and to grow in every sense. It certainly made me sit back and spend time PLAYING with both my children, giving them both 100% attention.

So lets all take time and encourage our little ones to PLAY today, whether it is at home or in hospital. I am going to spend time with my two naughties making something fun to make for next week’s Make blog that can be PLAYED with. This week I have forfeited my make blog in favour of spending more time with my poorly naughties PLAYING.

How to take better photos of your child

Using your iPhone outside...

OK last week we covered the automatic modes of the Canon, next week we'll cover the manual modes... so it's the iPhone and outside shots we'll cover here.

Taking photos outside is all about movement and light. You need to be aware of how much light there is and where it is coming from. You also need to understand how much time you have to take the photo... with an iPhone this is no time at all so you need to 'anticipate' the image.

Poor Light – Try to keep the subject as still as possible

Adjusting this photo with some apps will
improve the image

OK we're trying to take photos of children, so we don't have much chance of keeping them still. Think about putting baby's on a blanket or in a bouncy chair. If you are strapping them in then remember that you will probably see the straps in the photo. ABOVE ALL make sure the baby is in a safe place and isn't going to fall and hurt itself.

Your little one is probably in the shade as we're asked to keep them out of direct sunlight. So make sure you use what light you have and keep the sun to your side rather than behind you. Use the light adjustment feature that comes with the iPhone... tap that little square to the darkest part of the screen and watch the photo become lighter...then click on an area near your child to focus on them but keeping the light setting that's best for the conditions.

Good Light – Keep your finger on that take photo button

Playing 'chase' on the drive

If you have good light and a willing or not so willing subject then take LOTS of photos. The more photos you take the better your chance of taking a good photo that will capture the moment you want. When you have good light, the important thing is the emotion of the photographer and the subject.

Take the photo you feel, if you're playing with the kid make sure you are both having fun and that this is captured in the pictures you take. You don't need to worry about where the light is or what it is, just have fun with the camera.

Lots of light – Try and make sure the light is over one shoulder

OK, the iPhone doesn't deal with this very well. Try to limit the light with your own shadow... make sure the source of light (usually the sun if you're outside) is over one shoulder.

Your subject will probably squint if you try to make them pose. Use the same technique as a poor light scenario - expect choose the brightest part of the screen to set your light settings by clicking the focus / setting square.

Lots of light is very hard to deal with, as always just take many photos and hope for the best.

While you can change your photos with apps such as Snapseed, the iPhone edit, PS Express etc. Nothing helps more than having a good photo to start with!

Spare a thought...

Today is World Thinking Day. Something that Girl Guides celebrate around the world. We visited their website to find out how it all started and how the modern day Girl Guides are keeping it current in the modern day.

"Each year on 22 February, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts all over the world celebrate World Thinking Day. World Thinking Day was first created in 1926 at the 4th Girl Guide/Girl Scout International Conference, held at Girl Scouts of the USA’s Camp Edith Macy (now called Edith Macy Conference Center). Conference attendees decided that there should be a special day when Girl Scouts and Girl Guides all around the world think of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their “sister” Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

The delegates chose 22 February as the date for Thinking Day because it was the mutual birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement, and his wife Olave, who served as World Chief Guide.

In 1932, at the 7th World Conference, held in Poland, it was suggested by a Belgian delegate that since birthdays usually involve presents, girls could show their appreciation and friendship on Thinking Day not only by extending warm wishes to each other but also by offering a voluntary contribution to the World Association.

Olave wrote to all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts after this idea was adopted asking them to help support the Movement by donating just a penny. 

This is how the World Association's Thinking Day Fund began. The Fund helps off Girl Guides / Scouts to more girls and young women worldwide. The day was renamed World Thinking Day in 1999 at the 30th World Conference held in Ireland.

As World Thinking Day in 2012 focuses on environmental sustainability, it is important to acknowledge that girls and women are disproportionately affected by environmental issues around the world:

• Without the right to own land, women are often denied access to technologies and resources such as water resources, irrigation services, credit, extension, and seeds, which strengthen their capacity to manage natural resources in a more sustainable manner.
• Water contamination and deforestation increase the time women must spend, and often the distance they must travel, to secure fuel and water.
• Women are most often the primary users, providers, and managers of water in rural households, and guardians of household hygiene.
• With improved access to safe drinking water, women have more time to earn income, girls are more likely to attend school, family health and hygiene are im­proved, and women suffer less from the burden of carrying heavy loads.
• Lack of safe, private, nearby sanitation facilities ex­poses women to harassment, assault and erodes their dignity.
• Because of their higher levels of dependence on local natural resources for their liveli­hood, women are disproportionately affected by extreme weather events resulting from climate change.

WAGGGS works to ensure that Girl Guides and Girl Scouts everywhere are able to act as agents of change within their communities, finding ways to address these issues. We believe in empowering girls through a three-step process of belonging, leadership and advocacy. With your help to raise much needed funds through World Thinking Day, WAGGGS will continue to develop Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting around the world and make this possible.

With your support to the World Thinking Day fund we will:

1. Increase each girl’s sense of self through peer support and a place to belong

Strengthening the Movement so more girls can benefit worldwide Ten million girls and young women are already benefiting from being a Girl Guide or Girl Scout, finding new friends and a safe place where they can explore and learn by doing. Learning through non-formal education girls and young women are developing leadership and life skills. Individual girls, groups, and associations are tackling the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals as part of our Vision for the future: “We are a growing worldwide Movement – the voice of girls and young women who influence issues they care about and build a better world”.

2. Increase her confidence by helping her develop as a leader

Developing the leaders of the future Girls at all levels in Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting learn how to be a leader. Internationally the WAGGGS Leadership Development Programme (WLDP) provides young women from around the world the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, acquire a better awareness of their leadership roles within their association, and also identify their own leadership path.

3. Increase her impact by teaching her effective advocacy, giving her a platform to speak from and encouraging her to take action on the issues that matter for her and those around her

The voice of girls and young women on key development issues Representatives from WAGGGS attend many important global gatherings to ensure that the voices of girls and young women are heard. Recent examples include the COP UN Global Climate Change conferences, the annual session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women annual gatherings and the High level meeting on Youth in New York.

For World Thinking Day 2012 we have identified five countries (one from each region in which WAGGGS operates) to showcase what Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are doing to help achieve environmental sustainability and support these countries to have a long term, practical and beneficial impact on the communities in which they live. The five focus countries are:

• Guyana (Western Hemisphere Region)
• Ivory Coast (Africa Region)
• Japan (Asia Pacific Region)
• Russia (Europe Region)
• Tunisia (Arab Region)

This years badge looks like this:

To find out more about World Thinking Day please visit the official website here: http://www.worldthinkingday.org/en/home 

Pancake day or Fat Tuesday...Time to celebrate!

Today is Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday! Today is celebrated all over the world with fun, games, and of course a lot of eating. Traditionally it's the time people used to eat the foods that would be abstained from or avoided during lent. Pancakes have egg, butter and flour and are filled with sweet treats – and so are seen as a last 'feast' before the fast.

However, today's different names reflect the differences in customs that have developed over the years in various places around the world.

In Denmark it is also traditional to indulge before the beginning of lent. Their pancake day is celebrated on the last Sunday before lent, so the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday. The day is called Fastelavn. On this day it is customary to eat Danish style buns with the middle taken out and then filled with whipped cream and/or jam.

Apple Fastelavn buns

Children dress up in fancy dress, there doesn't seem to be a theme, but the number of princesses, cats and princes may be due to a strange custom of bashing a barrel with a live cat in it. Now (fortunately for the cats), this is no longer a tradition and the barrels are instead filled with sweets. A thought that would put fear into any parents hearts – the best (most brutal?) bashers are crowned Cat King and Cat Queen for the day.

In Sweden it is called Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday). The Swedish people eat a Fettisdag buller (a Fat Tuesday Bun). This is a round bun with the middle part scooped out and replaced with Marzipan with whipped cream. The top of the bun is placed back on sprinkled with icing sugar.

I'm not a fan of marzipan but these look delicious!

In Newfoundland Canada, objects with symbolic value are baked into the pancakes. These things traditionally are a coin, thimbles, nails, wedding rings, buttons. The lucky one to find a coin in their pancake will be rich, the finder of the ring will be the first married, the finder of the nail will become a carpenter and the finder of the thimble will be a sewer.

In France, Shrove Tuesday is called Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday.

The name Fat Tuesday comes from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day. The ox was to remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent.

During the Mardi Gras Carnival people disguise themselves and put on crazy masks. 

In Portuguese, Spanish- and Italian-speaking countries, amongst others, it is known as Carnival. This derives from the words "carne levar" (to take away meat) and thus to another aspect of the Lenten fast. It is often celebrated with street processions and/or fancy dress. The Venetians celebrate carnival with a masquerade. My favourite has to be the Mardis Gras in New Orleans - once my Dad came back with lots of beads and goodies for us after being on one of the floats!

So whatever and where ever you are celebrating Fat Tuesday, don't forget to indulge a little!

English Pancakes

1 cup of flour (plain flour not self raising)

1 egg

1 cup of water

A dash of milk

Mix the ingredients together until you form a batter

Heat a very small amount of oil in a frying pan.

Spoon in a SMALL amount of the batter. Test the heat of the pan and absorb excess oil. Throw this tester into the bird food pile - it should only be little and mainly fat!

Dollop in a large amount of batter, and twirl your frying pan to spread the runny batter out evenly.

Cook over a medium heat

When you can shuffle the pancake (it's no longer sticking to the pan) then flip it over!

Cook until the pancake once again shuffles freely.

Eat while warm with whatever topping you fancy (lemon and sugar for me!)

With thanks to the Britain Project and Wikipedia for their information!

Blue is for boys... isn't it?

Blue is for boys and pink is for girls, a universal truth that we all know or are brought up knowing. I've never been one for pink...not even as a child.

It's amazing how many pink things you are given when you are a little girl or have a little girl. Probably because most people don't think past the mantra - blue for a boy, pink for a girl. 

I'll let you in on a secret...You'll find frustrated Mummies walking around the boys section desperately looking for something that is still 'girly' enough for their little girl but in a colour other than pink. The 'sick of pink' usually kicks in at about 18months. Pink's OK but nothing but pink for 18m becomes a little too much!

So as soon as our house renovations were completed (we moved out when Dangerbaby was 1 week and moved back in when she was 9months) we painted & decorated the whole house. We chose quite neutral colours so that we could put up our pictures, paintings, and photographs without worrying about if the frames we had would match. We also chose paint that could be easily wiped clean!

DangerBaby's room is white and not themed. I didn't want to redecorate in 3 years time when her craze is...Dogs instead of jungles or Planes instead of trains?! So I chose to personalise her room with colour instead. I chose calming neutral colours that could be easily adapted over the next 5 years or so!

Her room is definitely cream, blue, oatmeal and dark brown. Think of driftwood on a holiday beach and you have the colour pallet just right.

Kick off your shoes and paddle in the warm blue waters!

I have a wall sticker in DangerBaby's bedroom that is light blue, she has light blue in her curtains and a cream carpet. There's not an ounce of pink in her décor! There's enough pink in her wardrobe to convince anyone that she's a little girl! 

I find blue to be a very calming colour, I love water - especially the sea. Being near water calms me and  since I would like DangerBaby to be relaxed and calm in her bedroom – I have introduced blue into her room as well.

We have a blue trim and blue squares on our memory quilt:

Blue features in our memory blanket
by FatHenandFlo

In fact Susan quilt stitched the whole quilt in blue thread!

So on the 'reverse' side we have blue flowers, hearts, birdies all stitched into the white. So lovely!

I can't find our actual tree but this is close!

We have a blue wall sticker  

(a bit like this one without the baubles, and ours has animals and a little boy playing a pipe and well lots of other stuff)

We have blue detailing on her curtains

Duck Egg as this interiors shop calls this
particular shade of blue

If you want to add a touch of calming blue to your little ones room then we can help (or if you can't let go of the mantra – little girls must have pink I've added some purples too!)

Shuktara blankets

Seaside blues

Calming purples

Baby quilted blankets

Baby quilt coming soon to u-ni-k

Some blue detailing on your cot bedding:

Even some blue outfits, that look good enough to display on the wall: 

All available from www.unikgifts.co.uk

As good as new

It’s the first day of London Fashion week today. So in the interest of every Mummy and Daddy out there I am doing a blog to make sure our little ones look their best when out and about.

As a Mum myself, I know how sad it is when your little ones favourite outfit rips, tears of becomes too badly stained to wear. So here are my easy quick and fast top tips to mending, renewing and rejuvenating our favourites.

Chemical free cleaning

Keep your whites white.

To freshen up baby clothes, add one cup of vinegar into your detergent dispenser during the final cycle. It will break down the Uric acid and soapy residue on the clothes and leave them soft and fresh.

*For blankets add two cups during the rinse cycle.

Getting stains out

Egg, rinse in cold water then wash well.

Baby food, soak in warm water for 4 hours before washing as normal

Grass, for washable fabrics (not wool or silk) rub alcohol ono the stain as a pre-rinse. Allow to dry then  sponge with cool water. Work some  detergent into the stain. Rinse again and leave to dry then wash as normal. Vinegar can also be used as a pre-rinse.

Mending clothes

Rips and Tears in woven

To mend ripped clothes, patch or mend making a feature of the tear.

Rips and Tears in knitting

Here is a simple PDF from Martha Stewarts magazine explaining how to mend a knitted item. Easy then me explaining!

Taking up or mending a fallen down hem.

Simply buy some hemming tape from your local haberdashery shop or department store (the lightweight iron on stuff)

 Unpick the old hem stitching and press open. Make your little one put on the item if you are making something shorter so you know the length it needs to be. Take off and press all around using steam creating the new hemline you want.

Trim any excess fabric, leaving a hem about 1 to 2 inches wide for skirts, about 1/2 to 1 inch for sleeves or trousers. Press the hem all around, making sure it is smooth and even.

Cut a length of fusible web strip as long as the hem measures around the garment. Place the web between the hem and the garment fabric, sliding it under the turned-in edge.

Following the directions on the package, fuse the web in place, pressing firmly with the steam iron, bonding the two surfaces together. Use a pressing cloth between the garment and the iron, and do not touch the web directly with the iron.

Simple

 *All helpful hints found from the following sources.

Cabbages and Roses- Guide to Natural Housekeeping

Martha Stewarts Living, Jan 2011

http://www.blogher.com/monster-mending-super-fun-knee-patches

Mrs Beatons Cookery and Household Management

http://www.stainexpert.co.uk

Sweet dreams

Meet Fairy. 
Fairy Pi.

She lives at the bottom of your garden where the grass gets soggy and the mushrooms grow. 
She loves to stand in the rain, watching the drops fall. 
As the rain runs down the mushrooms, she likes to collect it and make pretty pools with it to float petals on. 

She collects cobnuts to share with the squirrels and loves to dance with the dragonflies when nobody is looking.

Your garden is her home. She loves to play in it while you are sleeping.

She is a special fairy.

She looks after you while you sleep and makes all the nasty dreams you have go away.
 Just call her name and she’ll turn a bad dream into a beautiful one. Even when she’s busy dancing with the butterflies during the day and bats during the night…just call and she’ll be there.

She’s a very special fairy with a very special job. 
She looks after you.
Sweet dreams
x

These are my working drawings and scribbles. I am working on a group of fairies, pixies, elves and  gnomes to look after every little ones bad dreams.

Coming soon to unik gifts

We in the press AGAIN...

Our wooden breakfast boards have made the BIG time.

Featuring in the Sunday Post to celebrate Farmhouse Breakfast week at the end of January.

Our animal meal boards are made from sustainable wood from the Teutoburg forests in Germany. 

They are made from one piece of solid wood and oiled for preservation.

There's space for a boiled egg in the hole which also fits a tomato or cucumber. 

Harder than plates to pick up and dish washer safe, these boards are the essential weaning tool.

Tried and tested by our daughters, Danger baby and Naughty. And recommended by us.