School blues - yes, literally

Michela getting some mouse practice in time for school

My daughter is starting school in September and I have been rushing around to buy clothes and shoes in the right colours - blue and white. Most supermarkets and children's stores sell clothing in black, white and grey, which doesn't help.


Apparently I left it a bit late for black shoes as I went two weeks ago and the choice was limited to say the least. All the good stuff had gone and I was lucky to find something in Primark that was the right size and colour. The pinafores, tees,  jeans and white socks were bought in Sainsbury's, while the leggings came from Primark. Having received a massive bag of clothes from my brother, I wasn't going to spend a lot of money on school clothes, especially since the colour is a bit boyish.

It's quite a challenge to find blue trousers for girls, I had to buy jeans and a pair of gym pants from the boy's area. Luckily I got a few bits with the school logo from the school fete earlier in the summer, the second-hand uniform stall was a fab idea!

I'm told Asda is very good and very reasonable, I didn't manage to get that way this time but I will check it out when I do.

Testing, testing... Carte D'Or and Kenco - plus affogato recipe

It's the summer holidays! I have received samples for two products that are a hit in our household: coffee and ice cream. My partner is the coffee drinker but I do love coffee poured over ice cream, so this PR homage was just the ticket! Affogato is easy peasy to make. I placed a few scoops of Carte D'Or Macadamia Night (a new flavour!), in a cold glass (pop in freezer for a little while) and poured over Kenco Smooth coffee (made into a small cup). If you are serving this to friends or family, you have to be quick, otherwise you will be offering sludge instead of a heavenly concoction.

 

 Affogato photo credit: Humphry Slocombe www.sfmoma.org/pages/coffee_bar

Kenco Smooth

Kenco Smooth
The new-design, slender jar contains coffee that doesn't disappoint: not too bitter, easy to drink, not too strong, exactly what "Smooth" suggests! The new jar has less glass and an eco refill is also available. From £2.98 for a 100g jar.

Carte D'Or Macadamia Night

This new flavour really worked well in the affogato, but I found it not nutty enough for my taste. Perhaps I'm a bit biased as my great Carte D'Or favourites are the Mascarpone and Lavazza coffee flavours (and yes, you can pour coffee over the coffee ice cream if you fancy a double flavour hit). Each flavour retails at £3.49 RRP.

The 1930s house project

The 1930s house

I haven't updated my blog in a long while, not because of work or family commitments but because I have embarked on another home renovation. I bought a 1930s property (a long, hair-raising process) and am transforming it into a home. I have a tight budget, which means doing a lot of work myself, with the help of my partner. We are only having tradesmen for difficult (and dangerous) jobs, so it's all hands on deck!

I'm hoping to show the various stages of transformation, indoor and outdoors. The house came with a mature, very overgrown garden, plus I have plenty of potted plants (cuttings from my previous gardens that have been moved four times). At one point I had around 80 pots, then I started using big containers and crates! 

The blog will feature crafts, DIY and gardening topics. If you are intrigued and want to follow my journey, visit The 1930s home blog. See you there!

National Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2011: how I'm celebrating

The deparment of Health has stopped funding National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (read Guardian's article here).... so it's again down to breastfeeding charities or the goodwill of health professionals to support this initiative that could save the NHS a lot of money. Breastfeeding comes with proven health benefits for mum and baby, and financial benefits for the whole family as it's free. It has also a low carbon footprint (you don't need products to breastfeed and you can hand express if you want to feed your baby from a cup).

With no stalls or other local initiatives, I'm celebrating by doing what I usually do most weeks, provide help and information at breastfeeding dropins. I find volunteering there very satisfying, especially when tearful mums smile at the end of the session.

If I have one tip to share with breastfeeding mums is this... learn to breastfeed lying down, it helps with latching (you don't have to worry about how to hold the baby), is kind to a C-section scar and gives you and your baby a well-deserved rest (you might well fall asleep and have a snooze).

Here are my favourite bf sites, with lots of information on breastfeeding and breastfeeding problems:
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk
www.llli.org (La Leche League International)

Happy NBAW!

Outsourcing... Italian TV gets in on the act

Click here for more info

In the past decade there has been a lot of talk about outsourcing editorial tasks in printed media (books, newspapers and magazines), but it's the first time I have heard of an Italian TV programme being made in Britain. I have heard of advertising campaigns being made in the UK, but not of a TV programme.

Italy is a big buyer of foreign TV programmes, which are dubbed to a high standard to suit Italian audiences. In Italy, there isn't such a thing as subtitled movies - except those old American films they used to show late at night for viewers who wanted to improve their language skills. Perhaps they still show them, but as far as I know, mainstream TV is strictly in Italian.

So I was quite amused to find out that a TV company is paying Italian speakers £20 each in travel expenses to attend the recordings of The Cube, a gameshow filmed in London but fully produced in Italian (presenter is Italian comedian and actor Teo Mammucari). I was quite tempted to get a ticket but then realised my train journey from Cambridge is over £20, especially since the location is not in zone one, meaning a long, expensive tube journey on top.

I'm sure they will find plenty of takers - being "rewarded" to watch a TV show is not to be sniffed at!

Testing, testing... Philadelphia soft cheese

Philadelphia's new flavour: Sun-dried tomatoes and basil

A few weeks ago a goodie bag arrived to announce the launch of Philadelphia's new Mediterranean flavour: Sun-dried tomato and basil. I grew up with Philadelphia as it's a popular brand in Italy and since I moved to the UK I have been using this soft cheese (the original, full-fat flavour) to make cheesecake or spread on toast.


Browsing Philly's website, I now see that this is not the only flavour available, some herby flavours are on sale too (click here to view the full range).  The goodie bag also included some yummy savoury recipes, but there are lots on the website too (click here to view them all). Among the online recipes, my favourite is the Tuscan stuffed pepper, as it's a perfect spring-to-summer dish. A few months ago I did develop a stuffed pepper recipe for a parenting website (click here), but the Philly recipe (below, just click link in the caption) promises to be lighter in calories... It's easy and delicious, and it was just the ticket when a friend who doesn't eat meat visited me a few days ago.

Stuffed pepper with Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Philadelphia, click here for the recipe

However I couldn't resist making a cheesecake with the Philadelphia Original sample - and I'm sharing my recipe below. I used three kiwi fruits and fresh berries to decorate it...

Non-bake fruit of the forest cheesecake

Ingredients

·      200g digestive biscuits, crushed

·      45g butter, melted

·      400g Philadelphia Original

·      100g sugar

·      1 tablespoon lemon juice

·      1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·      280ml whipping cream

·      2 tablespoons sugar

·      1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·      2 punnets mixed berries (you can use frozen berries)

·      2 tablespoons sugar

·      little water

 ·     kiwi fruits and a few fresh berries to garnish (optional)

Method

1.  Crush the biscuits and place crumbs in a bowl. Pour melted butter and combine. Press the mixture into the tin to make the base of the cake. Refrigerate.

2.  Mix the cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Beat the cream till it resembles thick custard. Combine whipped cream in the cheese mixture. Pour over the biscuit base and refrigerate.

3.  Boil the berries in a non-stick saucepan with sugar and a little water to make the coulis. Let it cool and refrigerate it. For best results, spoon the coulis on the top just before serving. Decorate with kiwi slices (optional).

UPDATE

I have another great recipe that was sent to me by Phildadelphia's PR company

 

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Scoops: 10

Prep time: 20 minutes

Freeze time: 24 hours

 

200g Philadelphia Original

300ml condensed milk

150ml crème fraiche

Grated rind of 1 lemon

125g fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

3 tbsp strawberry conserve

50g digestive biscuits, roughly chopped 

 

1. Mix together the Philly, condensed milk, crème fraiche and lemon rind. Spoon into a freezer proof container and freeze for about 4 hours or until semi frozen.

2. Meanwhile, put the strawberries and conserve into a blender or food process and puree together.

3. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and whisk to break up the ice crystals. Stir in the strawberry puree and the crumbled biscuits. Spoon back into the freezer proof container. Freeze until completely frozen, preferably overnight. Remove from the freezer about 20-30 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Serve in scoops decorated if likes with some fresh strawberries.

TIP: If liked, use raspberries and raspberry conserve in place of strawberries.

Silent Sunday - Little monkey in the 'forest'

Testing, testing... Hands First scrub and Persil Small & Mighty

Michela eating her cereals while watching Peppa Pig, check out the rogue spoon...

I am no domestic goddess when it comes to the cleaning department so any product that does the job in a jiffy is very welcome! I have a preschooler who likes to paint and pottering in the garden (and sandpit), plus she is a messy eater (she likes to eat while watching cartoons so often the fork/spoon misses the mouth... hence the big bib in the picture).

I am a homeworker juggling childcare, voluntary and paid work, plus being social secretary for my outgoing daughter (playdates, birthdays, picnics...), something has to give - so I'm not dusting, washing or scrubbing unless I have to! Let's say I aim for decency rather than perfection. I haven't inherited the cleaning gene from my aunt, who washes her ceiling's light fittings at least once a week and irons hankies, smalls and socks.


I usually buy own-brand products for cleaning, but couldn't resist the chance of trying out these branded goodies that were kindly sent to me.

Hands First Power Scrub

Hands First Power Scrub & Moisturiser
Last time I tried a hand scrub I was freelancing at the News of the World and using their toilet, where the dispensers were filled with a gritty and slightly stinky liquid soap. The toilet was shared by the editorial staff and the men working at the printing presses (the upstair floor vibrated under our feet when the machines were on), hence the soap, which felt like sandpaper on my soft, girly hands.

Back to the present.... now that I work from home I like to have my lunchbreak in the garden (weather permitting). I enjoy gardening but I don't use gloves much (my hands are quite small and it's hard to find gloves that fit). So after planting cuttings, trimming and doing odd jobs, my fingers and nails are quite dirty. Usually soap is not enough to take the dirt off and have to use a nail brush on my skin too... ouch!

With my grubby paws I grabbed Hands First Scrub and gave it a squeeze but a minuscule amount came out. I had to squeeze harder to get enough out, but it did the job quickly without feeling too scratchy, while the gorgeous fresh fragrance lingered on my hands for hours. 

The gritty texture is due to pumice and walnut shells, while oils and other natural ingredients provide the fragrance and moisturise hands. It's anti-bacterial and dermatologically tested too. I can't find any fault with it, aside its dispenser, which is not user friendly. Rather than having a cap like a shampoo bottle, I'd have preferred a pump action system, the one you normally have in liquid soaps. However, it has proved to be a very good product, which my partner likes to use too. He has found it effective against grease after maintaining our bikes.

Stockist info
If you visit www.handsfirst.co.uk there is a search facility to find your nearest stockist and some online retailers are also listed. Prices vary so it pays to shop around (I saw it on sale for a tenner on Amazon, but for around £6 at www.pharmacy2u.co.uk).

Persil Bio Small & Mighty

I'm a washing powder girl (old fashioned, I know!), so I was really curious to try this product. Persil Bio Small & Mighty is a concentrated washing liquid that claims to reduce waste while saving time and energy.

Its size means there is less packaging and the bottle is recyclable, while its cleaning credentials state you can get results even at 30 degrees and on 30 minute cycle. I have an old washing machine without a short cycle, but I was itching to try washing at 30 degrees. As most of the load included Michela's clothes and some dirty bibs, I was curious to see what happened. To my surprise everything came out of the machine looking immaculate and smelling fresh (no need for conditioner, then). Even the dirtiest bib was looking good, which is a feast since it had sauce and other nasty food stains.

I can't fault it, the only thing that would bother me is the price. Its RRP is £4.39 for the 18-wash bottle (other formats available are 28, 54 and 85 washes). The own-brand, basic powder I'm using costs £1.69 for 25 washes. Of course it doesn't come with a fresh scent and I need to wash at 40...

I think time will tell... I recently admitted defeat and stopped buying own-brand washing up liquid as it wasn't cleaning the dishes properly (grease alert!) and I needed to use lots, so I'm now using Fairy (it makes great bubbles too so I can refill Michela's bubble-making kits).

So... brand or own brand? It really depends on the product and how far the supermarket is... That's why this product, which is widely available and lightweight, might be really tempting.

Coming next...
Watch this space for my very own yummy cheesecake recipe using Philadelphia cheese, plus savoury serving suggestions.

London feels like a lifetime away...

I live in Cambridge, which is about an hour and a half away 'door to door' to central London, but have not been there for years. Early in my pregnancy I started to avoid central London - I suppose the badge Baby on Board didn't work that well on the underground and having found a client in Epping Forest, I stuck to East London (I used to live in E17 then). After the birth I only took the tube to Bond Street once, for a picnic with friends in Hyde Park and that was that!

I had a long maternity leave, never went back to my previous occupation as freelance subeditor and left London for Rugby in August 2008. Late in 2009 we moved to Cambridge. In the past years I have never been back to central London. I did pay two or three visits to East London, to view some houses and see friends but it's 10 miles away from central London and a world away!

I do enjoy living in Cambridge but sometimes I feel a pull for London and my life before I had a child - footloose and fancy free! As I still have the lion share of childcare while working from home, I haven't felt like going to London yet, perhaps waiting until my daughter is old enough to see the awesome museums I used to visit on weekends when I was living in the capital.

So when I read about this competition (http://www.inthepowderroom.com/read/style/the-super-duper-itpr-conference.html), it felt like a blast from the past.... Before living in E17 I lived for eight years near Shoreditch and regularly visited the Brick Lane market, Columbia Road market, Spitafields... It feels like a lifetime away!

So who would I most like to meet in The Hoxton Powder Room, and why? I'd love to meet Dr Who in the 'shape' of David Tennant and travel back in time (after attending the Cybermummy conference, of course). I don't regret my new life, but I feel nostalgic at times, craving for some me time and wondering if my old self is still there, lurking under the mummy clothes....

Catching up....

Play.com - my latest copywriting job

I'm still busy catching up after an inhouse stint as a copywriter at play.com. Funnily enough the website is also listed in my affiliate marketing list, on the right (click that link to visit the website). I worked on women's and men's fashion, and the new sports and outdoor section (pictured above).

I have been working from home for several years and when I was offered the opportunity of working inhouse again I wasn't quite sure how it would go! Michael took charge of childcare duties, which was a bit more challenging because the preschool was closed due to Easter and various bank holidays. He had work to do too, so he worked over the Easter and bank holidays, which means we didn't celebrate together. I took Michela to an Easter egg hunt at my neighbour's house, which was nice...

During the working week, it was eerie to go to work and be 'childless' for several hours. And when I got home it was quite manic as I still had other work commitments and charity stuff to do. I missed a breastfeeding dropin, but I managed to produce a 48-page NCT newsletter, do a bit of gardening at the preschool, help set up a children's event and do publicity for the Eco Homes event. And I finished some files that needed indexing for a regular client.

The most unusual thing about my inhouse gig at play.com was to be able to commute by bike. I cycled to the office and back (15-20 mins each journey) and occasionally cycled to Histon village to visit its great charity shop and the local supermarket in my lunchhour. I loved it! No need for the bus and unhurried cycling in dry weather.

Now I'm back typing on my kitchen table by a window overlooking the garden. In a few minutes it's pick up time. I did miss not seeing the mums I know but was glad to find out that most children got a place at the local school so Michela will have lots of friends when she starts in September!

PS... I have some products to test still, so if you sent me something, please bear with me!