review this + giveaway :: bugalug

i love it when i open up my mailbox and get greeted with divine products, products like these gorgeous hair accessories from a canadian company called bugalug. as you can see in the above photo, my mini me doesn't have a whole lotta hair happenin just yet, so i was delighted to find that the gorgeous bugalug clips don't slide off her fine hair. and because they don't slide off, means that miss mini me doesn't realise they're in her hair and alas stay in for most of the day! that's one point for mummy with that sneaky trick!

i'm also a bit of a headband lover. i find it so easy to just chuck on a headband of any sort to take a bad hair day into a not so bad hair day. have a look at the cute bugalug headbands, i love them, they are fully adjustable with a clear plastic lock at the back of it and they fit any head, from infant to adult. i think that's another point for mummies!

i have teamed up with the lovely erica from bugalug and together we'd like to give away a little pack consisting of a headband and pony loop, as pictured above. if you would like to score this little pack, you just need to become a fan, or a liker, or whatever we're called these days, of the bugalug facebook page and leave your email address here on the blog, below in a comment. pretty easy stuff for a pretty neat prize! i will have my little apprentice draw a lucky winner out on friday. good luck xx

happy 2nd birthday summer leonie xx

today my daughter turned 2. as we celebrated her birthday, i quietly looked upon her as she played with her new toys and i felt so proud of this beautiful little person i have created.

beware :: birth story following!

this time 2 years ago i gave birth. i remember it like it was only last week. i had planned on finishing work 3 weeks before my due date, i would finish on the last day of the working week at the end of april and i would have my baby around the 21st of may. i was happy with the plan, and i was ready and organised to be a mum! it was late april, the little nursery was finished, the hospital bag had been packed, equipped with everything i may possibly need during labour to help pass the time and pain. in my bag was an apple, a museli bar, massage oil, a back massage ball thingy, headband, coin purse, lip balm, relaxation cd, massive pads, new pj's, baby going home outfit, nappies, socks, singlets, white and lemon coloured onesies; all the necessities a first time mum in labour might need! i had high blood pressure and was seeing my doctor every few days to check on it, it wasn't getting lower but wasn't really drastically rising either. i was to finish work earlier than planned, to try and keep it as low as physically possible. it was so much harder than i thought it would be to sit on my lounge all day and literally do nothing. but that was the doctors orders! after about 3 weeks of keeping a check on the blood pressure, the doctor finally sent me to the hospital.

it was tuesday lunch time. i'd finished my appointment with my doctor, he had rang the hospital to let them know i was coming in. i drove home, heated up some home made soup for lunch, put my hospital bag in the car and done one last check over of the house and nursery. everything was ready. i had no idea of what was going to happen once i got to the hospital. i quickly went to the toilet before i left, except it wasn't so quick. i kept going and going. and going. ok, so i'm thinking my waters have broken. it wasn't the intense scenario i had been picturing, you know the one when you're at the supermarket and they announce a clean up to be done in isle 7...?! i was happy with how my waters broke, a little disappointed that there was no real drama about it maybe, but i dealt with it, padded up, toddled off to the car and headed for the hospital.

i had high blood pressure, my front waters (didn't know you had a front and back waters) had broken and i was asked if i was ok to be induced then and there. yep, bring it on, i'm here now anyway! in went the drip full of that lovely oxytocin. i rang my partner to let him know what was happening. the midwife told me we'd have at least 5 hours before the serious stuff would start, so my partner had enough time to get home and freshen up (he's a mechanic so needs to 'freshen up'). that was about 3pm. 3.30-ish i'm feeling pains, that's no so bad, i've had period pains worse than that. 4pm they're really warming up. no partner. i'm getting nervous now. 4.30 i have my partner and i have contractions. i can't get comfortable with these pains, earlier i could at least move my body around and it seemed to helped. now i want to cry and i tell my partner that i'm not sure i can have a baby. 5.30 and i'm in the midst of it all, all clothes are long gone, i really don't give a shit how i am looking and i haven't even had a chance to eat my apple. where's my mum? she was ment to be here already! i didn't expect labour to feel like this, i knew it was obviously going to hurt, but this hurt is a pain i cannot escape, it feels like i could possibly die. drugs. i want some gas, and i'm not sure if i want the gas because of the novelty of it or if i really do think i need some pain help. it doesn't matter because i am 10cm dilated and it's time to push. as in push out a baby. oh my god. i'm going to have a baby. no time for drugs. 6.30 and my mum flies though the door, looking a million dollars in her new yellow cue top and favourite heels. i have only one push left. the baby is posterior (left side) and when i push, the heartbeat drops. the midwife red lights for the doctor and in comes the most gorgeous doctor you have ever seen, i kid you not (afterwards my partner and i nickname him dr hollywood). the doctor asks if we can use the vacuum on my next push to help turn and pull our baby out. out into the real world. ok, yes, lets do that. one last push. puuuuuuuuuuush...

our baby was born. i'm a mum, my partner is a dad. my mum is a grandma. i cry, actually, i sob. our baby comes up onto my chest and i hug her like i have known her for a million years and it all feels so comfortable. i look at my partner and he has tears in his eyes and a big smile on his face. i look down at my baby and i cry and i smile too. the midwife asks if we want to know if it's a boy or a girl. oh, that's right, i remember i'm busting to know if it's going to be a pink or a blue baby. it's a girl. it's a GIRL. it's my little baby girl. summer leonie. summer was born at 6.54pm weighing 6 pound 6. and today she is 2!

style file :: willowblu

it's in our style file, so that means it's also on our shopping site! we are so super excited by the new arrival of willowblu leather bags here at yummy mummies this week! what can we say, we are women and we love handbags and shoes!

you may have noticed that our nappy bag section has been blank since our relaunch. well, we have actually been waiting for the perfect nappy bag to rock our world and we have finally found it! this is ivy. isn't she cute? especially in that vanilla colour! i am love love loving vanilla right now.

like all of the willowblu bags, it is made from genuine top quality leather with a fully lined interior. it has two zipped pockets at the front, a zipped panel at the back and another zipped pocket in each of the (exterior) sides. it's pocket heaven! the interior also has 2 zipped pockets plus compartment spaces for everything; the iphone, the nappy cream, the teether ring, the emergency packet of fruit flakes and the dummy!

it's a little on the smaller side compared to some of the bigger nappy bags that can fit everything bar the kitchen sink in them. and i think these days it's quite popular to have a nappy bag that doesn't look like a nappy bag, so i am a big fan of the smaller sizing. means you take less, and lets face it, sometimes we do tend to over pack which in turn means lugging around a heavy bag! but stay stuned, i hear willowblu is working on a new bigger nappy bag none the less. we'll let you know about it as soon as we set our eyes on it!

pop on over to the site and check out all of the fabulous range from willowblu that we have available. there is only the one nappy bag that we carry, the other 7 designs are classed as handbags, but most of the messenger style bags are more than capable of being a nappy bag too. oh, and check out the cleo clutch while you're there, i am loving this to pieces - just need to line up a snazzy dinner date so i have a somewhere to take it out to!

shopping for a 2nd birthday

so... i've been giving myself a bit of retail therapy of late, it's amazing how good a spot of shopping can make you feel and i have had the perfect reason to go shopping (because yes, apparently these days i actually need a reason to). our little froggy is turning 2 next month. having summer turning 2 reminds me of the feeling i had when i turned 30. it just sounds like a whole lotta old! i feel like on the day of her birthday she will no longer be my baby and she will be a big girl. just like that. overnight. you hear it from everyone all the time... they just grow up too quickly!

the first place i like to go shopping at is little pinwheel. two reasons why - one is that i have formed an amazing friendship with the owner, hayley, and two is because hayley stocks awesome brands and when summer isn't wearing something from our shop, it's more than likely going to be something from little pinwheel. the first 4 items above are from little pinwheel and they are 1. an awesome book 2. cocoon couture bean bag 3. chalk n cheese ploughman's blouse 4. polka mod pod dress. i am still humming and harring on whether to have a rainbow party to celebrate the event, and if i do decide on it, i think i'll definately be grabbing the nellystella candy stripe playsuit, i just love it!

today is little pinwheel's 1st birthday and celebrations are happening left right and centre for it, including a 15% discount at their online shop. all you have to do is enter 'LPWparty' in at their checkout to receive your discount. and... if you subscribe to little pinwheel's newsletter, you'll also find out how you can win a share of over $500 worth of products. hayley definately knows how to celebrate a birthday that's for sure!

the other things we decided summer needed was a trackie and a pair of comfy runners. i buy for fashion (i'll admit it), and my partner buys for comfort. so combining the two together, we came up with 5. minti trackie and 6. puma flipper high tops. i couldn't be more happier with this little get up! and then the other thing i have been pondering on is 7. oomoo kids balance bike. it says for ages 2-5, but i'm being very practical and thinking summer is just not going to be ready for this at age 2. what do you think? have you seen or got one of the balance bikes? i'd be really interested in some feedback on them. i'm thinking this bike might get pushed to the christmas wish list and we might just get her one of those $30 three wheeler bikes from toys 'r' us, you know the old skool plastic ones that we used to hoon around on? i used to have an orange and black one, these days they are pink and purple. either way, it's been loads of fun shopping for a 2nd birthday!

review this + giveaway :: invite with style

i had the absolute pleasure over the weekend to review some gorgeous invites made by a gorgeous brisbane mum named anna. anna is the owner of invite with style and she has designed the cutest range of invites ever. anna and i have joined forces and we'll be giving three lovely readers a pack of invites each, so you can see for yourself how beautifully made these invites really are. and of course, use them for your upcoming event!

all of anna's invites are printed professionally on a digital press and are on a smooth matt finished card. a minimum order of 20 cards is required and they range in size and price, starting from a c6 size for $2.00 per card, and that includes peel and seal matching envelopes that has a small design printed on the front. you can add on extra's like adhesive magnets that can be placed on the back of the invite, and having all of your guest names printed on each individual card. these invites are truly gorgeous in person, the colours and print are perfect and they are awesome quality too.

i think these two boy and girl birthday cards are pretty cool. love the rocket theme and love how the girls invite is bright and colourful. below is a quick snapshot of more of anna's designs. baby shower, baby boy, baby girl, christening, birthdays, you name it, anna will make it! for those of us who aren't clever enough to whip up some invitations ourselves, it really can't get much easier than having your own personal graphic designer making your cards for you!

so back to the giveaway. it's pretty easy, all you have to do is be an invite with style facebook fan and leave a comment below on this post. there are 3 packs of invites up for grabs; baby shower (choose from either lucy or lisa design), boys birthday (jeremy or jayden design) and girls birthday (mia or bambi design). each winning pack will be a set design from anna's range and consist of 10 invites with their matching envelopes and adhesive magnets. in your comment, leave your name, email address and which invite you would love to score (you can do 3 separate entries for each design if you like). i will get my gorgeous trainee to help me draw the winners out on friday. goodluck xx

happy easter

we'd like to wish you all a happy and safe easter. hopefully some of you are having a break away from the home duties and off doing something you enjoy. we're staying in this easter, hoping the weather is lovely so we can hit the beach, and i'd love to have a spare half an hour so i can paint my toenails and give myself a microdermabrasion, heavens knows the both are very long overdue! i'll also be catching up on some work, my pc has been on the blink for a couple of weeks, but got it back this week so i'll be catching up with some reviews for the blog, and i'm thinking i might even give the layout a bit of a makeover too.

we had the lovely sarah from style me gorgeous help us design a new newsletter template for our april edition. we sent it out yesterday but we unfortunately had 'technical difficulties' and i know it didn't reach some of our subscribers. not sure how many received it and how many didn't, but hopefully we'll work out what has happened and get this fixed for next month. i'm so dissappointed it didn't reach everyone as i am so happy with how it has turned out, but you can, however, click here to view the online version. enjoy xx

after a maternity bargain?

the best thing about old season stock is that you can score yourself some great bargains! sure, they might not be the current look of the moment, but if you're clever enough you can mix old with new, go to town on the layering and create a unique look that spells out you. y. o. u.

some of us are reluctant to spend money on maternity clothing, especially a lot of first time mummy-to-be's, and hey, me included! you try and get away with what you can for as long as you can, and then when you really do need clothing that fits, you find yourself thinking, well i only have 7 weeks to go, there's really no point in buying anything now. but you're feeling uncomfortable in your clothing, you might be feeling like crap, your skin is breaking out and you're hormones are through the roof. the last thing you want to be is uncomfortable! maternity clothing is made to grow with your expanding tummy, so once you can't button the top of your favourite jeans up, then this is the time to grab some maternity pieces. you will thank yourself in the coming months. and if you can give yourself some retail therapy and grab some super bargains, then happy hormones will be coming your way!

a few of the pieces we have big discounts on are... ripe harley jeans $30, metalicus bodytight cami $10, ripe belted skirt $25, hotmilk undies $5, belly basic 3/4 sleeve tee's $5, soon melbourne cuffed dinner shorts $30. the list really does go on. we also have a couple of dresses that are half price, like the top picture of the lilly b dreamy duo twist dress which is now $64.95 and a gorgeous pink and orange floral ripe satin dress for $89.95. do pop on over to the site and check them out for yourself xx

free postage on minti orders at mia & ollie

my little baby is turning 2 in may and i've been having loads of fun shopping for presents for her. while she's still young enough, and while i can still be the one who decides what she wears, i've decided to mainly buy her clothes. i timed it well to have her in may, right after all the new season winter fashion has arrived. i am loving this years winter. are you??

i'm also loving the big new world of the wonderful size 2! first on the pressi list was this super cool minti trackie. i have been eyeing this off for a while and was just patiently waiting for it to hit the stores. i just love it and i really do want this in my size! please?! now there's an idea... minti could call the collection, minti mum?!

one of the first stores i seen on facebook notifying us of the new minti winter arrivals were mia & ollie, who are a fairly new store, and a new stockist for the minti label. so i got chatting with the lovely owners, sonya and cath, and we decided to come together to offer you gorgeous people a little deal for the minti winter collection. and that being free postage. nice hey? so if you are keen for some free postage, you'll need to head to the mia & ollie facebook page, and in the photos section you'll see the minti 2010 album. to order, leave your name, email address and the size you are after under the image of what you want to order, and put in there referred by yummy mummies, so they know to post it for free. the girls will contact you straight away to confirm your order, grab your details and organise payment. easy. here's a little selection of what they have on offer for you. happy shopping!