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Ingredients:

1.5l of water
3 tbs of Tom Yum paste
4 cloves of finely sliced garlic
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 medium sized onions
salt
some sprigs of coriander

Method:

Boil the water and add 3 tbs of the Tom Yum paste and 4 cloves of finely sliced garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season to taste and decorate with some coriander. This is a super quick and easy recipe and you can basically add whatever veg you like to give it your desired taste. Enjoy!

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Do you remember opening your lunch box at school to find yet another cheese sandwich and some apple slices? I do! Packed lunch could be incredibly boring and for some reason your friends’ lunch always looked tastier than your own. We often swapped around and sometimes I didn’t touch my lunch at all just to secretly throw my sandwich into the bushes on my home. On rare occasions, I completely forgot about its existence and it almost started growing legs and running through my bag, but I promise this didn’t happen a lot.

To make sure that your children enjoy their packed lunch a little more than the average student, I am giving you the chance to win one copy of Amanda Grant’s book ‘Healthy lunchboxes for kids’. It does not only contain many ideas for healthy lunch options, but also great recipes for quick and easy snacks that all the family can enjoy. Packed with all the information parents need to know on nutrition and including advice on how to ensure your child is eating the right things, this colourful and easy to follow book includes over 75 recipe ideas that will help lunch boxes to step out of the shade and become fun again.

If you want to win a copy of Amanda Grant’s ‘Healthy lunchboxes for kids’, simply fill in the Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Prize Finder – UK Competitions
Loquax – The UK Competition Portal

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I love taking photos, especially if Amy plays along and helps me to capture snapshots like this. At the moment, she absolutely loves having her picture taken. She turns into a right little diva and plays with the camera. It’s so funny to look at. I took this photo about three weeks ago when we were in Germany to stay with my family. We had a lovely day out and the weather was on our side. The sun was shining and we could enjoy some ice-cream by the beach. You can even see some traces of it on Amy’s top. It was her first ever ice-cream and she absolutely adored it. Doesn’t she look like she’s shouting for more?

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When they are newborns, it is sometimes hard to make out the sex of a baby. Are they a boy? Are they a girl? It’s easy to put your foot in it and declare a boy a girl or the other way round. By the time the little ones have reached their first birthday, it usually becomes a little easier to say, if it’s a little boy or a girl who is smiling at you on the bus. Well, that’s what I thought!

Recently, Amy has been mistaken for a boy two days in a row and I have to admit that I got a little grumpy about it. I know it’s nothing serious, but one of the people was actually quite rude about it when we informed them that ‘He’s a girl’. Personally, I don’t think that Amy looks like a little boy, especially as she is usually wearing quite girly colours, but it doesn’t seem that obvious for other people. The first incident happened in a London souvenir shop at the Cybher weekend. We were on the lookout for a couple of postcards and Ben had a look at a London clock for the kitchen, when one of the shop assistants looked into the pram and asked ‘How old is he?’. I politely answered that ‘He’s a girl and a year old’. Amy wore a red and blue cardigan that day, so I thought I’d let him off. But then the sales assistant replied ‘Well, she still looks like a boy’. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. How dare he be that rude and tell me to my face that he thinks my little girl looks like a boy? I actually couldn’t believe it and pushed the pram onto the pavement in front of his shop while Ben quickly paid for the postcards. When we walked back to the hotel, I was fuming and there might have been the one or the other not so nice word coming out of my mouth.

The next incident was on our way back from London to Bristol. We had just jumped onto the taxi when the driver asked the same question ‘How old is he?’. I gave the same polite answer, but this time we received an instant apology and we forgot about it. In my eyes, there’s no need to make a big deal about it. The taxi driver apologised and that was it. We can all get it wrong after all, but why did the shop assistant feel the need to be rude about it and make an evil little comment about my baby girl? Argh, unnecessary rudeness just winds me up!

Has your little one ever been mistaken for the opposite sex? How did you react? Let me know, if we are sitting in the same boat or if I am maybe over-reacting!?

Continue reading »]]> Oh I love London! It’s always been one of my favourite cities and if Cybher, the UK’s first female blogging conference calls, then it’s out of question that I will be there. As the conference starts early on Saturday, we decided that we would make our way to London a day early, so that we could have an afternoon in London and start the next day without hectic, bright red cheeks and sweaty armpits. Simply not the thing to do when you meet all the bloggers you’ve been tweeted with for over a year, is it?

We left Bristol at 11.30 a.m. and arrived in London a good 2 hours later. Amy was brilliant during the entire journey. She smiled and waved at everyone that was interested and we could make our way to The Strand Palace Hotel, our accommodation for the weekend, without a single moan from her. Soon after checking in however hell broke loose and Little Miss Sunshine turned into Little Miss Rain Cloud. I can’t complain though as it was a exciting journey for Amy and with a new and quite hectic surrounding, she was just to alert to think about falling asleep in her pram. Initially, we had planned to walk around the city a bit, but we decided that it was best to stay in the hotel for a while, so we could relax and freshen up while Amy had a well deserved nap in the travel cot that Ms Cybher herself has kindly organised for us. Thanks Siân!

For dinner, we went to a nearby steak house, the Scotch Steak House, which is literally a five minute walk away from The Strand Palace. Our waitress seemed a little grumpy at the start and pulled a disgusted face when Ben asked for asparagus with his steak, the food however was really nice and reasonably priced for central London. The restaurant was also really family friendly and served some steamed mixed vegetables and bread for Amy – she did however enjoy my meal just as much as I did. I went for char-grilled chicken in a herb and garlic marinade that came with a side of French beans and sautéed potatoes. Ben had a 8oz rump steak with salad and French fries and also couldn’t fault his meal. Tomorrow, we are thinking of heading to China Town for some authentic Chinese food. Well, as authentic as it gets in London, but I am sure that the crispy ducks in the windows and the lanterns in the streets will at to the Chinese flair.

Before heading back to the hotel (traveling with a 12 month old is that rock’n'roll), we decided to go for a walk around the Strand and down the Mall to do a bit of sightseeing. It was great. We stopped here and there, took photos and watched cheeky squirrels jump from tree to tree in St. James Park. Amy absolutely loved it. She sat in her pram and couldn’t stop giggling. Tiredness? Not until we got back to our hotel room. Within minutes she fell asleep with a big smile on her face. She must love London just as much as her mummy and daddy!

Continue reading »]]> Babywearing is a great way to bond with your baby and it allows you to comfortably carry your baby close to you while having your hands free to get on with your day-to-day-activities. There are hundreds of baby carriers or slings out there and what suits you and your baby best really depends on what you want from your sling.

theBabaSling is an amazingly versatile baby carrier with over five standard and two breastfeeding positions and just in time for summer they have launched a range of fabulous designs. New for Summer 2012 is the ultra-lightweight and super breathable ‘Lite’ and the ‘Limited Edition Prints’ rangewhich features three stunning new floral themed designs. Both new products are available now prices start £39.99.

A welcome new addition to theBabaSling® signature colourways, are the limited edition floral prints. They are ideal for the fashion-conscious parent that wants to wear their baby with an added statement this summer. Perfect for the summer months, theBabaSling® - Lite is the exciting new range of slings designed specifically for hotter climates and travelling. Made from airy cotton, the Lite is even more breathable and 20% lighter than the theBabaSling® classic range. It is great for keeping parents and baby comfortable and cool while out and about in the summertime, without sacrificing quality and durability. It is also perfect for negotiating airports and public transport with babies and allows you to enjoy freedom by leaving the buggy behind.

Mummy Alarm has teamed up with the BabaSling to give you the chance to win an award-winning sling just in time for the coming summer months. Simply fill in the Rafflecopter below and keep your fingers crossed.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Prize Finder – UK Competitions
Loquax – The UK Competition Portal