review this + giveaway : stuck on you drink bottle

in my few years of parenting i have been through a ridiculous amount of sippy cups and drink bottles. recently i have test driven the stuck on you drink bottle with my 4yo daughter, and to be really honest, my 18mo daughter too!

i need my children's drink bottles to fit a bit of a criteria. might sound silly, might sound a bit o.t.t., and well that's just part of my makeup! the low down on this drink bottle... it fits in the drink holder on miss 4's carseat. check. and in the front of the car too. check. i've had a couple that have been too big around the base to fit in snuggly, so i love this point. second win is that i have ditched the nappy bag and am now on handbag status again. this drink bottle is a 500ml capacity, so it fits standing up in my handbag, so is easy to keep organised and can be grabbed straight out with no fumbling around. love that. the pop cap is still quite firm for miss 4 to open and close herself, which i like because it means i know that a certain 1yo can't sneak it away and tip water all over, well, everything! the designs are so pretty, love it personalised with a name, means it's easily recognisable at daycare, or anywhere we go that involves other drink bottles. it's stainless steel and bpa free. check, check and check.

 

miss 18-months-going-on-4-years {sheesh}, has proven her ability to drink from this drink bottle also. which is great. big girl status! so a frankie design will be hiding under our christmas tree for her this year.

 

i've teamed up with stuck on you and we are going to give away one personalised drink bottle, valued at $24.95 and posted free to you. wanna know how you can go in the draw to win one? firstly, go visit the stuck on you website :: www.stuckonyou.com.au :: find the drink bottles and choose your favourite. come back here to this blog post and leave a comment below {if you are leaving a comment as anonymous, please leave me an email address, or even email it to me, so that if you win i can contact you} with what design you will choose if you win one. pretty easy, and well worth the effort if you do win!

 

i will randomly draw out a winner on monday morning {december 10}.

 

good luck!

loving : we are handsome {yet again}

last year i was a bit smitten with the ladies protector series from we are handsome's the memoirs 2011 collection. so when i first spotted this childrens one piece on instagram yesterday, well you could probably imagine my reaction!

 

loving : saltwater sandals

loving the new mash-up saltwater sandals in tan and turquoise, exclusive to lady pinwheel. if you're quick, you can save 10% on a pair aswell as go into the draw to win a free pair!



loving : the birdhouse print

pants or tank. i can't decide which i like the most. i just know that i am loving this silk birdhouse print from milk from a thistle's spring/summer collection.

super stylin : coast kids gc

what started off as dropping a few ideas to a friend has eventuated into something of a new creative outlet for me. it's always come quite naturally to share and bounce ideas with friends. some being their ideas that just need that second opinion, support and a bit of motivation. sometimes i need to release my own thoughts and i need direction. i love how one idea, one simple thought, mixed with the right people can be recreated into something so fulfilling.

this is how the july cover of coast kids gc came about {top image}.

when i first took over the reins of yummy mummies, keeley from savvy mama was one of my very first business connections. since the day i met for coffee with her, we have worked together on various ideas and at local events, and we have managed to build an awesome friendship {this canadian mama never fails to make me giggle like a little school girl with her way of words and her down to earthness}. keeley has expanded, and along with her savvy mama business, she is now also the owner/editor of coast kids gc magazine.

so after having a fun time helping on the july cover, it was decided i should work together with the team on a regular basis. and why not hey - i'm up for the creative challenge, and i'm up for working with new people and broadening my pathways!

the august mag was then on the schedule, a party themed issue. i learnt quickly that while you may have a particular direction in mind, that it might not always work to the vision had in mind on the day, and that something so beautiful can still happen. the children on this cover are just adorable, don't you think? next is september which is a father's day issue and there are some super ideas flying about for that cover!

i'd love for you to join me on my journey with the team at coast kids gc. i'll of course be promoting it in any way i can, so you'll see me pop a few images up from time to time. do check out keeley's mag online, or if you're local grab one at your nearest kid friendly place!

threads on thursday

are you doing the instagram thing? if you are, would you like to join in with us on a thursday to share your wardrobe style? ...or your kids style, or your nans style, or even a sneaky stranger shot style {you get where i'm going with this?!}. the bestie and i thought we'd try and drop some more fun into the instagram thing and start a hashtag : #threadsonthursday.

it's not about designer clothes and showing off. it's about giving yourself a little push into your wardrobe and mixing some outfit combo's you might not have pulled off before. it's about $15 kmart mint jeans. it's about those new shoes you just couldn't resist. it's about sharing style idea's. it's about having some fun. it's about getting creative with your camera. it's about replicating your pinterest boards into your real life. for me, it's about neon and blazers right now {because i am an obsessed neon freak, but you already knew that if you follow my pinterest boards}.

in around-about way, this started from 4 years of wardrobe neglect. i am certain i am not the only mum out there who has been obsessed with dressing their little people in gorgeous, adorable, too cool for school ensembles. it brings me so much pride to have my little people looking their cutest. i love my kids, i love fashion. it fits together. but i lost "me" along the way. somehow. i had style in my 20's, for years i was all about the denim with heels and a tee. along with many new years resolutions this year, one of them was to re-build my fashion style and add some new clothing pieces to my wardrobe. and now, i'm seeing my old style peeking through at me from my wardrobe and you know what, it feels awesome to want to get up and push my wardrobe limits each morning.

we'd love you to join in and play along too, you don't need to be asked to hashtag your image, just chuck the hashtag on and mingle with some instagrammers like yourself, who have "stuff" in common. if you're a private user, you can still play too - only your followers will see your image in the hashtag gallery, anyone who doesn't follow you won't see your image. and of course, all public profile images are there to be seen by anyone {this is the mingling part i was talking about}.

i'm on instagram as @becwatts - i'll see you tomorrow!



one year old

on tuesday my family and i celebrated frankie girl's first birthday. there was no party, just my two girls and i {and my nan on skype} and a big cake for morning tea. i'm that womens weekly cake book mum. i don't cook much, but when i became a mum, something inside of me urged for a special home made cake to come out for birthday's. did you get novelty cakes as a kid? i did, i distinctly remember having the piano and the dressing table, clearly my favourites, but i'm sure i had others. great memories. and i would love for my kids to have the same sort of memories.

i firstly spotted the pink ombre layer cake on pinterest and i then saw on my instagram feed that jody from lemon rhodes had made one for her little one's 2nd birthday. jody posted her recipe on her blog, so i figured i would give it a try too. why not hey. you can find jody's blog and recipe here {thanks jody}. as always, my cake has a story - almost blew up my mix station and didn't have a supermarket open for supplies due to our public holiday - so i improvised with the icing, mine is just a vienna butter icing, still looks the part, although the raspberry flavoured icing would've been amazing.

it's a big milestone turning one. especially for the parents. what a year frankie's first year has been. she has such character already, summer calls her "the cheekiest baby ever", and that she certainly is. she waves bye bye now, she points her finger at you and puts her head down while doing it {erm... not sure where she gets that from}, she's loud, she's VERY loud, and she's mastered the cool head nod "dancing" when any slight beat hits her ears. this is my favourite of the moment, especially when we're in the car and i have my old skool house music playing. too damn cute.

i'm looking forward to the 12-24 month stage, i think this age is the best!



stepping out

i remember when i was pregnant with my second child, loads of mum's told me that it's much easier second time round. mmm... that hasn't been the case for me. so not the case. the last 12 months has been a long road, adjusting to the multi tasking of two beautiful children and a household, myself and a small business. i am one super organised person, and it has even caught me off guard and disorganised. it takes me approximately 2-3 weeks now to respond to a text. and only today, almost 12 months after my second baby came along, do i feel like i've caught up on the washing. the washing. one small child has thrown the washing regime waaaaaaaaay off track. but today i've caught up. i'm not even going to go there with the gardens (ha-hum, weeds)...!

my bestie goes out for a coffee every day. sometimes twice. truth be told, sometimes she even goes three times, depending on her day! it might only be a takeaway, or she may sit in. but this is her thing, the thing she likes to do for her. and sure, she no longer has a baby in her arms, her babies are walking and talking, more independant. and right now, for maybe quite possibly the first time yet, i miss my own independance. i miss me, i miss real coffee, i miss "having the time".

so i decided that one day a week i would go exploring this beautiful city i live in. get myself out of the house for an hour, away from the nursery and the routine, away from the chores and abc 4 kids, and into the fresh air. to go and find a place i have yet to visit. somewhere new, somewhere different, somewhere hidden. somewhere that might brew coffee, so i can skip my usual nescafe that day, and sit with my little people, sipping on awesome espresso, people watching and exploring. meeting and greeting.

so i started doing this a few weeks ago and thought i would blog about the places i have visited, and share my finds with you. i've got three to catch up on, stayed tuned...

3 ingredient pancake recipe

it's saturday 6am. the mini me's are up and at em'. there's no weetbix in the house. there's no banana's or fruit. the pre-schooler is hungry and doesn't "like" toast. of course. mummy's tired. sigh. mummy sucks it up, takes a breath, puts her happy face on and makes a coffee. actually, the coffee came first. "who wants pancakes" she suggests in a loud fun filled voice. "meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"...

the easiest thing to make with the biggest satisfaction ever. 1 cup of self raising flour, 1 cup of milk and 1 egg. combine well and away you cook. get your cookie cutters out and shape them into love hearts. add mayple syrup. and what the heck - add ice-cream too. serve on adorable love mae melamine. eat.

happy kids. happy mummy. happy start to the weekend!

lusting : billy shoulder bag

this jerome dreyfuss bag makes my peche heart sing. it's price tag however, does not.

happy weekend to you all!

get out of town {quite literally}

if you've seen me about on pinterest, you'll know i go weak at the knee's for j.crew and crewcuts fashion. you could imagine my eyes popping out of my head then when today it was revealed that the fashion giant has extended it's trading to aus and asia. and hold your pants people, they are shipping to australia free of charge until the end of april. uhuh. free. international. shipping.

above are a few things for the biggest of my mini me's that have stolen my heart.

101 uses for your jellystone necklace

number 4 : try clipping it around the shopping trolley handle. guaranteed at least 10-15 minutes of non squirming out of the big girl seat during the shopping, and is sure to please those teething gums.

i may not be able to come up with 101 uses, but i can definately give you a handful of handy idea's that our jellystone designs necklaces can provide for you! and seriously, for cost of $16, these silicone pendants are worth every cent! give it a try for yourself.

bella b wear. on sale.

shop the sale. dress the bump. bella b wear. a label you can wear while pregnant. a label you can wear if you're not. on sale.

sharing a story {my story} in cosmo pregnancy

every mum-to-be has a tale to tell of her nine-month journey. in the newest issue of cosmo pregnancy, autumn 2012, i share some of the emotions i experienced while having a low-lying placenta during my second pregnancy.

i was excited and nervous about sharing my little pregnancy story with the world. pregnancy and motherhood can be very touchy subjects, and some of us have very strong opinions on certain issues and procedures. and so we should. i like to share. i like to help. if someone wants my thoughts on a subject, i love talking about my own experiences, and on the flipside of that, i love listening to other parents and parents-to-be tell me their own experiences - the good, the fabulous, the not-so-good, and the really crappy parts - it all helps me grow into the person and mother that i am.

so a big thanks to the girls at cosmo for sharing my story with their readers. and big love photo credits to our favourite photographer, naomi v photography for our maternity photo's used in the article x

iphone italk : country road

i may need to put a shoppers warning on this post, so be warned retail junkies! the country road iphone app has thought of some great app features. apart from viewing the newest collections with extreme ease, you can enter in your card/member number and receive notifictaions of your benefits, like your spend and save offers, and you can also see your year to date spendage. you can use the store locator to find your nearest store, with opening hours, maps and contact details.

a very cool app that's worth the free download. just search country road.

review this : weil baby training cup

sitting in my review box has been the weil baby drinking cup. at the time, neither of my mini me's were at the right age to complete the review, so this time the review was done by tiny tester lulu. lulu's mum is wrapped with the weil baby cup, and 5 months on, the cup is still in mint condition with no leakages and the teat still in perfect shape. here is what trina shared with us :

“Having 2 little girls, I have tried so many sippy cups etc in the past, but the weil cup by far has been the best! I love the little handles on the side for an easy grip, and also how it doesn’t leak when thrown on the floor etc, like most of them do. I would certainly recommend it, definitely no complaints here!”

unfortunately production has now stopped for this range, but you can still find the odd cup or bottle around on a few websites at discounted prices. we found a few pieces at avidiva and gifts 4 kids, starting around the $10 mark. big thanks to trina and lulu for testing out this product!

wearing : the belted scarf

have you tried belting your scarf? it's such an easy and effective fashion trend that can just pop that every day outfit and give it a bit of jous. there are endless options on how to belt a scarf, from silky leight weight scarves in the summer, to thick lucious woolen ones in winter. you can wear it basic and long like i have here, you can loop it once or twice around the neck to bring the height up and give you more neck coverage, skinny belts, thick belts, you get the drift!

i particulary find this look useful while i'm a breast feeding mumma. here i wear the lilly b nursing tank in white, so i have instant access to my feeding aparatus. i actually unclip my belt and my scarf is wide enough to cover my baby and discreetly feed her. i drape my scarf around my neck for this reason, and also because this gives me an elongated look {aka - makes me look taller when really i'm not}.

it still looks great from the back, the belt doesn't look too out of place. i'm digging this look. do you wear it? will you try it this year? i wear :

top : yummy mummies & mini me

scarf : one red hen

belt : op shop

necklace : yummy mummies & mini me

jeans : country road

swimwear sale : now on

it may be the last month of summer, but it's definately not time to hang up that beach or pool towel yet. we've reduced baby and girls swimwear on our site to 25% and 50% off.

swimming lessons are back into swing now, so grab a bargain and have your little style queen strutting poolside in some fabulous designs. the red polka dot one piece from bobbi sunshine swimwear is a classic piece that will never grow old, and reduced to $37.45. the sizing of the bobbi sunshine swimwear is pretty spot on to age.

rashies are a year round must-have if you're a beach goer and our bobbi sunshine short sleeve pink paisley rashie is such a pretty piece and reduced to $35.95. pair this up with a mix match of prints, with the floral bikini for $22.45.

our li'l ludy frill one piece and baby swim pants are now at 50% off. check out our swimwear sale online here {http://www.yummymummies.com.au/shop.php?cat=2&subcat=20}, and add a few sale goodies to that 2012 present drawer!

yummy mummies has checked in to : her blog

yep, at long last, i am feeling "back into it". back into business and back into the blog. i've been all caught up in our new baby bubble here, i've hardly had a spare minute to even look at my blog, let alone log into it! but you don't need me to tell you how busy life is, cause you've got your own going on too.

children are the absolute best and most fun time wasters there are. i love it. i love being the mum. i may whinge about being tired, it's true. i may be off in tired fairy land, that's true too. even this morning, i paid for my "quick shop" at coles, and headed off with both girls sitting in the trolley, but forgot to collect my 4 grocery bags. i'm tired, it's true. but i still love it. i love being the mum of my two little people. the boss. the mum.

i've got so many idea's and stories i want to share with you this year. i've got loads of product reviews coming up, some fashion tips and how-to-wear idea's, new winter stock to tell you about, and some changes happening to our shopping site also.

i might be a month late, but here's to twenty twelve. i hope YOUR twenty twelve is filled with awesomeness. check you back here soon x