Little LadyBags Giveaway

Last week Lisa and Vivienne from Little Ladybags reached out to me to share the launch of their new website.

These are such a beautiful idea - a gorgeous range of children’s handbag and accessories and lots of fun stuff to fill them up with.

Being mum to a three year old boy, the idea would get a bit lost on Little T, so I am thrilled to share with other Mummas by offering you a chance to win your own Little Lady Freya Pack valued at $54.95.

The Pack includes everything a little lady needs for a girly day out with her friends:

• Little Lady Freya Handbag
• Little Lady Hairbrush
• Little Heart Purse - Red
• Gerri Gogi Berry Lip Balm
• Butterfly Hair Clip - Mid Pink

To enter, ensure you LIKE both Little Ladybags and Muddled up Mumma on Facebook and leave a comment in the Rafflecopter form below telling me in 25 words or less which is your favourite bag from the Little Lady Bags range and why.

The winner will be  chosen as my favourite answer. Entries close midnight AEST Friday May 10th 2013. Open to Australian residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
For more details on Little Lady Bags pop over to their website here or like them on Facebook here.

Growing Up

My baby is 3 next month. This week has been one of milestones. He is doing so well in his undies and toilet training going brilliantly. I love our little conversations and his gorgeous voice when he tells me “sorry mummy” or “please may I have….”

Last night we had a successful shift to a big boy bed. Over a year since I ambitiously first tried it and gave up after a few hours of him not even wanting to lie it it. Last night he didn’t get up once after a said goodnight. 

My little mate is growing up and is no longer a baby. He makes me so proud. We have both come a long way. Some days I am not sure who has grown more.

Will you be fire ready on your next holiday?

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.

Driving around Melbourne a week ago on an overcast and mild day, a warning came onto ABC radio about a fire near Winchelsea (near the Great Ocean Road). It was timely as I was asked to write a post to help families think about fire safety when traveling away from home.

My son is also currently obsessed with Fire trucks and Firemen (he loves Fireman Sam!) and is getting to an age where I can start to teach him about fire safety, but first I need to give it more thought myself.

You see there are quite a few myths and mixed messages about fire. Many of us (like me) believe that if we live in a built up residential area we are safe but this isn’t necessarily the case. In strong winds embers can travel up to 35 kilometres ahead of a fire and start new fires, meaning that your can be at risk on the outskirts of a major city.

As someone who often takes day trips and weekends away on the outskirts of town, this has also got me thinking about how I would manage in the event of a fire emergency when not at home.
Believing that it will be safe to leave even if you can see a fire might be very dangerous as there is potential for blocked road and thick smoke to hinder your vision, also fires might travel faster than a car can drive!

We also can’t think that it’s easily to defend against a fire. Much safer to have a well thought-out bushfire survival plan which has been agreed and discussed with members of the household or our traveling group. Leaving early or is always the safest option.

I t would be very dangerous to rely on emergency services like the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to come knocking when it might be time to leave or to rescue us if stuck as they are focused on fighting fires. It’s up to us to make the best possible decision on when to leave for our family based on the Fire Danger Ratings and official warnings for the area we are in.

On high risk days you should  check in with a least two of the following for relevant warnings: CFA website,  CFA Facebook or CFA Twitter updates, local radio or by calling the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.

The CFA has some great resources to help us (especially if you’re like me up until recently thinking you didn’t need to worry as you don’t live in the bush!) be prepared. I particularly like these:

• A a site to help kids  learn about being FireReady: http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/kids-schools/
• A free smartphone App (for iphone/ipad and Android) to help you locate fire safety information and warnings:  http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/fireready-app/
• A Fire Ready Kit designed to help you prepare and plan whether at home or travelling:  http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan%2Dprepare/fire%2Dready%2Dkit/#sthash.DEF2CgsO.dpuf

{Image sourced from ACMI here}

Review - Philips Jamie Oliver Homecooker

A few weeks ago I offered a reader the opportunity to review and keep the Jamie Oliver HomeCooker from Phillips. The Winner - Toushka Lee also happens to blog at www.toushkalee.com

Here’s how she went:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I first received the box with the HomeCooker inside I thought it would take forever to figure out, but it only took one recipe followed to the letter before I was adapting things and then cooking without a recipe. I know how the machine works now and I love that I can set it to do all my stirring for me while I do other things. Last night, my bolognaise sauce was stirred and cooked to perfection while I was doing something else out of the kitchen. Where was this machine during the heatwave? Cooking when it’s over 30 degrees outside and not much less inside is like working in a kitchen in hell.

With the HomeCooker I can set it all up and set the timer and leave the kitchen. The HomeCooker does all the stirring and cooking without heating up the kitchen and without me having to stand there over a hot stove sweating into the sauce. Eww.

The cutting tower is a great idea in theory but, to be honest, when it comes to grating carrots and onions, I prefer the small side of my plain old grater to get the right size to hide the vegetables from the kids. The blades that come with the cutting tower were either too big, leaving the carrots too visible or two small, juicing instead of grating. Also a pain in the butt to put the blades on and take them off.

So what did I make?



The first thing I made was granola. OMG. I will be making this all the time. It is delicious served with greek yoghurt. I know that if I tried to make this without the perfect heat and constant movement of the HomeCooker, I would burn it and ruin it completely. Burning things is a special skill of mine.



The same day, I made risotto, adapting one of Jamie’s recipes to make a simple pumpkin and bacon risotto. This was the creamiest, smoothest most delicious risotto I have ever made. Ever!

Risotto is one of those dishes that needs constant stirring. It’s a high maintenance meal and with two kids that seem determined to need my attention the second I am busy, high maintenance meals have been removed from the menu. Risotto is now back on rotation. Yum.



I can’t wait to try béchamel sauce in this machine, and with winter coming, it will be awesome for soups.

But it’s not just a hot stirrer. It comes with a pasta cooker attachment and steamer tray. I will be steaming fish and vegetables in this too!

It does take up a bit of room on the bench, but without the cutting tower, it takes up no more room than my slow cooker.

Good for :
Busy Mums
People that would rather socialise with the guests, than be stuck in the kitchen
People that like to batch-cook and freeze.

Not good for:
People that enjoy slaving over a hot stove.
Here’s the official features and benefits list:

"Official details" for the Jamie Oliver Home Cooker by Philips

The Philips HomeCooker performs multiple cooking functions, even stirring automatically thanks to its unique stirring arm. You can control the heat, set timers and know your food will never stick or burn. A revolution in home cooking, HomeCooker does all the hard work – so you don’t have to.
The Philips HomeCooker comes with an exclusive cookbook of delicious recipes developed especially by Jamie Oliver for the HomeCooker to help you create a great variety of dishes.

The Philips HomeCooker with Cutting tower HR1050/90 and HR1051/30 …

• Stirs for you
• Multiple cooking activities – chops, stirs, melts, simmers, stews, boils, steams, fries and sautés
• Includes Cutting tower with five disc system for shredding (x 2 sizes), slicing (x 2 sizes) and cutting julienne
• Includes steam basket, steam tray and pasta insert
• Auto shut off
• Intuitive control panel
• Temperature range of 40 – 250⁰ C
• 3 litre family sized stainless steel bowl
• Dishwasher safe for easy cleaning
• Available in black (HR1050/90) or white (HR1051/30)

The Philips HomeCooker, the first product in the Philips Jamie Oliver kitchen range, will is available from leading electrical retailers and department stores in Australia.

• Philips HomeCooker with Cutting tower RRP: $529.95
• Philips HomeCooker RRP: $429.95

For more information please visit www.philips.com.au/homecooker

(CLOSED) $500 Bonds Giveaway - The Universal Language of Parenthood

I have just spent the past week traveling on business, passing through three Asian countries. One constant I have noticed, especially as I am traveling without my son, is just how universal and special that “knowing” or supporting look is from one parent to another regardless of cultural or religious background.

One my 8 hour flight from Melbourne I sat behind an Asian grandmother as she struggled with a crying baby sitting next to a complete stranger - gently patting and rocking the little one with aged but loving hands. As she looked around at times worried about the commotion, I smiled knowingly and sympathetically despite not getting a wink of sleep myself.

Across the aisle, another couple struggled as their child was unsettled and cried throughout our night time flight, each baby setting the other off in a crying match.

Walking around the busy streets in both Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong I people watched through the eyes of a mother who was missing her child and seemed to zone in on every baby and toddler that passed. I couldn’t stop marveling at the innocence of children - so incredibly untouched by the stresses and worries of our world. 

On another occasion, as my traveling companion and I queued up in a shopping center toilet a lady rushed past jumping the line. We both were about to push back and insist she wait her turn until we saw the baby in a sling across her chest and took a backwards step.

I am someone who struggles with with crowds. Tolerance of others was never one of my strong-points. Yet as a mother this has changed a lot especially when amongst the crowd are families. I love to observe their dynamics. Going through customs into Hong Kong airport I watched twin girls start fighting as their father brought them back into line. Kids are kids no matter what nationality. It in turn reminds us that people are people no matter what nationality. There is no such thing as better or worse – more or less deserving. From within all cultures there are good and bad people. Sometimes it take the face of a child to remind us of this.

After being approached by Bonds to write a blog post in celebration of the 2013 Bonds Baby Search, this recent trip gave me the perfect inspiration. To me the Baby Search is a celebration of babies and their families from all backgrounds. 

Don’t forget voting closes at 11.59pm on Sunday March 24th, so pop on over to www.babysearch.bonds.com.au  and join in the celebration.

GIVEAWAY!

Bonds are offering one lucky follower of my blog the opportunity to win a $500 Bonds Gift Card!

To enter, ensure you LIKE both Bonds Bump and Baby and Muddled up Mumma on Facebook and leave a comment in the Rafflecopter form below telling me in 25 words or less which is your favorite item from the Bonds Baby range and why. 

The winner will be  chosen as my favorite answer. Entries close midnight AEST Friday March 29th 2013. Open to Australian residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclaimer: I was gifted Bonds clothing vouchers in exchange for promotion of the Bonds Baby Search. All opinions and ideas are my own.