25% Off at Nuby

The lovely people at Nuby asked me if I would like to review their products as part of the launch of their new UK online store. I'd heard of Nuby (there were previously co-branded with Tommee Tippee), but didn't know much about them. I do now and I can share it with you. Oh yes!

Nûby™ one of the world's leading baby and infant feeding brands owned by Luv n Care USA, is set to launch into the UK market.

The Nûby™ brand has been established in the UK for the last 8 years and has seen significant growth and success in cups, teethers and soothers. The new Nûby™ Natural Touch™ range was launched early 2009 and introduces an award winning innovative Silicone Bottle and Breast size teat to the UK, offering consumers a unique newborn BPA FREE feeding range. More innovative and exciting products are planned for launch in 2010 to build on the Nûby™ & Natural Touch brand success... so watch this space!

We strive for excellence in every product we make

At Nûby™ we strive towards making the lives of parents and children easy, simple and fun. The highest quality standards, global trends and continual product development help us bring parents everything they need for their baby’s development.

Our products are inspired by nature and offer the best, safest and most simple choices for you and your baby.

So that's the blurb, what about the products?

I chose these bowls to review:

They are a perfect size for a toddler. One side is higher than the other so they can hold the bowl with one hand and shovel food in with the other. They have a grippy bottom, so they're non-slip. The boys love them, although I can't vouch for them loving the contents (unless they are eating baked beans - always a winner). Best of all they go in the dishwasher! The bowls are £3.99 each, I think this is great value.

Nuby also sell breast pumps, bottles, dummies, teethers, cups and tablewear. You can buy online at www.Nuby-UK.com or from various stockists, including Boots, Mothercare, Tesco and Amazon.

If you would like to buy any of their products I have a 25% off voucher for you, lovely Baby Baby readers:

25% Off at Nuby

The Random Photograph Meme

I have been tagged by The Moiderer and Nickie from Typecast for the random photograph meme. Admittedly they tagged me ages ago, but better late than never!

Here are the rules:

1. open your first photo folder in your computer library.
2. scroll to the 10th photo
3. post the photo and the story behind it
4. tag 5 or more people to continue the thread

Here is my photograph:

This was taken in Spring or early Summer 2006 at Wrest Park in Silsoe, Bedfordshire.

Andy and I had not been together for long. I was living in Bedfordshire and he was in South London. From the day we met we spent every weekend together, usually alternating between our two locations. This was obviously a weekend in Bedfordshire. We liked to walk, arm in arm, and talk and take photographs.

I remember this day well, or did looking at all of my photographs from that day jog my memory? There was an impressive lake, a folly to explore and plenty of newly hatched chicks to look at - from a distance. We saw a swan carrying four cygnets on its back, so cute. I also remember it was warm and sunny and we had an ice-cream before we went home.

Happy days.


I'm going to break the rules, as usual. As I took so long to do this meme I won't tag anyone. If you would like to join in please let me know and I'll add you in.

Edit:
The lovely Em tagged herself, you can see her gorgeous cat on her blog Diary of a Young Mum

The Random Photograph Meme

Competition, Cuddles and Rock and Roll

The MADs 2010 are blogging awards, celebrating the UK's best mummy and daddy blogs. MAD stands for Mummy And Daddy (in case you were wondering)! Since their launch last week there have been over 1,000 nominations! Wow.

There are awards for the following:

MAD Blogger of the Year

Most Innovative MAD Blog
Best MAD Family Fun Blog
Funniest MAD Blog
Best-Looking MAD Blog
Best MAD Baby Blogger
Best New MAD Blog
Most Inspirational MAD Blog
Best MAD Blog Photography
Best MAD Blog Writer

The five blogs with the most nominations in each category will go forward to the public vote. The MAD Blogger of the Year will be decided by a panel of judges.

When I first heard about the awards, and the prizes on offer, I thought 'that's great'. There are awards in all areas, why not blogging?

On the launch day, however, I felt uneasy. What if Baby Baby wasn't nominated? This was short-lived. Thankfully a couple of friends let me know that they had nominated me. Phew!

I haven't nominated yet as there are a few categories where I can not decide which blog to vote for. You can only nominate one blog in each category.

I've been delighted to see loads of my favourite bloggers being nominated, including many new blogs. The current list of nominees can be found on Who's The Mummy?.

Through Twitter and Facebook I have seen how happy people are to see their blogs nominated - I know I am. I've also been pleased to see congratulations flying about.

There are some bloggers who have openly criticised the awards, saying that they don't like competition. I can understand this. I know how I felt before I found out that I had been nominated. There can only be a few winners, this makes the rest of us losers. Or does it? 

Competition is part of life. Competition is apparently being removed from the curriculum in schools. When my boys are at school maybe I'll agree with this, but right now I can't see how it prepares them for real life. Surely children need to understand that they can't win at everything. They should be encouraged to excel where they can or improve where they can't - and to know the difference between the two.

I write a public blog. I am excited when I see that I have a new reader or when someone leaves a comment. I am honestly happy that some people like Baby Baby enough to nominate it/me. I'd love to win an award. There I've said it. There's nothing wrong with that, is there? I don't expect to make it to the public vote, but that's okay. Really. I am happy to be taking part. I certainly haven't got it in me to launch a Vote Baby Baby campaign. Imagine begging for nominations and not getting them. Oh the shame!

For more thoughts on competition please read these excellent posts from Baking Mad Mama, Sleep is for the Weak, Hot Cross Mum, Babyrambles and Battling On.

If you haven't nominated yet, but would like to do so, click here. Nominations close on 25th April.

For more examples of blogs to nominate check out the best of the British Mummy Bloggers carnival at The Mad House.

***

I was delighted to be asked to contribute a guest post for the new Cuddledry blog (remember them from Dragons Den?). Funnily enough the post I wrote is about child development NOT being a competition - a pet subject of mine. The editor of the blog, Jo, who also writes the excellent Slummy Single Mummy blog, gave my post the title 'Being a Parent - Some Words of Wisdom'. It amused me to be called wise!

***

Finally... I've finally added a new song to my Myspace. It's called 'I Want More' and it's a rock number! It's about people with no talent who think they deserve to be famous - another example of the anti-competitive trend? I hope you like it.

Competition, Cuddles and Rock and Roll

The Gallery: How Not To Decorate

The photographic prompt for this week at the Sticky Fingers Gallery is ugly.

My first thought was to photograph my feet, but Tara specified a no feet clause on Twitter!

I had to think again. It didn't take me long to think of something ugly to photograph, all I had to do was to look around me.

You know how they tell you, on property programmes like Location Location Location, to look beyond the decor when you're buying a house? Yep, well, we did that. I've written about it before.

Unfortunately we moved in with a three month old baby and had another baby less than nine months later. Neither of us are what you would call keen DIYers, so basically, we haven't decorated. At all. Not even one room.

We're planning to put the house on the market soon. I hope any potential buyers will look beyond the decor.

Here it is, in all its hideous glory.

Disclaimer 1: if you have any of the following wallpaper, carpet, paint, coving, shelves, bathroom fittings or tiles, I'm sorry. They're just not to my taste!

Disclaimer 2: they may look like spiders' webs, but... oh who am I kidding. I spend all my spare time blogging, I dislike housework and I like spiders!

The Gallery: How Not To Decorate

Singalongasandy

The lovely Liz at Living With Kids has tagged me with her Infinite Playlist Meme.

The rules are to choose five songs that you can listen to over and over again.

Despite ten hours in the car this week (i.e. plenty of thinking time), I struggled to narrow my favourite songs into a top five. There are so many great tunes to choose from. I've done it though. These are my favourites as of today. Ask me again tomorrow and it could all change!

There is a theme to my infinite playlist. All of these songs can be sung along to at the top of your voice, especially in the car.

Here they are:

The Smiths - There is a Light That Never Goes Out
The Jam - The Bitterest Pill
Queen - Don't Stop Me Know
The Flaming Lips - Race for the Prize
Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman - Come What May (from Moulin Rouge)

What's on your infinite playlist?

I'm tagging the following five bloggers:

Sally at Who's The Mummy?
Carly at Wives and Daughters
Beth at My Good Life
Heather at Notes From Lapland
Nickie at Typecast


Photo credit

Singalongasandy