We are back! After churning out our fab ‘Deal A Day’ January we are thrilled to be back on board. Or should that be back on blog? Lot’s has happened since I last wrote in mid December. Goldilocks was spoilt at Christmas and has spent much of summer swimming, scootering and paddling in our paddle pool and sand pit. Tinkerbell has decided she no longer wants to sleep through the night (grrrrrr) and has started solid foods already! I can’t quite believe she is 5 months old this week!

It’s hip to be back!

We have loads of exciting things in store for you for 2011. Fabulous new products that you won’t have seen before, all your old favourites and a good healthy dose of day dreaming thoughts to help you get through the day!

To round off January and kick off the new year (I always think the year starts in February, January is still ‘holiday mode’ for me) The Blue Eyed Chef treated me to a night away at the idyllic Paperbark Camp in Jarvis Bay on the stunning south coast of NSW. It was our first night away from Tinkerbell and we chose to go on a day that hit 40 degrees in Sydney. But we packed up the car, turned the air conditioning up to high, removed the CD stacker of High 5, Travelling Toones and Justine Clarke CDs and loaded it up with our favourite CDs, that contained compulsory sing along music. With a kiss for both the girls and a big one for my Mum who was very sweet to have them for the night we were off!

A tinge of guilt over came me as I zipped off for a romantic night away whilst Northern Queenslanders braced for a cyclone of epic proportions, so I sent my thoughts of strength and courage and had moments of contemplation whilst The Blue Eyed Chef sang his little heart out somewhat off key!

OUr destination was Paperbark Camp. Set amongst Australian bushland, Paperbark Camp is a group of tents imported from Africa set up on stilts. I’m not a camper. But the brochure refered to this as ‘Glamping’ camping with the creature comforts so I think The Blue Eyed Chef thought that would get me over the line.

We spoilt ourselves with massages on the deck of our tent, a few hours at the beach, talking, swimming, reading uninterrupted and indulged in a few drinks at the pub before we enjoyed an amazing meal at the on site restaurant. Whilst there were some points where I felt like Miranda from Sex And The City when she goes on her honeymoon in the woods with Steve (if you’ve seen the episode, you will be laughing), particularly when I crouched under a Eucalypt in order to find service on my phone to text ‘Can’t Live Without Friend’ it was on the whole an amazing experience. With kangaroos hopping past our room and a few possums tinkering around our outdoor bathroom at night (we had to lock the tents as apparently the possums have learn’t to undo the zips!).

Now I understand everyone isn’t in a position to have a ‘glamping’ night away. It’s costly, hard to get time off work and not everyone has family they can rely on like I do. But what I learn’t from our little night away was how important it was for my marriage and my role as a mother to take a break. And we have vowed to do it more often. Too often we get caught up in the daily rigmarole of life; ticking off to do lists, paying bills, trying to be a mother, friend, wife etc etc etc. So this year I’m going to take time; even if it means a take away meal with the TV off and candlelight. We are going to take time to sing out loud together more, laugh out loud together more and clear my mind of children (just temporarily) more.

I’ll keep you posted on my journey. Hope it inspires all you busy mums, dads and carers to do the same……..

Happy Friday and Happy New Year….I look forward to sharing my up and down journey of motherhood, life and hip products with you this year!

Paper

I recently came across this cute little book Enamel Diction at a friends house. It’s bright pink cover screamed at me to pick it up and in flicking the pages I genuinely had a few laugh out loud moments!

I must confess I’m a lover of nail polish. I always have been. From quite an early age. I spent many of my high school years being sent to the office only to have to dip my nails in a caustic acetone solution to remove the latest colour that I was trying to wear under the radar from my teachers! In fact, one of my pet hates is unpolished toe nails….and nude underwear (but that’s a whole nother story!).

So this book appealed to my nail polish senses! Enamel Diction promises to give readers the lowdown on how their choice of nail polish reveals their intimate secrets. Ultimately it suggests that how we choose to express ourselves is an important clue to our inner nature. So as I type my baby pink finger nails reveal that I’m ‘well groomed glamour. Sparkling like vintage rose champagne, there’s nothing old fashioned about you/me’ etc etc I goes on to read like a Gossip Girl voice over and I truely chuckled as I read it. As for my toes….currently fluro orange….apparently ‘unlike the prisoners of society I don’t need no-one to tell me what to do’!! 

This book is a lot of fun and a great style bible gift for the festive season. It warns you to have your google ready. There are a lot of witty references to pop culture, literature, fashion and music that not every one will get. But if and when you do you won’t regret taking time to flick through this cheery little book.

I’ve bought one for all my closest girlfriends and I’m going to team it with a nail polish – a great Christmas gift! And for my sisters I’m going to combine it with a pedicure voucher! Perfect! So as Enamel Diction suggests……….Buff of the coating to varnish the truth! Order now in time for Christmas gift giving!

And speaking of nail varnish…if you’re little lady likes polish as much as I do then check out our Hopscotch Kids Water Colour Nail polish. at $19.95 and available in 5 different colours these make a great little stocking filler. Non toxic, these water based colours are free from the harsh chemicals that most polishes contain! Now the only question is which colour to choose and what does it say about you and your little miss???!!!!

Looking for a budget concious stocking filler? Then you can’t go past a set of brightly coloured maracas $12.00! Fun for everyone!

Spend your money wisely and on something your little lady will love forever then look no further than the Lilliputiens Baby Chloe $39.95. Gorgeous baby Chloe comes complete with blanket and easy to change pyjamas and nappy so little girls can play for hours looking after Chloe. 

Going all out this year? Then take a look at the Dwell Studio Petal Paper Dolls backpack $69.95. Perfect for packing up for summer holidays this sweet printed backpack is great for toys, books or clothes! And what girl doesn’t love a bit of a handbag??!!

Running out of time and ideas? Let us help!

Watching the budget? Need a little stocking filler? Then SAVE with the super cute Sparkle T Pirate Puzzle $7.95. Great for hand eye co-ordination this brightly coloured timber puzzle has pieces that are perfect for little hands.

Looking for a mid range SPEND gift? Something that will last? Something that you and your little man will get hours of play out of? Look no further than the Tiger Tribe Wooden Car Box $59.95! The set includes three cars and a track and at the end of the day all the pieces can be packed away into the wooden box!

Wanting to SPLURGE this year? Or has Grandma, Grandpa or Great Aunt Betty sent some money to spend wisely on your little man? Then pool your funds and look to the RUNNA Balance Bike $149.95! I LURVE these bikes. Made from timber they are tough and look cool and suitable for 2 years and up as the seat is adjustable. These bikes teach balance and encourage kids to use their core and they eliminate the need for training wheels on a bigger bike for down the track!

Happy Recipe Tuesday!

How cute are these?? Robot shaped re-usable silicon moulds. Simply fill with cake batter and pop these yum bots in the oven then serve! Complete with a rotating head these yum bots come in a pack of 4 and will add a little extra excitement to cake making time!

The count down is on. You’re making a list, checking it twice. Making sure all the requests are met and throwing in a few little suprises if they’re lucky! The excitement of christmas as a child, whilst some time ago is far from forgotten and I’m loathe to say it out loud, but as a kid it’s really about volume isn’t it! A burgeoning stocking rather than one key present.

If you need a little help filling the stockings this season with inexpensive, but lovely items check out our suggestions below. Some of these things come in packets of 6 or so – so you can’t split them up and share them around your children, or gift to cousins, friends etc!

So take the stress out of stocking filling and look no further!

Alex Toys Dirty Dogs bath toys! $18.95. Magic bath toys that need a bath! The magic ink dirt dissapears in warm water!

DIY jewellery set in a tube. Set of 6. $18.00.

Tiger Tribe Jet Racer. Box of 4. $11.95 Each racer comes ready to assemble and a propellor for extra flying ability. Boys or girls will love these! Buy an extra box for Dads stocking too!!

Self inking animal stamps. $12.00 for set of 6. Bundle a couple of these stamps with a scrap book, some stickers and a set of pencils from your nearest $2 shop and there you have an instant present!

Little Fish Maraca $4.50 Easy for little hands to hold and bright colours to enthrall!

Puzzle Hen $13.95 Large pieces for little fingers!

Nothing tickle your fancy here? Visit our Gifts Under $25 suggestions and our wooden toys category!

Following on from my job description blog on Monday I thought I’d share my thoughts on a recent book I read – Juanita Phillips’ ‘A Pressure Cooker Save My Life’. On a trip to the libary for ‘storytime’ with Goldilocks this book literally fell out of the shelf onto my foot. I was wrangling Goldilocks who was running through the aisles, nursing a 4 week old and I bumped this book off the shelf. Its byline read ‘how to have it all, do it all and keep it all together’. I laughed to myself, or maybe even out loud and immediately added it to the pile of books-to-borrow.

Part survival guide, part cook book ABC newsreader Juanita Phillips recounts in a very open and honest way her public breakdown on national television (she was suffering severe panic attacks and whilst reading the news her throat literally closed over preventing her from speaking) and how she rose from the ashes to lead a very organised, well balanced life as worker, mother of two and wife. She was as she recounts, literally saved by a pressure cooker that she found in a second hand shop. On realising how much time she could save with this she turned her whole life around. Juanita offers survival tips, great family recipes, how to juggle the work/mother balance that so many of us struggle with.

This self-confessed failed supermum offers a light hearted read that made me laugh and gave me some great tips on surviving a hectic family life in a calmer, more organised, simpler and healthier way.

Add it to your list of holiday reading! I recommend it.

If you’re anything like me I get very overwhelmed at this time of year with friends, relatives and husbands hounding me with ‘what do you want for christmas?’. A) I like a suprise B) It seems all year I covet things but when it comes to christmas I can’t remember any of them and C) At times when I have been suprised I generally don’t like the item/thing/piece of clothing, so I am better to make a list. Check it twice and then submit to the various hounding questioners!

This year I am buying and recieving magazine subscriptions and movie tickets. I consider both luxury items. In terms of the material product they provide. Ie, both magazines and movies can are expensive when you’re watching your pennies. They also, as a mother, provide a luxury in time. We don’t get much time to ourselves these days whether we’re a mother or not. So to sit and read a magazine or tune off from the outside world and view a movie it’s a luxury. I also think they’re the gift that keeps on giving. A year’s magazine subscription provides joy each month and saving up a movie ticket until you find a movie that you’re excited about is also great!

So that’s what I’m buying and requesting. But what am I giving Goldilocks and Tinkerbell?

I feel blessed that my children are spoilt for choice in terms of toys. But I don’t like alot of clutter around the house and….I’m not huge on plastic toys. Hence, why I love working for The Hip Infant!

So, fortunately the girls are too young to read this blog so I can share their Christmas gift lists with you! Hopefully you might get some ideas of your own!

Goldilocks 2.5 years old

An Angel At My Table Teepee. I LOOOOVE these and secretly want it for myself. We contemplated a substantial cubby house this year, but I’ve got itchy feet and want to move next year, so I think we will wait. This will tie us over perfectly. We can put it up on the lawn or inside in her room. I look forward to hosting tea parties and story reading sessions in it!

The Janod Confetti Ukelele. I might curse myself for this….as it is strum with much gusto. But I think she will like it!

The Giimmo ‘Prince’ The Tiger night light. I love these sweet night lights and think she will too. A friend to go to sleep beside who will cast a warm glow into her room. Perfect.

The Dwell Studio Stamp Kit Farm. We love abit of craft in our house. This is not only cute but great for hand eye co-ordination.

Tinkerbell. 10 weeks old

Sophie The Giraffe. In anticipating of teething and before that, a nice friend. This is a wonderful product for any babe.

Alimrose Wrist rattle. In no time Tinkerbell will be discovering her hands and this sweet little rattle bracelet will be a lovely little toy to occupy her wandering hands.

Buttermilk Baby Romper. LOOOOOOVE! I love this romper for not only the sweet little print, but also the practicality. Dresses ride up and often have buttons down the back which aren’t great for lying babies but rompers keep tummies covered and warm with no riding up.

As a mother we seem to have an innate ability to juggle many balls in the air at one time. It’s something I think that women are born with.

The Blue Eyed Chef was on hold the other night renewing our newspaper subscription when I asked him a question. He held up his hand and told me he couldnt talk because he was on hold. That’s right, on hold listening to terrible music, but he couldn’t juggle doing that and holding a conversation! Had it been me, I would have been on hold, preparing dinner and simultaneously breastfeeding Tinkerbell. But no, his brain couldn’t listen to one thing and talk.  I’m not too high on my soap box, I’m the first to admit we don’t always juggle well, but  part of the job description would definitely include juggling…..this got me thinking just what would the job description read? For my family it would be as follows….

We are a family of 2 children (one 2.5, one 10 weeks old) , one husband (works long hours, more often than not not home in the evening and from September to December is extremely busy cooking for other peoples parties so is not home) and a 4 year old Cavoodle (technically whom requires walking, but is just as happy to sit on your lap and watch tv for as long as anyone will allow) we are seeking a mother whom fulfills all or most of the below requirements:

Finds the joy in both the small and larger things in life. A mother who has time to stop to smell the roses, star gaze, marvel at new growth in the garden and sky writing.

Reads good stories and when she says ‘we are only having 2 tonight’, she will sneak in an extra just to suprise us

When the Blue Eyed Chef is not home and taking care of the cooking, you will be required to cook us yummy, nutritionally complete breakfast, lunches and dinners, sweet treats and snacks. And just when we’ve eaten peas every night for 4 nights and you think you’re onto a winner we will announce that we don’t like peas and we shall never eat them again forcing you to discover another ‘green’ that we will eat.

Time to yourself will be limited. Often when you sneak off to have a shower and reclaim five minutes of peace we may ride our scooter into the bathroom and demand a drink, or start going through the bathroom cupboard and apply sunscreen at bedtime, thus cutting short your ‘me time’ and your shower time!

Must be resiliant to mess. Just when you think it’s tidy we will probably mess it up and you will have to clean it up again.

Will be able to answer all our questions and quell all our fears about garbage trucks, postmen, barking dogs and any other foreign noise or sight that we are not aware of yet.

You will be unable to talk on the phone for long periods of time, read a magazine  from front to back in one sitting or lie in bed and read the papers on a Sunday morning (well maybe you will….but this will only be once a year on mothers day).

Organisation in this role is key. You must be able to plan to walk out the door by a certain time and be prepared with snacks, drinks, change of clothes in case toddler has an accident, nappies, change of clothes in case baby has an accident, something to occupy us both whilst you’re at the post office in a queue 20 people deep and whatever item or items (there could be up to 5) the toddler wishes to accompany them on their outing that day – be it a ball, three dolls, a plastic dinosaur and assortment of costume jewellery. Ergo, carry a bag of similar size to something you back-packed around Europe with in your 20′s (remember that? when you were young and free? ha!)

You will also be required to be publically presentable. On the days you think you look half decent, it is highly likely that as you walk out the door you will be slobbered, vomited or pooed on. Or, if you’re lucky you might get the trifecta all in the space of walking from the front door to the car parked on the street. On the days when you schlep out the door with your hair in the same pony tale it’s been in for three days, your tracksuit pants that are too short at the ankle and the top that you wore to bed for the last two nights you will be sure to bump into the most groomed person you know. Be warned; she will have three equally groomed, prefectly behaved children who look like they are out of a Country Road catalogue and her mother-in-law will also be present (equally groomed in twinset and pearls and she co-incidentally will be a client of your husband, as it turns he regularly caters  for her ‘luncheons’ at her mansion). So our best advice is to be prepared. Always.

You must be knowledgeable on medicines, what to fix a fever with, what a viral rash is or the signs of a middle ear infection. You must be able to change sheets promptly, in the dark at midnight when they have been vomited on. You should know how to kiss a scratched knee to make it better and how to distract us when we get shampoo in our eyes at bathtime.

There will be no hand over file or manual on how to cope best with this job. You will make mistakes and beat yourself up about them – some rightly so and others not. You will lie awake at night and be unable to resolve problems/concerns/issues about us. Your heart will melt when we smile at you, or when our hand slips into yours unaware you will know true love. You will juggle simultaneously being a daughter to your parents, a sister to your siblings, a friend to your friends, a wife to your husband and a mother to us.

Just when you think you can’t do it anymore and we’ve beaten you with our demands, tantrums, mess and  millionth request for something - we will smile, throw our arms around you and tell you we love you. or we will sleep through the night or marvel you with just what a little miracle we are. Or we will say something funny and adult like (just today when I got frustrated at dropping something Goldilocks told me to ‘take a deep breaf Mumma’) that will make you laugh out loud at the time and again later when you recount the story over dinner to your husband.

Only serious applicants apply, this job is for a lifetime. But the possibilities of joy are endless.

Hopefully you’ve been reading our blog for long enough to know the deal regarding our Hip Random Reviews! We do a call out for one of our products and get real mum, parents, grandparents or carers to push them to their limits and tell us their honest opinion to help you with making your shopping decisions. This week? Something from our much loved Aden and Anais (if you haven’t bought one of the sleeping bags for summer yet you are cr-raazy! They are my most favourite item ever and I can’t wait till Tinkerbell is big enough for hers). What better product to be pushed to its limits than the Aden and Anais Burpy bibs. We all know meal time can make a horrendous mess, but this neat little design makes this 100% cotton muslin bib a ‘must have’ for meal times, bottle time or just generally dribbly babes! 

 I love receiving packages in the mail, the anticipation before opening them and the opportunity to try out new items, especially when they are for my darling little princess – Mia Rose. As parents, you can all agree that the buying bug sets in HARD after having a child. I have four. So when I found Hip Infant and realised I could apply to be a tester for certain products, I JUMPED at the chance. FINALLY, a way to see if products are worth their weight in $5 notes, and have the favour returned by other reviewers.

My name is Tina and for my first (and hopefully not last) review, I was asked to test the Aden + Anais Burpy Bibs. Bibs are something that I have never been fully happy with. They generally cover a small surface area of your child’s front and fail to protect other areas such as sleeves. My little Mia Rose (17mths) is not so graceful when it comes to eating. She insists on hiding food in the folds of her neck, her hair and up her sleeves. It had gotten to the point where I had resorted to making her wear art smocks while eating, but of course this meant, when it came to having some painting time, that the art smocks were in the wash.

The first thing I noticed upon opening the parcel from Hip Infant was the soft, thick feel of the bibs. Thickness is important to me, as a lot of bibs these days LOOK like they offer coverage, however, they do nothing to prevent moisture from sneaking onto the clothes beneath. As if I need MORE washing to do! The next notable characteristic of the bibs/burpy cloths was the cute, bright print. Absolutely gorgeous to look at!

Well, the bibs have passed the aesthetics test, now for the real trial – THE HIGH CHAIR.

The thing I love most about using these bibs is that – due to their burpy cloth shape – when you pop them on your little munchkin, they provide coverage of not only your little one’s front, but little miss or mister’s shoulders and arms. It is not restricting in anyway, but fits snuggly (not uncomfortably) under the neck. While there is nothing I can do to stop Mia from using her food as hair styling products (short of making her wear a swimming cap), the bib performed wonderfully in terms of protecting her clothes and keeping her as clean underneath as possible.

My older daughter, Amy (21) has a little one – Scarlett Anne (3mths). Scarlett is bottle fed, and one of Amy’s biggest gripes when feeding her is the amount she manages to get all over her clothing and under her chin, so the above-mentioned fit had Amy fall in love with these bibs upon first use.

Unfortunately, neither myself, nor Amy, have very spew-y babies, so we did not get the chance to try it out as a burpy cloth, but I am POSITIVE that the shape, thickness and design of the bib means that it would be just as effective as such.

I have found no fault with this product, I have been as honest as possible and I think that the manufacturer has taken great care in making sure that the bibs do not have any of the flaws that I mentioned other bibs having. I would recommend this product to any parent that wishes to keep their chid relatively clean at meal time and while we can’t safeguard them from all mess (they need a little dirt here and there), this product makes the task a little bit easier (and is useful as a cloth for cleaning the highchair afterwards!).

Not convinced? Check out what hip mum Bec thought!

At nearly 7 months Josh hasn’t yet totally mastered the art of burping, although he does give out a few good belches when he’s sitting up. However when he has a little trouble, the bib can be thrown over the shoulder as a little burp cloth which I just love, no need to bring a separate cloth outside with me or worry about getting a little spit up on my shoulder – not that it really bothers me anymore!

I love the way the muslin feels, and with at least 5 goes in the washing machine so far; it still retains the soft feel. This is great, as I love how gentle they are on Josh’s skin. He has severe eczema and it flares up at the slightest irritation, but these bibs are as gentle as can be on his little chin. The designer prints are divine and insanely perfect for my little cheeky monkey, I’m sold on these and have picked up 2 more sets to give away to friends!

 And last but not least hip mum Carly tells us her thoughts on the Burpy Bibs.

Being the mum of a 10 month old little girl who has suffered quite bad reflux her whole life I have certainly tried my share of bibs! And even the most well designed still have one fundamental problem – they are too small!! Not this bib.Very smart investment for the chucky babe as it protects the shoulders not just the front of the clothes. The bib its self is very absorbent yet also attractive unlike the army of white cloth nappies I always use. 

Summer loved wearing the burpy bib and couldn’t remove it herself like she does with so many other bibs so we were off to a great start.

Summer is an independent self-feeder with her hands – and often her face – into everythingbut the burpy bib withstood the barrage of foods and beverages she threw at it first and sometimes second hand. Juice, milk, vegemite, banana, vomit, a runny nose all were tried all with no trace of mess getting through to the clothes below.

As I was given a two pack I placed one on Summers lap and one around her neck whilst she ate her cereal bar in the pram. Now these are quite messy to eat and often get mashed into her clothes!When she was done it was just a matter or removing the bibs, shaking them off and voila clean clothes below when we arrived at our coffee date!
While testing this product Summer also had a quite bad tummy bug so I found it fantastic to be able to pick her up and flip the bib over my shoulder while I was carrying her around. Many a clean T shirt was spared thanks to this wonderful product! I even had a mum at the Dr’s surgery compliment me on the bib and asked me where she could get one.

When it came time to wash the burpy bibs they washed well with no loss of shape or pilling.

My only negative? I wish they were Australian made and designed.

Overall this is a great product. Pretty designs, soft texture, easy to clean oh so versatile and super absorbent.I wish I had known aboutthe burpy bib all along as they are really fantastic, well made and well-designed product.Enjoy!

 With three reviews like that who wouldn’t add Aden and Anais Burpy Bibs to their ‘must have’ wish list! Check out all 9 designs and decide which one you like best! At $24.95 for two these are a steal!