Features

You might have noticed the new #stresslessweaning tab on the header, well….I was delighted to become a Babymoov ambassador. As a result over the coming months you will see lots of weaning posts and we will be putting some Babymoov products to the test. Babymoov has just also launched its first mobile application specially dedicated to food for baby:  “Cooking Babyfood” can be downloaded on Google Play Store right now and will soon be available on iOS.

I was fortuante enough to be able to chat to the Babymoov Nutritionist Julia, who kindly answered my questions in relation to begining the weaning journey.

Mamma Fairy – I have such a fear of choking at what stage can I leave him bits to chew himself?

Julia – Finger foods can be introduced from around 6-7 months and this can include soft pieces of meat. Offer big pieces that baby can grab and hold easily, then chew off manageable amounts, rather than small cut up bits that would likely be put into the mouth completely and possibly lead to more risk of choking. Many parents are very worried about choking, its perfectly understandable, but delaying lumps and pieces means that babies will be less equipped to deal with them later. Be brave – maybe have a friend or someone there for moral support?

Mamma Fairy – Stream v boil is the difference in nutrient content with one over the other significant?

Julia – Yes, some vitamins (e.g. B & C) are water-soluble so cooking with lots of water means the nutrients can leach out. Use minimal water when cooking veg, that’s why steaming or microwaving are usually recommended over boiling.

Mamma Fairy – Foods to help with constipation and those to avoid more so for my toddler but want to help prevent with baby toddler did suffer bad.

Julia – 2 things are important for preventing and managing constipation: fluid and fibre. Make sure your toddler is drinking enough water – maybe give a little well-diluted orange juice each day. Fruit and veg provide both fluid and fibre so plenty should be offered over the course of the day. Dried fruit like raisins can be useful e.g. in breakfast cereal. Offer some wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals (e.g. Weetabix) to give extra fibre, though please be aware that too much isn’t recommended as it can be bulky and fill up small tummies too much. See GP or specialist if necessary.

We have just opened the box on the Nutri baby so looking forward to trying this out. Lots of updates to follow. 

For more information on the brand and the products themselves please see Babymoov website.

I was asked recently to contribute to an ebook in collaboration with Adjustable Beds.   I had previously written a review of a product which my mother and my husband had reviewed with regard to their own arthritis symptoms (see here) . Arthritis is a condition they both suffer with to varying degrees therefore I am acutely aware of the challenges both day to day and in particular sleeping that this condition can create.

I was delighted to be able to use the experience of my mother and husband in the hope that it would help somebody else in that position. Below is the quote I submitted having spoken to my family re their top tip.

“A warm shower and some gentle exercise first thing helps loosen the joints and move more freely during the day“

Link to  arthritis-ebook

Hopefully this tips featured in the book will be of some help.

Take care

~Mamma F

Note: This is a collaberative post

With polling day fast approaching, the main question being posed to many of our local candidates is how do we solve the recent spate of burglaries in the area. Figures released by the CSO at the end of 2015 show bulgaries are up almost 10% nationally but even more worryingly up almost 30% in my own locality.

This leads to be some interesting research conducted by Chill Insurance for their Home and Lifestyle habits survey, where they contacted over 400 Irish homeowners and asked them to tell them about their home safety habits (ie do they use a house alarm, what’s the most prized possession in their house, do their pets help with household security etc.) The results both intrigued and shocked me!!

• 57% of people described there home as “very secure”
• 52% of people saying they always use their house alarm

I am a little obsessive about security and locking up our house following a break in when we had just moved in to our new house last year and the alarm had not yet been fitted. I was pregnant at the time and really got some fright. This next statistic could probably be doubled in my case!

1 in 5 people spend up to 3 hours a year locking up their home!!

I would absolutely concur with the next finding (after my family of course), 33 % of people said that their family photographs were they most prized possession, jewellery only obtained 9%, I would have thought that would be a bit higher. I know personally there is some jewellery that has been handed down the generations that would rank a lot higher for me than the TV or my phone. (see opposite)

I think for me personally having had a break in really forced me to review my albeit quite lax at the time security arrangements.

Thanks to  Chill Home Insurance for sending me on the survey and associated graphics.

~Mamma F

Note: This is a collaborative post.

I had intended to write this before Christmas having had the opportunity to put my question to both Catherine Fulvio, Celebrity Chef and Whirlpool Ambassador and John Lowe, an economist but perhaps better known as The Money Doctor however we had some sad news in the Mamma Fairy house so I put blogging aside for a few weeks. Back at it now so you can expect quite the influx of posts from me. Where better than to start but the study conducted by Whirlpool which looked at the impact of modern life on our cooking habits and found that over 40% or 2 in 5 of us skip the evening meal as we simply don’t have time to cook. I can attest to that in the Mamma Fairy house, we both work full time as well as have 2 busy boys aged 3 and 10 months.

In repose Whirlpool have developed a range of new smart technologies, the first one being the new 6th Sense Ready 2 Cook Technology that can heat an oven to optimal temperature literally at the touch of button, rather than waiting up to 15 minutes to fully heat up.

Sounds pretty cool to me, it’s something I’d certainly be interested in. I don’t have one myself therefore I was delighted to be able to chat to Catherine Fulvio to see what she thinks about it.

1 -You are a busy mum yourself, have you found it beneficial on a day to day basis?

Absolutely! The Whirlpool 6TH SENSE ovens have intelligent pre-set options so you can literally cook the perfect pizza or lasagne at the touch of a button. Their settings mean you can almost cook on auto-pilot – and the results are always amazing!

Probably my personal favourite is the dough rising facility of the ovens – they literally halve the time the dough rises, meaning I can put fresh bread on the table so much quicker. I’m a firm believer in baking not buying if at all possible, so this is a massive time saver for me!

2 – In terms of functionality, is it fair to say, there is no compromise on quality of output?

Not at all, in fact I always feel like my meals are in safe hands if they’re cooked with Whirlpool! You can tell the research that’s gone into the 6th SENSE range because their new features address so many common problems. Having the oven switch on to optimal temperature instantly is a godsend, as is the crisp plate that allows perfect baking in the microwave.

3 – What is your favourite recipe to cook when the kids are starving and time is limited?

A pasta bake is always a winner midweek. It’s so easy to whizz it up especially with my Whirlpool oven which can heat an oven to optimal temperature literally at the touch of button.  And it’s even faster if I’m using up the leftovers from the Sunday Roast!

I also had the opportunity to put a number of question to John Lowe, also know as The Money Doctor. John , is a regular contributor in both print and digital media on money saving issues, tips and advice. He also introduced the popular Money Doctor App to help track spending and saving.

1 – A product that is both time saving and money saving is bound to get people interested.  From your own work have you seen this has increasingly become a key concern for consumers?

As they say, time is money and while most people look at the actual product they are using, they sometimes forget the underlying product without which the product they have saved money on, is actually costing a fortune to maintain. Example of this is petrol. How many times do we check the petrol pump prices of the various stations when it’s the actual car that is guzzling the petrol. The oven is a prime example. Saving that pre-heating time is time and money, both of which could be put to better use. Consumers are now looking at saving money from every angle.

2 – In your view is smart technology such as this the way forward for consumers to have more disposable income?

 Smart technology is the only way to go. As the first person to sell a mortgage on the interest in Ireland ( 23 years ago ) I have had a love affair with technology ever since. Technology not only betters and improves our lives making it much more efficient but it can also save us a considerable amount of money. You only have to look at online banking and see the significant savings from using technology for your current account and savings. “Let your fingers do the walking” is now passé – gone are the big thick directories it’s whatever search engine you use and you have the information. Sure even before you have finished typing the word, the prescriptive text kicks in and finishes it ! How many of us use the budget planner spread sheet to manage our annual income and expenditure ? The free Money Doctor app is a simple download that tracks all your spending for up to a month to determine if you are overspending, buying too many lattés, newspapers, magazines or in my case chocolate .. only discovered how much I was buying when I did my own spending record – a useful exercise. And free! Just remember income is your number one asset and it has to cover everything.

Many thanks to both Catherine and John for taking the time to answer my questions, who knows I may invest in one when we finally get around to doing up the kitchen (that’s a post for another day!!)

More on Whirlpool’s 6th Sense Ready 2 Cook Technology can be found on www.whirlpool.ie

Cooking is the need of all people, and it is supportive of making life trouble-free by the attainment of tasty foods. Cooking is not an easy thing; it is an art, which is specific to women, especially. Men are also taking part in this art and making new dishes according to their tastes. Meanwhile, the success of cooking skills is beneficial for the students as they are living in hostels and trying to save their financial sources for the completion of expenses of the study. This scenario is favouring the cooking skill for students as they can make tasty foods and live in the hostels pleasantly. Some imperative tips by mypaperdone.com for betterment in cooking are as under:

• Rolling of the fruit is the way of getting juice instantly, and it is an instrumental technique for all products. In the case of a complex in this process, you can use a refrigerator and make the rolling of fruit easy for getting juice successfully.
• Dental floss is useful for the cutting of foods in pieces, and it is an available source for different products like cheese, cake and fruit. This floss is unflavoured and usable for all kinds of soft food items. 
• Making butter quickly is possible for the cooking expert, but it is now available for new persons as well. You have to use a rolling pin to increase the softness of the butter, and it will be relaxed by the use of ice. You can make this process by filling a bowl with ice and adjusting a bowl of butter over the ice. 
• Dig of ice cream is beneficial as it is usable for the elimination of seed from a fruit named as pumpkins. This technique is helping in the cutting of fruit with the safety of seeds. 
• Baking soda is an available item in the kitchen, and it is usable for boiled eggs for separation of shell and white part of the egg. This technique is speedy and supportive of making the eggs safe and sound for presentation. 
• The measuring of honey is not an easy task; it can be performed with the use of spoon along with heating the water. It is easily used to make an exact calculation for cooking recipes. 
• You can use a specific paper named as greaseproof paper for protection of ice cream. It can support you to get rid of the burning of freezers. 
• Baking food is going to dry with heat, and it can be solved with the use of cup in the oven. This cup can help to eliminate the drying elements from the baking foods. 
• You can use a wooden spoon in your saucepan; it will secure from heat and flame from the cooking process. This technique is straightforward as it can increase the safety of the person from heating spots. 
• Opening of a jar is a complicated matter, and it can be solved with the use of rubber or towel. This practice is elementary to save hands from undesired troubles. 

Note: This is a collaborative post

I am very lucky that as part of the blogging world there is a lovely community of bloggers who help each other out.  None more so than Award winning Blogger One Yummy Mummy (website here).   I have a fussy eater 3 year and an almost 9 month old. At the moment its dinner for 3 year old, dinner for 9 month old and another for us. In an effort to streamline meal times I hooked up with the lovely Jolene for a recipe idea both my boys would enjoy.  Fish is always a hit with Mr Fussy eater so I was delighted to get a recipe both could enjoy.  I am no Nigella in the kitchen and gratefully accept all help  in this department.

See below for recipe, all readily available and super easy for the likes of me!

Recipe for Tasty Fish bits

Ingredients

The latest instalment of the Mamma Fairy gift guide is here including a few ideas here for the men in our lives.

 1 – George Foreman Grill

We have one of these for many years and I find it so handy for quick tasty wraps and Panini’s. The one pictures is the 5 portion grill and priced around €60. A good investment in my opinion. Most models have the standard features of the grill channel where the grease drains away into a separate tray. This makes for easy cleaning and healthier cooking.   Most also can recline flat for toasties or slightly elevated for meat (enabling the fat to drain).

George Foreman grills are very readily available in electrical retailers throughout the country.

 2 – Remington Gift Set

I know where a certain person reads this he will instantly know this is for him!! Known as the Gentleman’s Gift set! (bet he is having a good laugh now!!).

I think this looks good and is reasonably priced at €29.99 and readily available. Handy shaver, nose/ear trimmer and a novelty mug, sure what more would a “gentleman” need.

 3 – Zenji & the Muzzy bugs book

I was first introduced to this book by the author, the lovely Aisli Madden. Aisli herself, wrote, illustrated and funded the book herself (via a Kickstarter campaign) after becoming interested in mindfulness herself. The premise of this book is to purposely promote positive mental health from infancy through the characters as they go about their business incorporating breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques. The illustrations in this book really stand out.

My 3 year has really taken to this book, the vivid illustration captures his attention (no mean feat), also for him I find the names and variety of characters hold his interest. Not an easy thing to do  in a book these days, captivate a child like this one does. It would make a lovely and practical present. The book is currently available through Amazon.

 4 – Fuschia Make up.

Fuschia make is an award winning Irish make up brand. Since the early days my sister and myself have been fans having been introduced to the brand just before my own wedding back in 2011. They do a fab mineral foundation with great lasting power. Their lip sticks are also a good safe bet if you are looking for good colour pay off without the Charlotte Tilbury price tag. I am a fan of matte lipsticks so my staple is Bare truth. Totally digressing there but back on track, in my humble opinion a gift of Fuschia gift set, you cant go wrong. The set I am gifting is the colour pop, to a lovely lady who loves her lip stick and is not afraid to experiment with colour (unlike me!!). The gift set is currently reduced to €25 and available from their website.

Following on from this post – I was invited to London to have lunch with Jeff Brazier at the super trendy Hoxton Hotel (check it out here) courtesy of Netflix. The lunch was to mark the launch of the Netflix and DreamWorks Animation collaboration –  Dinotrux Favourites, an entire episode in a 5-minute package. Genius – simple but very effective. Kids think they have won the battle of wills but for parents bedtime is only delayed by five minutes!

Joining me was fellow bloggers Kellie (My Little Bábóg Blog) and Sinead (Bumbles of  Rice), two of the nicest ladies you could meet. Being a newbie blogger I was pretty nervous, but nerves were unfounded they were so welcoming and we had some good fun.

The hotel is amazing, it epitomises London for me – super cool and super trendy with immaculate attention to detail. (If the Dadda Fairy is reading this – yes id love a weekend break here for Christmas!).

During a very tasty lunch Jeff spoke about parenting and his own bed time battles with his boys. Jeff is a life coach and gave some great insights into parenting but with his life couch hat on. One thing that stuck in my head since Tuesday was the phrase “asking appropriate questions at the appropriate time”. This phrase really made me think. In other words don’t bombard them with questions as they walk out the creche/ playschool/ school gate. Like the concept of 5 minute Dinotrux episodes, this advice is so simple yet so effective.The whole day went so quickly. The flight home that evening was the evening of Storm Barney, so after initial uncertainty about whether the flight would go or not and whether we would land in Dublin or Belfast, I was pretty glad to be home safe and sound. Nothing like the pilot announcing he will “do his best to land in Dublin” and the cabin crew to proclaim its too dangerous to serve hot drinks on the flight given the stormy conditions to invoke the fear of god in you!!

Thanks to Netflix and fellow bloggers Kellie and Sinead for a fabulous day. Also thanks to Netflix for helping us with those bedtime battles. My Master Negotiator has been outwitted!!

Would love to hear some of your bedtime battle stories.

Take Care

~Mamma F

It’s been a busy and exciting week in the Mamma Fairy house.  I am delighted to announce that I have been invited to join the Netflix Stream Team.  We are already fans of Netflix in the Mamma Fairy house having been subscribers for almost 2 years now.

You might have seen my social media post a couple of days ago on the survey conducted by Netflix on kids bedtime stall tactics!!! I have posted about this before, my 3 year old doesn’t do sleep or bedtime! In fact it’s as if he doesn’t need any!! Two of the below tactics are used (actually make that over-used!) in the Mamma Fairy house. 

He is THE Master Negotiator.  Tonight’s negotiations began like this:

Mr Master Negotiator: – “I can’t go to bed until I talk to Dada, I need to ask him something important” (Dada is working late, he works in construction (stay with me its relevant!!))

Mamma Fairy:  – “Why? maybe I can help”

Mr Master Negotiator: – “No Mamma, I really do need to talk to Dada, you wouldn’t know the answer”

Mamma Fairy: – “Try me!!”

Mr Master Negotiator: – “Dada would be better to ask”

…..time is ticking on……..

Mamma Fairy: – “I’m sure ill know the answer”

….after careful consideration and yet more time lapse….

Mr Master Negotiator: – “Ok….Do tractors have 4 wheel drive and throttles??? Its really important, I need Dada to ask him…..I NEED to know the answer before I sleep”

Mamma Fairy: – “Look Team Umizoomi is on, lets watch this and then we will go to bed”

Its Netflix to the rescue….it’s one his favourite Netflix shows, closely followed by Paw Patrol and Dinotrux.

This is just one example, I could write volumes on his random bedtime questions, which are all naturally so important and urgent and most of the time the only person who could possible know the answer is not there!!

This leads me to the genius parenting hack a collaboration by Netflix and DreamWorks Animation. They have launched a new series of shows called Dinotrux Favourites, an entire episode in just 5-minutes!  Its genius – simple and effective.

As anybody with kids will know, it’s a daily battle of wills.  By agreeing to one more episode, they think they have got the upper hand, however with it being only 5 minutes long it’s win-win and bedtime doesn’t get too delayed.

Mr Master Negotiator, I have you sos’d!!!

Anybody else got a Master Negotiator in their house? Would love to her the negotiation techniques!

Take care

~Mamma F