Lately Anya has been asking a lot of questions about the human body and how it works. Her questions were becoming more and more involved and I didn’t have the answers. But she was really curious to know more so I did what I always do – I went looking for a book. I didn’t want a really serious book with anatomical diagrams which would be boring and too complex for a 6 year old but most of the books I came across were like this. So I continued looking and then I found The Amazing Human Body Detectives.
The Amazing Human Body Detectives is a fab little book packed with interesting facts about the body. The facts are shared in a fun and engaging way and the drawings are also playful and colourful. Each double page spread focuses on one part of the body so you have spreads on the brain, teeth and bone, muscles and many more. There are facts as well as myths which are all shown in bite-size chunks so it’s easy for kids to read by themselves. The book comes with a mini magnifying glass and then suggests ways in which a child can use it. There is also an interactive side where the book suggests experimenting with things like tasting food while holding your nose or looking inside your mouth and seeing what’s in there.
Ever since we’ve had the book, Anya picks it up and reads out lots of interesting facts to me like a ‘sneeze releases 100,000 germs in to the air’ and ‘only 2% of the world population has green eyes’. Lots of these facts have fascinated me too as I didn’t know them and so I’ve really enjoyed this book too. Even if your child hasn’t shown much interest in the human body, I think The Amazing Human Body Detectives is a great little book to have on your shelf. It’s perfect for 5-7 year olds as they can read it themselves and then come and tell you all that they’ve found out!
I don’t always have time to make party food from scratch especially when there are quite a few dishes to make. Sometimes I rely on shop bought things – I tend to do this more with sweet things and desserts as shop bought desserts can be really good and there is so much to choose from. But even when I buy readymade stuff, I always like to put my own spin on it. Just a simple twist that makes it personal and served with love.
When I have kids over for playdates, one my my go to treats is shop bought madeleines. Madeleines are small enough for little hands and are generally loved by all kids so they go down a treat. Recently I thought about serving these madeleines for a kids party too – but I wanted to dress them up and put my own fun touch on them as I think food should be fun, especially kids party food. Madeleines always remind me of boats – they are shaped like boats and so I decided to turn them in to actual boats.
These couldn’t be easier to put together. I simply attached a sail to each madeleine using a cocktail stick. The sails are cut out of some pretty wrapping paper I had and I’ve taped them on to the cocktail sticks. Next, I put little flags on with each child’s name so that these little madeleines could double-up as cute edible place holders for any kiddy gathering. And to finish, a little sprinkling of icing sugar.
If you’re looking for more kids party food ideas, take a look at my fun fish and chips.
Earlier today I shared some adorable Christmas gift ideas for baby boys. Now it’s the turn of the baby girls. I had such fun putting this list together because everything is so, so cute! While I’ve called this a baby girl gift list, there are lots of things here that would work just as well for a baby boy too.
I’ve picked a selection of toys, clothes and useful things all with gorgeous design and lots of cuteness for babies aged 0-2 years. So here are my favourite Christmas gift ideas for baby girls:
I can’t believe I’m talking Christmas already – where has this year gone?! But Christmas is coming and that means it’s time for me to share some gift ideas with you. Every year I ask you guys if you want gift lists and every year I get a big, huge yes! So once again I will be sharing lots and lots of gift ideas for kids of different ages and some ideas for mums too.
To kick of this years gift list, I’ve got a whole range of Christmas gift ideas for baby boys. Babies don’t need much but it’s always fun to spoil them especially at this time of the year. So I’ve gathered a range of fun toys, a few clothes and books most of which are suitable for babies from 0-2 years. I will be sharing a separate gift list for baby girls but as you’ll see there are many gifts on both lists that will be loved by baby boy or girl.
Lately (ok if I’m honest it’s ever since Anya started school) we were always in a mad rush to get out the door. No matter what, it always seemed that the last 10 minutes were a crazy panic to get to school on time. We usually ended up arriving at school about a minute late or at best, bang on time. It doesn’t matter if you have one child or four, I think so many of us have manic mornings. And that got me thinking – why can’t we be just that 2-3 minutes earlier so that we aren’t running like crazies. After 2 years plus of trying to beat the clock, I decided to make some changes to our morning routine. Some worked and some didn’t – so I thought I would share the tips for getting to school on time that worked for us and helped us have less stressy mornings (maybe not stress-free everyday but definitely less frantic):
1. Get up earlier than everyone else This has been a game changer for me – maybe you all know this secret but I didn’t. I started doing this at the start of this school year and I feel so much less stressed for it. I lose around an hour of sleep, but it’s so worth it – and yes I get up at least an hour earlier sometimes a bit more. Especially if you’re a working mum, that hour in the morning before everyone else is awake is a godsend. I check my emails, think and plan the day ahead both work day and any family chores/errands that need to be done and most of all just get my head ready for the day. Before, I got up with everyone else and tried to do this alongside everything else and it was mayhem. Now I really look forward to my hour of solitude in the morning – if I ever oversleep I feel cheated!
2. Make a morning routine chart We made a morning routine chart just over a month ago. It simply lays out the order of what has to be done when so it saves me shouting out instructions and nagging every two minutes. And I was doing a lot of shouting before this chart! Now Anya looks at the chart every so often each morning and she knows what she has to do when. I also built in ‘golden time’ which is a little play time in the morning if everything is done on time. This has turned out to be a good incentive – even though Anya hardly ever manages to get golden time, she tries which makes her more likely to stop daydreaming and start getting ready.
3. Sunday evening planning There’s always something happening in school – from mufti days to bringing in autumn leaves for craft projects and so much more. I have started spending just 5 minutes on Sunday evening reading school emails and putting reminders for the week in my phone. I always set two reminders – one for a couple of days ahead in case anything needs to be bought or organised that requires time and one for the morning of the day. In the past I have forgotten mufti day and the crestfallen look on Anya’s face when she was the only one in uniform at school taught me a lesson. So plan ahead and know what’s in store for you for the entire week.
4. Make a game of it! Kids love games and love winning. Anya gets dressed at the same time as Richard so I have made a game of this – I challenge her to be dressed before he is. She always wants to win so the speed at which she now gets her uniform on is amazing! Before, getting Anya to put on her uniform could take upwards of 10 minutes. Not any more. This kind of challenge or any game can really speed things up in the morning so think about where you can do something like this in your morning routine.
6. Check the weather Nothing is more frustrating than spending precious time in the morning madly hunting for things, while stress levels are climbing high because time is ticking. We live in London and that means we can have summer one day and winter the next so by checking the weather the night before I can get umbrellas’s, raincoats, wellie boots, scarves, hats etc ready and by the door instead of scrambling around in the morning.
7. Prepare your kids things the night before An obvious one but I thought I would include it anyway as we all know we should do this but do you do it? I didn’t because I would leave it till last thing at night by which time I was too tired so I always put it off till the morning. But then I started getting everything ready in the evening and this has made me much more inclined to do it. So by around 7-7:30pm I get book bags ready, any PE/swimming kits packed and uniform hung up outside the wardrobe so it’s ready to be grabbed and worn.
These 7 tips have helped us get to school on time and avoid last minute scrambles and they’ve also made me feel calmer in the mornings. Not every day – we still have those manic mornings but they are far less than they used to be. What do you do to in the mornings? Any tips – please share!
Have a wonderful weekend a hopefully a calm Monday morning!
Do you know Wild Boys & Girls? It’s a new label of purely unisex t-shirts and decor. There is no boys section or girls section but instead everything is for everyone. It’s so refreshing to see more unisex brands popping up – I am all for kids fashion that can be worn by both boys and girls and that’s why when I discovered Wild Boys & Girls, I had to collaborate with them.
I wonder what they were plotting!
Annie, the founder and designer, and I decided to organise a play date with our kids and mix and match up the clothes our kids wore – some from my shop and some from Annie’s collection. As you can see (in the top picture), Felix is wearing the black & white feather print trousers from my shop which are supposed to be for girls but doesn’t he look so cool? And Anya wears one of the Wild Boys & Girls tee’s with my tutu.
Sharing secrets.
It was clearly a good secret!
No more photos please!!
There is so much amazing choice out there for gender specific clothes but not so much for unisex clothes. So it’s great to see a new brand doing purely unisex kids clothes. In the past I have often shopped for Anya in the boys section but maybe it is easier for a girl to wear boys clothes? So I’m wondering, would you consider looking at the girls section for your little boys? Or do the clothes have to specifically be called unisex before you would consider them?
Eggs benedict is probably one of my favourite breakfasts ever. But strangely I hardly ever eat it for breakfast, instead it’s a dinner thing for me; especially on those lazy Sunday evenings when you don’t want to cook a full meal but still want something delicious. The last time I made these eggs it occurred to me that I could make mini eggs benedict which would be fun for parties. So I made these delicious little morsels when I had a few friends over and they were a hit.
To make these bite-sized mini eggs benedict you have to use quails eggs of course. I had no intention of poaching these tiny eggs so they’re fried instead – a lot easier and just as tasty. Also I have used a dash of sour cream instead of hollandaise sauce as hollandaise is tricky to make and even worse when you have people over. I’ve adapted quite a few bits to make it work as party food but the result is delicious and very do-able.
MINI EGGS BENEDICT Makes: 12
12 quails eggs 1 loaf brioche 6 rashers of pancetta sour cream chives salt & pepper
Start by slicing your brioche and cutting out small discs using a cookie cutter or similar – around 4-5cm discs that are 1 cm high. Next cook your pancetta rashers according to the instructions on the packet and drain on kitchen towel. Cut each rasher in half. I prefer pancetta to bacon for these mini eggs benedict because pancetta is thinner and crispier but you can use bacon if you prefer.
While the pancetta’s cooking, heat two large frying pans – one to toast the brioche and the other to fry your quails eggs. For the brioche, the pan should be very hot and once it is just put your discs in and turn over in about a 40-50 seconds at most – they toast really quickly. For the quails eggs, you need little olive oil and then just fry the eggs a few at a time so that they don’t break.
Now it’s time to assemble. Place half a pancetta rasher on each brioche disc. Top with a fried quails egg, season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of sour cream and sprinkle with chopped chives.
In case your mini eggs benedict become cold while you’re preparing everything, just assemble (without adding sour cream and chives) and put them in the oven for a minute or two.
These mini eggs benedict not only taste great but they look so good too. And each little morsel is just the right size to give you a mouthful of delicious runny egg yolk with crispy pancetta and sweet, buttery brioche.
We love colouring in this house. Anya of course loves it but she often asks me to colour with her and I find it quite therapeutic. Recently, while on holiday during half-term, Anya even got Richard involved and the three of us spent a rainy afternoon colouring (who said we don’t know how to live!). As with story books, I try and look out for fun, unusual and unique colouring books and this one called Evolution: A Colouring Book is exactly that. It’s Anya’s current favourite (and mine!).
Evolution is a colouring book as well as a book on evolution. As a colouring book it’s interactive with flaps, die-cuts, stencils and mix and match pages and then you have the text on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. The facts are presented simply so it’s ideal for kids especially 6-8 year olds. Anya has been asking a lot of questions on evolution lately and this book is a great introduction to the concept. But the fact that it’s an interactive colouring book too makes it even more engaging for a child. It’s unusual to find a colouring book that teaches and is interactive and that’s why I love Evolution as it is so much more than just a coloring book. This book would make a great gift too especially with Christmas coming up.
As the weather starts turning colder, I always find my skin getting dryer. Especially the skin in those already dry places like heels, elbows and knees. So a few weeks ago, I went looking for something that could help and I came across this organic skin saviour which I liked the sound of. I bought it and haven’t stopped using it since the day i got it. Whenever I come across a beauty product that I love, I share it here and this one is too good not to share.
This One Love Organics Skin Savior is the best smelling skin balm that I’ve tried – so natural and divine smelling yet the smell is very mild and gentle. But more than the smell, I love it because I was so pleased to discover that this one little jar does so much:
1. Its a great cleanser to remove make-up and dirt and doesn’t leave your skin feeling dried out. For a really good face cleanse I’ve started using this with my other favourite cleanser, the konjac sponge that I wrote about a while ago and still swear by.
2. Beyond your face, it works so well on those areas that always need extra moisture, especially in winter – think heels, elbows, knees and wherever else your body is needing a bit of tlc. You can also use as an all over body moisturiser although it may prove a bit expensive.
3. This One Love Organics Skin Savior is a fab lip balm too. You just need to use the tiniest bit and your lips feel softer and moisturised.
4. We’ve just returned from a beach holiday and while there I decided to use this skin saviour on my eyebrows and it worked a treat in making them look neat and tamed. On holiday, especially in the sunshine, I prefer a much more natural make-up look and so experimented with this jar even putting a little on my eyelashes instead of mascara. The result was gently glistening lashes that looked natural and perfect for a no make-up look.
5. I used it as a hair tamer too, to control those flyaways. Again just a tiny amount was all that was needed to smoothen out my straight hair and make it look neater. I’ve read that it’s a great conditioner for hair too but so far I’ve only tried it to groom my hair.
As mentioned, we’ve just returned from a fab holiday to Thailand and this little jar of One Love Organics Skin Savior was just the thing for a trip away – acting as a moisturiser, cleanser, conditioner and beauty aid – I don’t know how I managed without it before. Hot weather or cold, this skin savior has so many uses and it’s all natural too so no nasty chemicals. It’s definitely a product that is going to be a permanent fixture in my beauty bag for home and away. I’ve only had it for a few weeks so I haven’t fully experimented with it but I suspect I’ll be finding even more uses for it.
P.S. This isn’t a featured post, just something I bought and loved and think you will too.
As we are getting closer and closer to the party season, I wanted to share some of my favourite party food recipes. Party food should always look as good as it tastes but for me shouldn’t involve too much last minute prep – you want to be able to spend time with your guests too. Easy, tasty and pretty is my motto! Last week I shared my mini fish & chips recipe and this week it’s these delicious honey soy and ginger chicken skewers. Small enough to be picked up by little or large hands, these chicken skewers are great for any kind of gathering – kids birthday parties, adult festive parties or mixed family gatherings. I usually serve them for mixed parties as it’s something everybody loves. Always make more than you think you’ll need because believe me when I say that these chicken skewers are so more-ish that they disappear in minutes!
HONEY SOY AND GINGER CHICKEN SKEWERS Makes: 20 skewers
20 mini chicken breast fillets (you can also use regular breasts sliced lengthways in to strips) 3 cloves garlic crushed 3 cm piece fresh ginger grated 3 tbs soya sauce 2 tbs honey 2 tsp soft brown sugar 2 tbs sesame seeds toasted 2 spring onions finely chopped (optional)
Put the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, honey and brown sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Add the mini chicken breast fillets and stir well so that all the chicken pieces are well coated in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.
Remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook. In the meantime toast the sesame seeds on a hot, dry frying pan till they turn light golden brown. Remove the chicken strips from the marinade and thread on to bamboo skewers – one strip per skewer. Put under a hot grill for around 7-9 minutes, turning halfway through. It’s really important not to overcook the chicken as it will get really hard so keep an eye on it at all times. You want it so that the chicken is just cooked through and the honey/sugar caramelises to a nice golden brown colour.
Arrange the skewers on a platter or I sometimes like to stand them up in a jam jar, scatter with the toasted sesame seeds and chopped spring onions (if using) and watch them disappear! I like to serve a bit of sweet chilli dipping sauce on the side but this isn’t essential.
Ebabee Likes is a style guide for babies, kids, teens and their mamas. It’s all about inspiration, ideas and indulging yourself and your brood. It’s written by me ~ Nomita ~ a style loving girl from Mumbai who now live’s in London. Read More...
