Friday Funny...

*SIGH*

Watch this, enough said...

Being a mom is the hardest job in the world. But it's also the best.

Did you shed a little tear like me?

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Procter & Gamble

The little dress for everyday

Yesterday’s blog was all about Ida’s party dress. Today’s blog is about Dangerbaby and what mischief she got up to in her pretty Annafie dress.

Dangerbaby made her play day in the garden all the more special with her Liberty dress.

She opted to wear her’s like every pretty dress should be worn with pumps and t-shirt while she played in the garden.

Haven’t we all worn our posh dresses to puddle jump or play in? If you weren’t allowed to, try it today. Wearing your pretty frock or special shoes to do everyday things makes you feel very special. Doing those simple things with a special item makes your smile in a very BIG way. After all who hasn't wanted to wear thier princess dress or spiderman outfit to school at some ocassion?

Dangerbaby's day went a little like this.

Dangerbaby had a tea part in her dress with her Teddies. They talked about who would be in charge of  watering the garden that day and whether the pink or yellow pot was best for making tea in.

She zoomed up and down the slide with bunny bunny and teddy stopping only so Mummy could snap a picture of all the fun.

When slide zooming was complete she had a quiet chat with her favourite companion, Bunny Bunny about how best she could improve her sliding technique tomorrow.

And at the end of a very busy day she had her milk with bunny bunny and thought about getting ready for bed while snuggled up under her favourite Shuktara blanket.

Dangerbaby made her special day of garden games all the more special as she wore her liberty dress.

All Annafie dresses are  hand smocked making them perfect for every little girls body shape. They all follow a traditional design and are perfect for today's little girls. Either worn like Ida and Kathryn's or worn with wellies to puddle jump in. For pre-walkers and tom-boy’s, Annafie will even make a romper style in one of the pretty floral fabrics to make it easier for crawling around. 

We hope you find your perfect dress like our girls have. 
When the rain stops we may even put on our pretty dresses and find afew big puddles to jump in!

http://www.unikgifts.co.uk/clothing/clothing_annafie.php

The little party dress

Every little girl deserves a party dress to wear and feel the bee’s knee’s in.

The very lucky Danger baby and Naughty have an Annafie dress each that us Mummies have chosen with the help of both our terror’s.

The naughty, with her Mummies help, chose an Annafie, Amelie in blue flowers for her party dress to wear to her first proper party. The "do" was a civilised afternoon tea for her Aunty Flo’s hen do. She behaved impeccably with her aunties, aunty Flo’s friends, Grandma and Mum all looking on, while she happily munched her way through delicate sandwiches, scones and little pastries.  

While tea was served she played peekabo with Aunty Katie.

She read books with Mummy 

while tea was slurped and the 

nattering started.

She span around and danced while the ladies munched their sandwiches. She played Silvanian families while scones with cream and jam were scoffed. 

She ate afew naughty cakes while the silly stories were told.

And she even managed to get us all playing hide and seek while the little naughty sweet pastries were nibbled by all. The end of the day had everyone singing “The wheels on the bus” while we tried to make her smile for photo’s. 

By the end of the day when she was sleepy and played out she curled up like a sleeping lion with Aunty Katie.

The perfect day and the perfect little dress for a very good little girl. The perfect gift from Mummy to daughter.

All Annafie dresses are  hand smocked making them perfect for every little girls body shape. They all follow a traditional design and are perfect for today's little girls. Either worn like Ida's or worn with wellies to puddle jump in. For pre-walkers and tom-boy’s, Annafie will even make a romper style in one of the pretty floral fabrics to make it easier for crawling around. 

We hope you find your perfect dress like Ida has. 

Later this week i'll tell you what Danger baby does in her Annafie dress!

http://www.unikgifts.co.uk/clothing/clothing_annafie.php

Baby showers... how to get it right!

A lovely couple that have been close friends of mine for years [pre husband and baby type years] recently announced that they were having a baby! I'm so delighted for them, they are going to make fantastic parents and their little one will be welcomed into two loving families.

I'm hoping that my friend considers a baby shower, I never held a baby shower and now regret not taking the chance to celebrate being a mum-to-be with my friends and family. I've always thought that baby shower's were an American thing, with big balloons and tacky t-shirts but I've learnt that there's more to it than that.

A baby shower is the perfect time to celebrate being a mum-to-be, it's about the Mum as well as the baby. It's celebrated all around the world and is usually held when the woman is over 5months pregnant, although it can be held after the baby is born as well.

The difficulty of a baby shower is not knowing where to start, as with all things new - it's hesitant first steps for those that have never held or been to a baby shower. So here's a rough guide to baby showers with a little help from us at u-ni-k:

1. Where?! Well since a baby shower is all about the Mum-to-be and the baby it's best to ask her where she'd like the baby shower. We recommend at a close friend or relative's house - cosy enough for a party feel and somewhere where the tired Mum-to-be is going to feel comfortable and not honour bound to tidy up afterwards!

2. What?! It's a party so some cake is at least in order! Remember that the Mum-to-be may not feel very hungry for sausages on a stick or cheese and pineapple pieces. However a selection of sandwiches and cupcakes served on some plates with party streamers will come across as a lovely tea party celebration.

Don't forget that Mum-to-be will not want her usual tipple, so have a selection of different soft drinks to choose from. Imagine having water and orange squash as your thirst quenchers for 5months, the offer of a forrestfruit smoothy or an elderflower and lime juice will seem like the best vintage champagne is on offer. If Mum-to-be is feeling daring there are many alcohol free drinks available as well.

3. When?! As a former Mum-to-be I think that probably an afternoon tea party is best. It's hard for us Mums-to-be to stay awake, the baby takes a lot of energy, and those with morning sickness really feel terrible until way after lunchtime. The evenings are best spent in our slouchy clothes with our other half leafing through the latest Mothercare catalogue discussing which cot bed is best. So organise your baby shower for an afternoon!

4. Gifts?! This is a very personal area, it's so easy to get it wrong! My former boss thought it was great to buy the Mum-to-be a box of nappies?! Errr would you buy someone a present of a lot of loo roll?! Hmmmm.

This is where our baby shower gift ideas page on the website comes into it's own. We have lots of ideas for girl bumps, boy bumps, 'we don't know, we're waiting to see' bumps, and of course multiple bumps!

It's every parent-to-be's rite of passage to spend a lot of time wandering around the big baby manufacturers looking for everyday items for their little one. A baby shower is for those luxury items that other people can treat you too: the beautiful shuktara blanket that you can use in the buggy, the cot, the nursery, or the Yarmood cashmere nest of hats that will keep baby warm without any itch factor, or the coming home outfit of a perfect hat and bootie set! handmade by the lovely ladies at Nyoki.

If you're still a little unsure of the baby shower then please contact Anna or I at u-ni-k we'd be happy to throw you one of our u-ni-k parties.

Indoor games for outdoor babies

Baby in a 'tent'

Dens

Probably the most obvious game we can play and as you know our Shuktara blanket comes into it's own for making dens. The light dapples through the patchworked colours making lovely dark and light contrasts that you can spot through the patterns. We LOVE the way it drapes, better than any synthetic parachute that we've played with at toddler groups.

Hide and Seek

A firm favourite as long as Kathryn is the one to hide, although don't take too long finding her as 'chase me' is also a good game as you run back to your hiding place. A quick dash around the side of the larder or open door, a little face peeking around at you for the 'peekaboo!'. So much giggling...

Make a rainbow

Colour me beautiful?!

Out comes the art mat, a plain canvass mat that's waterproof on one side and an empty canvass on the other. It's time to put Mummy's art supplies to good use... I can recommend pastels for those under 2, as long as you don't mind the mess. We mixed colours on the paper with our hands and then looked at our hands to see the result! Such a pretty mixture of colours, our own private rainbows.

Baking

Well, mixing cornflour and water together. If you get it just right then you have a watery paste that will pour but will not be pushed. Drop a few pieces of food dye on to it and watch the colours swirl. Try to mix it together and it crumbles?! A hard one for an adult to understand and magic to the baby.

Bubbles

Washing up has never been so fun! A sink full of bubbles, a saucepan that needs cleaning... around and around with the bubbly brimful of soap suds. Messy work, as both Mummy and baby will be damp but the washing up gets done.

Egg hole can also be peeked through

What noise does this make?

Our knitted friends and breakfast boards have come in to their own. Into a box they go, baby picks one out and Mummy says 'It's a bunny, bunny goes hop hop!' or “It's a chicken, chicken's go cluck cluck”. The knitted animals are soft to the touch and usually come out of the box first but Kathryn loves to peek through the 'eye' on the breakfast board and tries to say 'Meow' with me.

Twist vs Pull

A collection of old bottles washed clean and ready for recycling are all that's needed for this game. Some twist but some pull, which is it? Try them both and watch the squeals of delight when the top finally comes off... 'POP' shout Mummy and baby when the cap is finally released. Same game in reverse to put the top back on (Twist or Push!).

Slow boat to China

Is your Summer holiday suitcase still waiting to be put away? Well for someone small it can become a boat to an adventure. Quick put in some T-Shirts and other essentials (anything baby wants to put in) and climb on in. Most suitcases can be pushed forwards and backwards like they're on a rocky sea. Don't forget to sing those sea shanties... “A sailor went to sea, sea, sea to see what he could see see see but all that he could see see see was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea”.

Enjoy your time indoors!

[Turns out DangerBaby is not allergic to the garden – YAY! We've picked up a virus that's currently spreading around Surrey; similar to baby hand foot and mouth but not the same virus. http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/health/handfootmouth/ 

Thank you to all the Mummies that contacted us with helpful information and support. Very very appreciated]