March 9, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
A friend, who has a fabulous villa in Tuscany, Italy, has set up the Mum and Baby Experience, a 5-night break for mums and babies, staying at their private villa. I wanted to write about it as I think it’s an absolutely brilliant idea and I wish I could have done it when my daughter was a baby.
Where and When? A five-night break, staying in a fabulous, private 5-bedroom villa in the stunning Tuscan countryside. Set up by villa owner, Rita Kobrak, The Mum and Baby Experience is the first mum and baby break of its kind and takes place on selected dates in May, June and September 2010.
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Posted in Babies, Family Holidays, Mums, Travel | Tagged holidays for mums, holidays in Tuscany, italian villa holiday, mum and baby breaks, new mums | Leave a Comment »
March 4, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
Whether you want to spoil your mum, or give your children/husband some subtle hints about what to get for you (hee hee!), I’ve put together some inspiring ideas for Mother’s Day gifts this year.
Why not leave the kids at home and take your mum for afternoon tea this Mother’s Day. In London, The Mandeville Hotel in Marylebone Village, does a fabulous ‘Time for Tea’ package £31 including champage, which I recently enjoyed for a friend’s birthday. If you want to splash out, The Ritz is also doing a specific Mother’s Day package for £58 pp with a glass of champagne.
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Posted in Gifts, London, Mums, Parenting and family, Shopping | Tagged afternoon tea, afternoon tea at the ritz, gifts for mothers day, journal of a lifetime, mother's day gifts, mothers day, mothers day ideas, personalised cookies | 4 Comments »
March 2, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
It was a mummy friend’s birthday recently. We went for Afternoon tea at the Mandeville Hotel in London, along with a couple of other mums. It’s in a great location in Marylebone Village and not far from Selfridges, so you can hit the shops beforehand (shame I didn’t have the time). It used to be one of my favourite haunts for after work cocktails BC (before children). But, this was an entirely different experience.
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Posted in Gifts, Mums, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged afternoon tea, mandeville hotel, mothering sunday, mothers day, mummy only time | Leave a Comment »
February 25, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
The heart-breaking story of Khyra Ishaq, who was maltreated and starved to death at the hands of her mother and step-father, was in the news today as their trial ended.
Source: BBC.co.uk 25 February 2010
“A mother who starved her seven-year-old daughter to death has been cleared of murder, but has admitted manslaughter. Prosecutors accepted Angela Gordon’s defence of diminished responsibility over the death of Khyra Ishaq and agreed to the lesser charge. Gordon’s partner, Junaid Abuhamza, had a manslaughter plea accepted as too, following an earlier report on his mental health. Khyra was found severely emaciated at a house in Handsworth, Birmingham, in 2008 and died in hospital…”.
Read the full story on BBC.co.uk here
I don’t understand how anyone could do this to a child and I don’t understand our legal system. I know I am not an expert, but to me this should still be classed as murder. Continue Reading »
Posted in children, news | Tagged angela gordon, child abuse, Khyra Ishaq | 6 Comments »
February 25, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
At the end of last year, we heard how nursery rhymes were going out of fashion as you can read here on ParentDish. Now it’s the Lullaby that could fade away into a distant memory. In the news last week, parents are more likely to sing pop songs or TV theme tunes than lullabies to their children at bedtime according to research:
- Almost nine in ten (88%) British parents sing and play pop songs or TV theme tunes
- A third (29%) said they sing or play sound tracks from children’s movies.
I’m not one of them. When it comes to bed time we sing nursery rhymes. In a bid to ensure the age old Lullaby will not be forgotten, Sophie Barker from Grammy Award-nominated Zero 7 (who I love!) has recorded Lullaby - a collection of favourite bedtime cradlesongs for children and grown-ups and has set up this Facebook campaign to ‘Save the Lullaby!’ She was interviewed on BBC Breakfast last week. Sophie doesn’t want the lullaby to die out. In addition to the benefits of rhyme and repetition, she also feels it is soothing for both babies and mothers. The album uses sounds such as the heartbeat, which are pleasant for babies and mothers. Continue Reading »
Posted in Babies, Parenting and family, children | Tagged lullabies, lullaby cd, music for children, nursery rhyme cd, nursery rhymes, save the lullaby, Sophie Barker | 1 Comment »
February 22, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
Spotted Rug – £34-£96 from John Lewis
I bought this fabulous Spotted Rug for our daughter’s playroom. I got the biggest size – it’s rare to find kids’ rugs this big. It’s soft, good quality and great value. However no shoes allowed!
Fun rug with brightly coloured spots on a cream background. Hand tufted. Made in China.
160cm x 230cm = £96, 170 x 110cm = £47.50, 140cm x 80cm = £34
Posted in Product of the Week, Reviews, Shopping, children | Tagged childrens rugs, kids bedrooms, kids rugs, nurseries, playrooms, spotted rugs | 3 Comments »
February 16, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
I’ve been tagged for the first time in a Shiny Happy Things meme by Jo on her Slummy Single Mummy blog. It was originally started by Rosie Scribble : Things that make you smile…it’s a lovely idea, and I smiled a lot thinking about it. I hope I’ve done it right!
So anyway…here are some of things my two year old does that put a smile on my face
It makes me smile…
When she first sees me when I pick her up from nursery, she gets the biggest smile on her face and runs around in excitement.
When she comes up to me and gives me a kiss or a hug for no apparent reason.
That her favourite thing to do at the moment is splash in muddy puddles, because that’s what Peppa Pig likes!
When I heard her trying to sing some of the Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song Empire State of Mind (in New York) yesterday.
When I also heard her humming the theme tune to Eastenders (although I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry)
That she finds the world so exciting, whether it’s bubbles or going for a babyccino.
Because she still wakes up thinking every day is going to be her birthday again.
When I watch her sleeping, she’s so angelic.
When she sometimes laughs so hard about something she falls over.
When she comes up to me and says in a very concerned and grown up voice “are you okay mummy?” if I trip over or hurt myself.
I wish I remembered all these things, when I’m tearing my hair out!
In keeping with the spirit of a meme, it’s now my turn to tag some other mummies – who I don’t think have been tagged before:
Ellie at Insomniac Mummy, Liz at Violet Posy, Karin at Cafe Bebe, Wendy at Wendy Mallins, Pippa at A Mothers Ramblings
But I would love to know what makes you smile too 
Posted in Parenting and family, children | Tagged happy things, meme, things that make you smile | 12 Comments »
February 12, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
An interesting article on DailyMail.co.uk yesterday, on ‘Whether boarding school scars children for life?’, talked about how people who did go to boarding school often feel that they were affected long-term. And speaking from experience, I think it definitely can have an adverse effect.
According to the article, around 90,000 children attend boarding school in the UK, and, for most, it remains a mark of privilege – boarding school fees cost between £16,000 and £25,000 a year.
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Posted in Families, Parenting and family, children, news | Tagged boarding school, bullying, school | 26 Comments »
February 11, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
It’s sad what I get excited about these days…
An American friend brought me a box of Mr Clean Magic Erasers. They’re bloody brilliant for getting marks off walls (I am a little obsessed with cleaning!). I’ve just put them to good use as I had 4 toddlers over for tea. After they left, I found sticky fingerprints all over the walls by the stairs. Now they are all white again. My friend now brings a box when she comes over from the USA, although I think you can get them on Ebay.
I think I should go and get a job on QVC!
Posted in Reviews, children, toddlers, top tips | Tagged cleaning walls, magic eraser, sticky fingerprints | Leave a Comment »
February 8, 2010 by 21stcenturymum
In days gone by, style very definitely came before comfort! I always dressed up and never wore flat shoes. I loved my Jimmy Choos or sparkly Gina shoes.
How things change! Since the arrival of my daughter, comfort always wins over style. I live in my Uggs and Jeans, whilst my stilettos gather dust. On the rare occasion I have a night out, it is not unheard of for me to wear flat shoes until I get to my destination and then hide them in my bag until I need to get home.
I have just come across CocoRose ballerina pumps (I haven’t tried them out). They fold in half so they can be stored in a compact purse which can be tucked away in a handbag, baby buggy or hand luggage. The purse also stores a black satin shoulder bag, useful for carrying high heels when they are swapped for these flats.
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Posted in Fashion, Mums, Shopping | Tagged ballerina pumps, ballet pumps, CocoRose, shoes, valentine's day | Leave a Comment »
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