Mummy Alarm

July 24, 2014

Keeping your Pet Safe with Fresh Organic Foods

Pet parents are as concerned as any other parent about what their “children” eat every day. They read labels and compare ingredients to find the healthiest food choices. Reading labels may not be enough to ensure that what is being bought is truly organic. Many believe that foods that are labelled organic are automatically safer and healthier for their beloved pets. The truth is not all commercial pet foods that say natural or organic really are.

Natural foods are ones that have no synthetics and all ingredients are created from animal, plant or mined sources. There can be no additives or chemicals used in the growth of these ingredients. However, government regulations are extremely lax about pet foods. Even foods that are manufactured in the United States may have ingredients, such as wheat, from another country. Everyone has heard about the contaminated pet foods and treats that came from China. That this could happen again at any time is scary!

The government has regulations for all kinds of strange things, but when it comes to what people and pets consume, the regulations are not always easy to understand or follow. At times, it seems the regulations are flexible and only the circumstances surrounding the item decide what the government will follow. The sad reality is consumers should have little confidence that the pet foods they purchase are truly safe and organic.

Truly Organic Ingredients

Thousands of people are finally realizing that the only way to know exactly what their pets are eating is to prepare it themselves. That way, they can control what ingredients are used and can make it according to what their pets love and need. Just like with humans, some foods are better for pets of different ages and medical needs.

Preparing pet food may seem like it could be time-consuming or expensive but that is simply not true. Foods that are purchased from certified organic farms or ones that are grown in their private gardens for their families can be used for pet food, also. Recipes are easy to found on the internet for all types of pets – they can even be searched for medical needs of the pet, such as pregnancy.

Organic Pet Snacks

While researching pet food recipes, check out all of the options for special treats for pets. It doesn’t matter what type of pet, there are thousands of recipes for delicious and healthy treats for them. From cookies shaped like fish to bags of puppy chow snacks, don’t forget to prepare safe and healthy snacks for pets! These are all easy to do using ingredients that are fairly inexpensive. Not only will pets love the taste, but the pet parents can be sure that the treats are healthy! No more worrying about what is really in the treats!

Pet lovers will do anything to keep their pets safe. They purchase the best dog containment system or even install a do it yourself invisible fence. They buy only the safest toys for their pets. They purchase only the best foods for their beloved pets and prepare their meals with love. Nothing is too good for pets that are family members.

This is a promotional post with an image from Ryan Forsythe.

Article

July 22, 2014

14 comments

by Carolin

Meaningful Memories – The best road trip songs

I love music. I’m forever singing and secretly dancing along to my favourite songs, so there couldn’t me a more perfect challenge for me than Hidden Hearing‘s Meaningful Memories challenge. The winner will receive a £100 voucher of their choice – either ASOS, Amazon, or iTunes and if you want to enter, send your links to Kathryn Thompson by 28th July 2014. Her email address is kathryn.thompson35@gmail.com.

You are free to share any 5 songs that have a meaning to you. They can be from your childhood, remind you of your first love (we’re going to skip that one, although he once made me a beautiful album full of songs that reflected on our relationship) or include songs that remind you of your child’s birth, your first dance or your first kiss.

I thought we’d make this one a bit of fun, so I’m sharing with you the songs that my sister and I picked for our family road trips when we were 5 and 11. Get ready for some serious 90s ehm trash?

Captain Jack by Captain Jack

Picture us sitting at the back of the car and getting our tongues in a twist trying to join in with Captain Jack’s military rap. Captain Jack was high on our list. The tune was catchy, and although good old Captain Jack was the most awful singer the 90s have seen, his side kick Liza had a lovely voice – you’ll hear it, if you concentrate on ignoring her questionable outfit.

Where do you go by No Mercy

No one can resist some Spanglish (totally a recognised word) summer tunes, so this was one that accompanied us on every single trip from Germany through the Czech Republic, through Slovakia and into Hungary. Our mum had a soft spot for the boys, so as totally selfless daughters, we added them to our cassettes – yes, it was that long ago.

Herz an Herz by Bluemchen (now Jasmin Wagner)

15 year old girl with hideous blue eye-shadow and excessively teased bunches sings about her first big love – something every teenie girl back then could resonate with. The single earned Bluemchen dozens of awards in Germany and made it to No 46 in the UK charts in its translated form. Check it out here.

Be My Lover by La Bouche

La da da dee da da da da… Simplest lyrics ever, right? My dad, the old grinch still didn’t sing along with the rest of us while driving through the night. I think he just doesn’t do the whole singing in the car thing, but it’s so much fun, especially, if you’ve got a tune that you can sing from the top of your lungs.

Scatman by Scatman John

Hand on heart, have you ever listened to this song without trying to scatter along? I haven’t and I know that my sister loved it just as much to sing along as I did. I swear, we came up with the most ridiculous lyrics trying to copy good old Scatman John – especially as both our English was non-existent back then. That’s also why I was shocked and appalled at the same time when, Ace of Base’s lead singer proclaimed that “All That She Wants Is Another Baby” – I really thought she wanted to swap her kid. Thank God, I’ve caught up in the brain department…

Now how about you? What are your favourite or most memorable tunes? And how do you like our car tunes? Would you have come on a road trip with us?

This is a promotional post, but I hope you enjoyed our little trip down memory lane. The image above is from William Warby via Flickr.

Article

July 22, 2014

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by Carolin

Send me the pink pigeon

If you’ve recently watched telly, you might have come across the new advert from Bingo at Paddy Power. It features a massive pink pigeon that flutters around the country and ehm deposits pink pigeon poo (luck) and to be fair, I wouldn’t mind, if it followed me around for a little bit of luck.

I would back my bags and go on a long holiday, traveling from one country to the other. I haven’t been on a real holiday in ages and I used to love traveling when I was younger – how ancient does that make me sound?

Anyway, I have asked some of my blogging friends which wish they’d make come true, if the pink pigeon came to bring them luck and here’s what they said:

Andrea wishes for her family and herself to be healthy and happy, because nothing else in life really matters, but she wouldn’t send a cleaner home either!

Jenny would love to turn back time to when her eldest son Burton was a newborn. She says: “I’d do it all again , learn from my mistakes and be a better parent. A time machine would be great, but that’s maybe a bit too much like Back To The Future.”

A new kitchen is what Helen would love and a lottery win, so she would have enough money in the bank to never worry about bills again at the end of the month.

Amanda would love the voice of an angel. She says:” My hubby is such a good singer, and if we both could sing we could totally kill it on singstar! We might also be a singing duet and make millions too!” I’ll make sure to buy your album, guys!

Clare would love the pink pigeon to find her care bear from when she was 4. She says: “I lost it in a house move in my 20′s and I really wish I hadn’t.”

Simone would love a 6ft Adonis in her life and, of course, he’d wine and dine her with a winning smile on his face. – I’ll join the queue!

Penny would love the pink pigeon to ensure that everything she touches, and her family touches, gets put away, as if by magic, when it is finished with. She also wouldn’t mind, if “occasionally, the odd surplus to requirements thing could turn to gold. That would be the icing on the cake.”

Which wish would you make come true? Check out the infographic below to find out which dreams others made reality.

This is a promotional post.

Article

July 22, 2014

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by Carolin

First-time Buyer Essentials

Buying your first house is an immensely daunting and exciting (not to mention stressful) time. You’ve got all kinds of solicitor and estate agent issues to sort out which can seem like an endless process, but once all of that is settled you can start thinking about actually buying some of the nice things to furnish the place.

Here are some first-time buyer essentials you shouldn’t be without when you move into your first place…

Sofas

One of the greatest things about having your own place is being able to relax and chill out, and you’ll really cherish that first night where you can just slob out on the sofa knowing that you own the house you’re living in. Which brings us onto the next point…

A Television

If you’re curled up on your comfy new sofa, then you’re probably going to want a television to watch as well. Whether you get something small or a big 3D TV, you’ll love watching your favourite shows and films in your new house. Hispek have some decent deals on TVs so might be worth checking out their website to see what they have.

first-time buy essentials a tv for romantic evenings

A bed

This is arguably the most important item on the list so one that you shouldn’t skimp on. Pretty much everyone loves being in bed, so you’ll want something comfortable and roomy, particularly if there are two of you sharing it. Obviously the size of your bed might be limited by the size of your bedroom, but if you can squeeze in a big bed then it’s worth doing so.

A good set of knives

You might be doing more cooking than you’re used to, and one thing that is essential but often gets neglected is a good set of knives. If you’ve got old knives that haven’t been sharpened in forever, then you’ll be amazed at how good a new set is. Lakeland has a wide variety of knives, although you might be shocked at how expensive some of them are! They do have cheaper sets as well, though.

Local takeaway menus

You may have your knew knives but you’ll definitely need a few menus from the local takeaways, particularly in the first couple of weeks of moving in. Your new place will likely look a mess for a little while and you’ll be busy getting it sorted, so you might not fancy cooking every night, and that’s where the menus come in very handy. Just-eat.co.uk is a very cool website that lets your order online from a huge selection of local takeaways.

Garden tools (if you have a garden)

If your new place has a garden then make sure you get a few basic garden tools. The previous owners may not have paid much attention to the garden so you might have to hack away at trees and bushes, which is a lot harder to do if you don’t have the right equipment.

New bedding

Sometimes you just can’t beat some new bedding, and what better time to get some than when you move into your new house? That first night’s sleep will be even better.

This is a promotional post.

Article

July 21, 2014

1 comment

by Carolin

Cleaning Without Chemicals: How to be a Green Domestic Goddess

There are so many good reasons why being a green domestic goddess is such a smart move.

If you have a typical family home with kids and pets constantly creating havoc and mess wherever they go, you need to find a way of keeping the house clean without using chemicals, if you can help it.

Here are some of the positive steps you can take to achieve your green goddess status and have some solid eco-credentials as well as a sparkling clean home.

Carpets and upholstery

Any house with kids is going to suffer some inevitable spills and stains on the carpets and settee.

A normal reaction would be to either call in a cleaning contractor or get a branded cleaning product to work on the affected area.

The problem with this is not just the added expense of paying for professional help and buying the cleaning fluids, it is the fact that carpet cleaning chemicals quickly get into the air of a room and can therefore put your children potentially at risk from inhaling them.

The green solution would be to use a steam cleaner like the ones that you can get at www.karcher.co.uk. Using a steam cleaner will help you to clean the house in an environmentally friendly way with no chemicals and no water contamination.

A steam cleaner is capable of delivering outstanding cleaning power and uses less water to clean a floor than you would use with a mop and bucket. The high-powered steam also provides a good level of sanitation and you don’t have to worry about the kids in the house as there are no chemicals involved in the cleaning process.

Ditch the toxic products

Look in the cupboard underneath the sink in the kitchen of a green domestic goddess and you won’t see the poisonous toxic products that so many of us keep in our home, without thinking how harmful they have the potential to be.

Aim to replace toxic products with bio-degradable and non-toxic substitutes. There are some basic household ingredients that you can use to create eco-friendly cleaning products from things like baking soda, white vinegar and lemon juice.

Healthier home

You want to keep your kids safe from germs and infections and that is one of the reasons why so many of us turn to bleach as a way of keeping bacteria away.

You can quickly create a more eco-friendly and safer antibacterial spray without resorting to bleach, which has the capacity to be harmful in a number of ways.

Cleaner air

You can even reduce air pollution in your home simply by having more plants around the house.

Plants have a natural ability to clean the air and provide more oxygen into your environment. Not only will your home look more attractive with more plants around, but it will also be healthier too.

These are just a few ways in which you can make your home cleaner and healthier without needing to resort to chemicals in order to do so.

Ditch the toxic products and use a steam cleaner around your home and you will be well on the way to achieving domestic goddess status.

Abby Rahman enjoys researching about ecologically and family friendly home cleaning methods. She enjoys sharing her research online so other can also benefit from her findings. Image: luckyjimmy via Flickr

Article

July 18, 2014

2 comments

by Carolin

Are your pets part of your family?

I don’t know, if you’ve got pets, but to me they’re an important part of family life. They always have been. When I lived at home, we had two cats: Hexe and Mix. They are mother and son and I’m not joking when I say that they’ve got my mum wrapped around their little fluffy paws.

My mum gets up numerous times at night to let them in and out of a house – worse than Amy’s newborn days. They get daily treats, such as cold sliced meats, crazy specialist cat biscuits and are probably the most spoilt pets I have ever seen. If Hexe wants to sit on the sofa, she wants a yellow blanket and a pillow and she’ll get a yellow blanket and pillow. She can’t speak (obviously, that would just be crazy), but believe me, she’s pretty darn good at letting you know what she wants and even better when it comes to bringing across what she doesn’t want.

Mix is no different and I swear it’s my sister’s fault. When she was little, she treated him like a small child. She’d play with him all day long. She built him a cardboard hotel with palm trees (we’ll just call her creative and not crazy), she took him to bed with her every night and he got so attached to her that he was the one who vetted her boyfriends – yep, he would seriously jump at them, if he didn’t like them.

They might sound like right little furry odd balls, but they are part of our family and they do have a lot of good sides. They’re loving and caring and know instantly, if you’re upset or feeling unwell. The people from Sunrise Care have compiled a great infographic talking about all the benefits having a trusty furry friend can have. Find out more about them below:

Are your pets part of your family? What do you love about them?

This is a promotional post.

Article

July 17, 2014

85 comments

by Carolin

Win a Cityscape Roller Blind worth up to £300

Nice little blind up there, isn’t it? Well, hold your horses because it’s your lucky day today. Curtains-blinds.co.uk are giving away a fabulous City blind, made-to-measure, worth up to a value of £300. With less fuss than curtains, and a modern look, it’s a stylish addition to any room and if I’m being completely honest, I’m a little jealous that I can’t enter this competition myself.

Blinds are a great option for your room, if you want to to keep light or unwanted looks out, but don’t want any heavy overwhelming curtains ruining the airy feel of your living space. They are also perfect, if you want to add some colour and texture without investing a lot of time and money in a new wall colour or even wallpaper.

If you want to win a Cityscape Roller Blind worth up to £300, all you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter form below following the instructions provided. Please ensure to fulfil the mandatory requirements first before earning extra points and please don’t try and cheat. All entries will be double-checked and validated. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Article

July 16, 2014

14 comments

by Carolin

First Day at School – German style

I know that the summer holidays have not even begun for some children, while for others they’re already in full swing, but there are also some for whom the summer holidays are a time of anticipation and excitement and they are those who are looking forward to their first day at school the end of summer.

As the shops are already luring us in with their back to school offers and all the pretty stationery on the shelves reminds me of my own back to school shopping, I thought I’d take you on a trip down memory lane with me, right to when it all started: my first day at school.

Now, don’t start yawning just yet, because the first day at school in Germany is quite the event. It’s a big family affair that really celebrates the first day at school as a new milestone in a child’s life and I loved every single minute of mine.

In Germany, you start primary education at the age of 6 or 7 depending when you were born and also your parents’ decision – they can ask to delay your start by a year, if they have the feeling you aren’t quite ready yet, so you aren’t quite as young as kids in the UK or Ireland.

First day at school – the look – the embarrassment

I started school at the end of August in 1991. I had the most hideous hair cut – picture a boy’s hair cut with some strange growth at the back – and the worst thing about it is that it was completely my own choice. I wore a dress with a colourful floral pattern, black party shoes and frilly white socks – in German schools, you don’t wear a school uniform. On my back, I proudly carried a bright red school bag (Ranzen), but the most important accessory of my day was my Schultüte, a huge cardboard cone filled with sweets, toys, school supplies and small gifts.

I can still tell you exactly what I found in my Schultüte. It had a big Snow White print on it with pale green tulle netting on top and a little plush dog was cheekily poking its head out of it. It was filled with pens, an eraser, a ruler, some Maoams, Haribos as well as a Xanti cassette, which was one of my favourite audio plays back then, and some small toys.

But before I could open it and see all my treasures, there was the formal part of the day: the official ceremony, which sees the headmaster of the school give a welcome speech and a colourful programme presented by students from year 3 and 4. They perform funny sketches or songs for the new students and give their account of what life at school is like.

First day at school – the ceremony at school

The highlight of the day is when all the tutors get up on stage to read out the names of all the students in their tutor group or class as we call it in Germany. It’s a little like the scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – just without the hat, but it’s a very exciting moment for students as it’s the first time you get to meet your tutor and the people you will meet every day for the next 4 years.

We gathered in a group and then walked over to the main building where we were shown our new classroom. Hand in hand, all of us proudly carrying our shiny new school bags, we walked into the room that would see us read our first words or carefully follow swirly lines that would eventually form into letters. It has a little play corner at the back of the room and the walls were decorated with bunting and colourful letters. On the the alphabet and on the table each of us found the Fibel, a picture book introducing young children to the alphabet and reading simple sentences and little stories towards the end of year 1.

After a quick introduction and getting to know my new classmates, we had an official photo taken which is a lovely way to remember your first day at school, I think. I would have totally inserted it here, but it’s somewhere in my parents house and I didn’t want to ask them to go through all of their photos. There are literally thousands of them and it would have taken them ages, so you’ll have to settle to my dad’s snapshot at the beginning of this post.

I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane with me. I like remembering these special days and it really was exactly that for me. My first day at school got me excited about starting my educational journey and I really enjoyed sharing this day with all my family. My parents and both sets of grandparents came to the ceremony and afterwards we had a lovely meal together that saw me raiding my big Schultuete and all the small ones that kids get from extended family and friends.

Can you remember your first day at school? How did you celebrate it?

This is a promotional post.

Article

July 15, 2014

9 comments

by Carolin

Rostock Zoo: A girlie day out

Rostock Zoo is one of the places that we always, always, always visit when we are staying with my family in Germany. I’ve blogged about our visits in the past. Here, you can read about Amy’s very first trip to Rostock Zoo - I can’t believe how tiny she was. This time, we had a girlie day with my mum and sister and we had the best of fun.

Since our last visit, the zoo has been extended and the new area close to the entrance near Barnstorfer Ring now houses a new attraction called Darwineum. As you might have guessed by its name, the Darwineum features exhibitions around the topic of evolution and the origins of life on earth, but there is also a tropical hall, the new home for the apes and monkeys living at Rostock Zoo as well as a changing exhibitions on topics such as society’s cultural evolution and more.

We had such fun day and didn’t even notice that we had been wondering around the grounds for almost six hours. Rostock Zoo isn’t overly huge. I think you can see everything in around 3 hours, but we stopped at the play equipment along the paths, had some fun on the playground and enjoyed some ice-cream in the sun. Despite looking quite grumpy in most of the pictures, Amy had an absolute blast. She’s still imitating the monkey noises, talking about the Eisbären (polar bears) and complaining about the little boy who tried to push her off one of the rides on the playground – obviously the latter one was not one of her highlights, but here are some pics that show you some of Amy’s favourite animals:

Do you like visiting zoos? Where is your favourite zoo?

Rostock Zoo (18059 Rostock, Barnstorfer Ring 1) is open from 9AM and closes at 6PM in winter and 7PM in summer. Children under 7 go free, children between 7 and 16 years pay 8€, adults 16€. Concessions for pensions, students and people with a disability are available as well as discounts for groups. More details and information via the official website.

Article

July 14, 2014

14 comments

by Carolin

12 cushions for £30 or less

Soft furnishing such as rugs, throws or cushions are a great way to transform your home without having to make big and expensive changes like painting or hanging wallpaper. They add texture and can completely change the feel of your room by creating a contrast to your current colour scheme or tying colours together.

Patterned cushions and bold colours can also add life and energy to a room, giving it more vitality and interest. Achieving all these effects doesn’t have to cost a lot of money and to show you that it’s possible to give your space a completely different feel and look without breaking the band, I have browsed the internet and collected some fun and colourful cushions for you. All of them are available online or on the high street and cost £30 or less – some of them even considerably less.

Have a browse below, maybe you find some cushions that will help you transform the look of your living space: