♫ These are a few of my favourite things ♫

I was just having one of those days, you know the ones where you have some yummy cupcakes hanging around and decide to play dress-ups with your daughter? Or is that just me?

Well anyway I got out all my favourite things for Miss J and took a photo and had to share.

I'll start with the fabulously yummy cupcakes. These are made in Perth by Kustom Cupcakes. We were having a picnic today and I had a voucher to use so grabbed a lolly bag dozen. The Lolly Bag generally has 6 different flavours but we didn't have 2 the same in ours so it was sooooo hard to decide on which one to eat! With flavours like Lemon Meringue, Snickers and Ferrero you can't lose! We had some that don't appear on the website like Rolo which has a caramel centre in the cake and I was lucky enough to pick out that one! Check out the Kustomize page for various combinations you could try. Kylie, the owner/cupcake extraordinaire, is so lovely to deal with and expect to see her cupcakes at a cafe near you soon!

The cute little tea set that the cupcakes are set up on I got around a year ago from Raspberry Bub. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get it. It comes in a little wooden strawberry box with tea set for 2 and a yummy looking cake that can be 'cut' up into quarters with strawberries, cream, candles and a Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas sign. The set is currently on sale for $59.95 and totally worth it, will be something to hand down to the grandkids one day as it is great quality.

The Babushka headband is from BOWtique, I love their headbands and clips plus their new BEAUtique stuff is so cool the boys won't feel left out! Also, they don't only do hair products, we have a pettiskirt and pettidress which get commented on every time they are worn out. I've had a sneak peak at the new range and it is all divine! With 3 girls you can never have enough hair clips, bows and bands.

And finally the dress. This is by Eternal Creation and I picked it up in one of their recent sales (well picked a few up). Eternal Creation products are handmade in the Himalayas and arrive direct from there in hessian bags, you can almost smell where it was made and not the chemicals like the sweat factories most other clothes come from. Workers, both male and female, get paid maternity leave even if they are part-time. Nothing cuter than a little bub in an Eternal Creation romper. I could seriously max the credit card on their site! The dress I got Miss J is meant to be for Christmas lunch but I'm finding it hard to resist putting her in it already especially with Perth's warm weather this Spring.

Until next time I have something to write about or if I dress up Miss M next. xx

I love My Teddy

It's amazing how many teddy bears you can end up with when you have kids. I got given 2 big ones at my baby shower for Miss J and each birth have gotten multiple little pink ones. They have all ended up in the cupboard or toy box but sometimes come out for a teddy bear picnic. My Teddy is different, if the kids aren't hugging it you want it out where they can see it.


What sets them apart from any other teddy (besides how gorgeous and soft they are) is the cute little jumpers they wear. It was so much fun making one up for for Miss C (pictured here with her bear, though not ready to be put down!).

You start by picking which teddy you would like. The sizes start at 38cms and go up to a huge 68cms. You won't just find your average brown bear here, there's black, blue, pink, purple and a range of different browns, different fur length and super cuddly up to extra cuddly. If you aren't a fan of bears or want something different check out the cute frog, pig, cow, puppy and monkey. I would love to get Miss M the cow (the moo part of Bub & Moo) and Miss J would love Abigail with her floppy feet but for Miss C I chose the adorable Frankie in fudge.
Stage 2 you choose the colour of the jumper you would like. There are 5 colours and I went with the light pink which you can see well in the picture below.

Next the design you want on the jumper. At first I thought there was just the one page of designs but if you look at the drop down menu at the top there are a HUGE 16 categories! I changed my mind multiple times, the little hand and feet prints look so cute in the examples but the ladybird with its love heart spots was what I kept coming back to.
The final step you choose what you would like embroidered on the jumper. You can have a maximum of 30 characters on the front and 42 on the back. On Miss C's around the ladybird we got her name and date of birth then on the back wrote Lots of Love Mum & Dad.

They are all sent registered post so your teddy won't get lost in the mail or left on your doorstep, I missed our delivery so did the mad rush with all 3 to the post office 10 minutes before closing! They are incredibly soft and cuddly, will be a child's best friend for many years!

These teddies aren't just for kids either! Something different from everyone else's on Valentines day? Have a partner that works away and need cuddles when they aren't there? Having trouble thinking of a Christening gift? Would be a memorable way to propose with 'will you marry me?' on the jumper! I'm sure you could use it for nearly any special occasion and it would be something people would remember.


There's more than just the teddies on the site. Check out the My Family Stickers, I have similar to these on my car and Miss J loves saying who each one is! There's also the cuddly play mats (how cute is the lamb?) and personalised aprons for future masterchefs! Also on the site is the Huggable Pet Pillows which you can get for FREE right now if your order excedes $150! There are so many less than when I looked the other day so you will have to be quick to grab the last ones! I love the dinosaur and the cute little lamb (seem to have a thing with the lambs on this site!).

 And finally there is the Personalised Towel Sets. You can get any name up to 12 characters long printed on them in one of 2 fonts plus some great themes. I don't think I could pick a favourite here! The caterpillar would be cute for a baby boy and the polkadots are very cool for an older boy. The girls ohhh its to hard! Miss J would choose the babushkas hands down, Miss M would probably like the butterflies (or the boats!) and the sweet little baby birds I'd choose for Miss C (yes nearly the whole range!). The towel is 118cm x 60cm and it comes with a matching washer 33cm x 32cm. See further down the post for how you can WIN one of these sets!

 Payment can be made by phone, paypal, credit card, bank deposit, cheque or money order so no excuses!

My Teddy is run by Toni & Chris, they started the business 6 years ago and have done up a whopping 20,000 bears!!! They offer a 100% money back guarantee but have never had anyone request one.

The customer service is right up there with the best stores I've dealt with, Toni has been so helpful and friendly, plus it arrived so quickly you could even use them as a last minute gift!

 

Toni and Chris have been very generous in offering a giveaway for Bub & Moo readers of one of the gorgeous Personalised Towel Sets to the value of $56.00! To enter all you need to do is like their facebook page then tell me what you would buy to get the free Huggable Pillow offer. Entries close the 28th November with the winner announced on our facebook page on the 29th. Winner will be chosen by random. Goodluck!

mmmm Jellybeans!

OK it's time for another blog about personalised products for Christmas. I can't believe it's November already! That means Christmas is next month and I don't even want to think about the fact I'll soon have to remember to write 2011 instead of 2010!

Todays blog is about a great store I found as the result of winning one of the Shopolat hunt prizes and let me add to Miss C's Christmas presents. The store is Jelly Bean Books which specialises in personalised children's books. There are a huge range of titles with a few great ones for Christmas time including Santa and Baby Jesus and a range of licensed characters which include the Sesame Street gang, Spiderman, Barbie and Superman and even a giant Where's Wally book!

The one I chose for Miss C was one of the Sesame Street range and as you can see in the picture below she enjoyed kicking back in her chair reading it before I packed it away to be wrapped for Christmas morning.

The details featured in the story can include the childs name, the suburb they live in, a few of their friends and also a special message.

Miss C has her sisters as part of her story and we put the message ' Love Mum & Dad Happy 1st Christmas 2010' in the front of it. I hope it's a book she can keep forever and one day read to her own children.

The colours are bright and keep the child's attention and has a hard cover so it's made to last. I've bought a few personalised books before but none of them have had a hard cover and 1-2 year olds seem to love ripping things!

Of the non licensed range I love the little Mermaid and Teddy Bear Land which I think Miss J would like with the pink marshmellow bunnies! There is also a My Baby Book for a new arrival which features baby's name, time of birth, hospital, doctors name and more.

Besides books there are cute letters available sent from Santa or the Easter Bunny!  Coming to your child direct from the North Pole your child will know Santa knows where to drop the presents off to!

All prices on the website include shipping so no hidden costs.

Become a liker on facebook as they often have giveaways and special sales.

The fabulous Jelly Bean Books has been extremely generous and offered Bub & Moo readers the chance to win one of the books from either of the deluxe ranges for someone special in their life this Christmas.

To win all you need to do is head to Jelly Bean Books, tell us which book you would choose and who for before the 11th of November. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on our Facebook page on the 12th.

Goodluck!

It's My Light!

I have been eyeing off My Lights for a longggggg time. They look so cool and would complete any child's room.

You start by choosing your box colour. The basic setup of a white, blue, red or green box is $129.95 including postage, then for the premium ones of Champagne pink, Blue sparkle, Golden yellow and Metallic grey it's an extra $10.

Next you put the name you want in. You can choose from 16 fonts and change the spacing and size, if you want it in script like the picture above it's an extra $2 a letter as it takes longer to manufacture but worth the price as it looks amazing! If you have troube deciding hand it over to their capable hands with what they think would look best.

Then finally you get to choose the light colour. They all come with white light or you can choose pink for an extra $10 but if you want to go all out you can get the RGB light. This light comes with a remote control, goes through 16 colours, you can dim it, strobe it or leave it on one colour you like, it's an extra $40 and I must say totally worth it!

We decided to get one for Charlize for her Christmas present (shhhhh don't tell her!) as she already has way to many clothes and there are toys all over the house so we wanted something just for her.

Her one is pictured below and I went with the Champagne Pink box, Corsiva font and spaced it a little and then the RGB light. Let's just say it is so much more awesome than I thought it would be and my bad photography doesn't do it justice! When I told hubby the price he nearly flipped, lol, but as soon as I turned it on he said 'we need to get all the girls one!!!', it felt like a disco in the room as we went through all the different light settings.

We will be using ours as a nightlight as they don't overheat with the LED light strip and only run on 12V that plugs in. I will have it set up on a set of drawers so none of the girls can get a hold of it!

I think this would be the ultimate baby shower gift if the person knew what they were having and had a name picked out as it's something that the child will keep forever and it will always be remembered who gave it to them. Would be lovely to put in as a group of friends or family once bub came along as well especially for those like us that have 3 girls and overflowing drawers lol.

Owned and run by Vanessa and Greg in Adelaide they handcraft each light here in Australia where it is made out of aluminium composite that is recycled from other sectors in the manufacturing industry, they are always trying to make the business as environmentally friendly as they can from around the office to the end product.

Check out the gallery for inspiration or follow mylight on Facebook to keep up to date with any new happenings and sometimes giveaways! They also do laybuy now so no excuses!

Until the end of October we have a special code that can get you $10 off your light! Enter MY10 at the checkout so get designing!!!

Thinking about Christmas? Lets get personal...

Well it's already October which means only 2 months until the Christmas madness! I am totally organised this year and have finished my Christmas shopping already! I wanted to get it out of the way as I can't imagine carting all 3 girls around the shops at that time of year and we have to start saving as we are heading to the Gold Coast on the 3rd January '11 for my brother's wedding.

So the next fortnight or so I'm focusing on personalised Christmas presents. With 3 girls close together I find it hard to think of a present that is just for them without one of the others claiming it for themselves.

I stumbled across ID Tee last year and found their fabulous personalised santa sacks. I had my same one every year that I can remember growing up so wanted the same fun memories for my kids. I'm loving this years new designs and wondering if I should get the cute little Christmas Fairy for Miss C's bag or get the Snowflake reindeer like the other 2 have (pictured below).

Whichever you decide they are all so cute!

The bag itself is made from 100% heavy cotton drill and handmade in Melbourne. The material will last for every Christmas until long after they don't believe in Santa Claus anymore! The size is 65cm x 50cm so big enough to fit most toys in and has a large cotton rope to hold it closed and a little handle so you can hang it up for Christmas morning on the door handle. You can check out the 16 different available designs here.

And shhhhhh a bit of a secret but you can get $10 off until the 20th October with the code SS10VIP. Only one code per customer.
But of course there is more than just the santa sacks! For those of you who have kids that LOVE cooking or are totally into the current Junior Masterchef why not try the personalised aprons?

You can choose any of their designs to put on your apron, I chose the Stars pictured below on Miss J.

Once again they are made of 100% cotton drill but not as heavy as the sacks so the kids can still move easily in them. Aprons are recommended for the ages 2-8.  At $24 rrp I think they are a great price.

Of the current designs I love the girls Dancing Queen in blue and so many great boys designs including the red owl and Cowboy.

ID Tee is owned by a SAHM who prides herself on providing high quality products at an affordable price with great customer service.

Head over and take advantage of the earlybird Christmas offer and make sure you follow them on Facebook for product updates and future special offers.

Now I'm off to choose which one for Miss C......

Miracle gift #3

Our latest addition is here! Well she arrived 2 months ago tomorrow but having 3 has kept me busy!

Charlize decided to go against the trend of turning up late like her sisters and arrived 16 days early. Though she has lots of hand-me-downs from her 2 big sisters I've still shopped up a storm for her. She's well and truly out of newborn nappies and 0000 now and the 000 are even getting tight! Probably because all she still does is eats and sleeps.

Here she is at 5 weeks old, my basket full of joy....

Have been constantly getting comments while out shopping of 'will you try for a boy' and 'you have your hands full', I just smile and think if you could see how full my heart is with love ♥ I would like #4 but still convincing my husband on that one lol.

I've been very neglectful of my blog since having Miss C and going to get back into it before the Christmas rush. Have some fab stores to tell you about.

Hope everyone is enjoying Spring and the gorgeous clothes you can bring out in warmer weather.

xx

Update on our household

Yesterday was week 35 so that means we are on the home straight now! Each pregnancy has gone quicker than the last so this ones been a bit of a blur with some hip pain lol.

Our little peanut was being good the whole time staying head down until deciding to somersault at 30 weeks to bottom down! Luckily 2 days later I felt peanut roll over again which was confirmed by my OB at our last appointment so hoping he/she stays that way until the end now!

This time around I've been taking Mummy's view photos as thats the way I remember my tummy looking, below is the most recent taken around 34 weeks. The bottom mustve been sticking out that day as it looks rounder now, not so pointy.

With Miss J and Miss M we got so many ultrasound pics but this one seems to be shy always hiding behind the placenta.

While I'm looking forward to meeting #3 I have not been as organised this time leaving packing of bags and the car seat until the last minute but my husband has definitely gotten the nesting instinct rearranging rooms and cleaning up.

Saving up for my ultimate pram (and hopefully the last as I seem to go through to many!) the Baby Jogger City Select, just trying to convince hubby this is the one!!!

The blog and facebook page will probably be very neglected in the next month or two but I look forward to getting back to shopping soon, so many new stores and products to try!!! xx