I'm a full-time mummy

I really need to buckle up and be more creative with Ben's meal planning. Ever since I got pregnant, I realised I've been slacking off and after discussions with hubby, we decided to work together to plan proper meals for Ben - as in sneaking in more veggies into his meals and making sure he's eating more variety of foods compared to his usual oats and noodle stuff.

I have yet to go for our next grocery shop, so for now, I have to make do with what we have on hand. I'm writing this post out to remind myself not to ever slack off with Ben's meals and to be serious with what goes into him as well.

I will try to snap pictures whenever I can (you might noticed pictures of tea time and dinner missing for these few days whooppsss..) of what I'm feeding him from this month onwards so that I can have a daily reminder of this. And also, you may noticed there's no veggies in Ben's meals too.. sigh.. my fault, my fault... when Ben started solids at 6 months old, I am all about home made puree of fruits and veggies and all... but after he turned 1 year old, I have not been disciplined enough to keep it up. I am not a veggie person and I think that's why Ben's meals nowadays doesn't have veggies in it too.

So with this toddler meals planning and documenting, I want to tell and remind myself to be disciplined and consistent in including veggies as well as providing nutritious foor for Ben from now on. So, hopefully after our grocery shopping you will be able to see more meal pictures with veggies in it.

1st June 2011 - Breakfast: Cheese omelette, 2 baked fish fingers (cut into cubes, each cube top with mini slices of cheese),dipping sauce (tomato & mayo), a bottle of Vitagen

2nd June 2011 - Breakfast: Banana Milk Smoothies with Banana Organic Oats (10-11 tsps of oats cooked for about 2mins)	2nd June 2011 - Lunch: Pancake (5 tbsp wheat flour, 2 eggs, pinch of salt), Konnyaku jelly, a bottle of Vitagen.
3rd June 2011 - Breakfast: Fried Kuey Teow with Egg, a cup of diluted Ribena	3rd June 2011 - Lunch: 1 Banana (sliced), 1 Cheddar cheese (sliced), Konnyaku jelly.

4th June 2011 - Breakfast: 2 pcs of Vienna sausages, 3/4 Cheddar cheese mix with 1 scrambled egg. (* Ben was so attracted to the 'octopus' sausages hahaha...)

4th June 2011 - Tea: 2 hard boiled eggs with mayo dip (Ben ate 1 egg only)

4th June 2011 - Dinner: Of course NOT the whole pot! Ben had some fishballs & tofu from the steambot pot. (*We had a birthday party for Ben's cousin Isaac.)

5th June 2011 - Breakfast: Organic Oats (10 tsp) mixed with 1oz of carrot, each spoonful topped with some cereals, 1 bottle of Vitagen

5th June 2011 - Dinner: Prepared by hubby. A bowl of egg mayo (with mashed corns, carrots, peas), few bites of fish fillets. The rest goes to mummy...

I am continuosly looking for more choices (if possible easy and fast to make or those I can prepare the night before) as I need to start planning and timing all this before Spicy Baby comes along in September. I need to consider that maybe during the 1st month after delivery that I am still exhausted (recuperating from labor and also settling down with Spicy Baby) and other people (such as hubby and my MIL) will need to take over my roles in feeding Ben during that time.

So I hope to be able to post up pictures of Ben's meals as we go along from this month onwards to serve as a guide and reminder.

Thank you for reading and if you have any websites on toddler's recipe, do share it with me!

Current websites recommended and those I found: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Kids-Recipes, http://blog.superhealthykids.com/menu-archives/, http://weelicious.com/category/toddler-bites/, http://babychaser.blogspot.com/search/label/Toddler%20Menus

I came across this cute iPad app and requested for a review opportunity and the wonderful people at Oceanhouse Media generously sent me a promo code to download the "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" app for my review!

After a bit of a tiny weenie hiccup (my mistake really cos it's my first time keying in promo code to redeem an iPad app for FREE!) in downloading the app via iTunes (which I cleverly download and sync together with my iPad at the same time causing the screen not to refresh immediately), I managed to download the app successfully and it's really fast too!

* Price: $2.99
* Category: Books
* Updated: Apr 27, 2011
* Current Version: 1.08.1
* Size: 18.7 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
* Extra Info: Editor's Choice Award-Children's Technology Review, #1 paid book app on iPad-Feb 2011 & Named one of "The Best Children's Books on the iPad"-New York Times

Description from the product page:

"As soon as they say good night to Mama, the five little monkeys start to jump on their bed. But trouble lies ahead as, one by one, they fall off and hurt themselves. Their Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" This charming bedtime story is sure to send children giggling off to bed...hopefully without any clever new ideas!

New features in this omBook for your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch include professional narration, background audio and high resolution artwork for each scene.  To promote reading in young children, individual words are highlighted as the story is read and words zoom up when pictures are touched. By combining the original text and artwork with features that entertain and promote reading, this omBook appeals to readers of all ages."

I immediately got Ben to test out the app the moment he woke up from his sleep (as I downloaded the app around 2am Malaysian time... yeah, yeah, I sleep quite late... I know, I know!) So, if you're wondering what's wrong with Ben's hairdo, hope that explains it!

Ben checking out the app...

Cleverly pressing the "Auto Play" button!

Ben engrossed with the interactive story!

Why I choose this app for my review? Oh well, I feel that Ben should be able to relate to the storyline in this app as he really likes to jump on the bed in his playroom! I'm hoping he'll learn that doing so is dangerous and should not be repeated anymore!

My verdict:  

* Good: I love the app! It is engaging and interactive and I love that we can also touch the objects in each page on the screen and the words pop out to tell you what it is!

* Not so good: I feel that it should be less than 5 monkeys (perhaps 3?) in the story as it is quite long winded (or maybe cos we don't have much patience whooopsss...)

You can take a look at the video clip below which I took when Ben goes through the app for the first time. Noticed he doesn't talk much other than nodding his head when I talked to him? Oh well, Ben's like that when he's observing things. I know deep down he is absorbing what he's seeing and listening to each words. You can also see the words popping out when Ben touched the iPad screen as one of the monkeys fell down and bumped its head.

So if you're planning to purchase an e-story book for your child to be used on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, do consider this app! I mean, it is nice to be able to take part in the story (pointing out the objects and learning what it is at the same time) and so on.

You can purchase the "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code by the sponsor to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

I was offered this awesome maternity product for my review and I'm so glad to be given the opportunity to try it out! As I read through the product description, I thought to myself, "Wow! This product seems cool, I mean, I could use it throughout my pregnancy and after!"

Description from the product page:

"* Useful at every stage of your pregnancy:
1. First trimester-Continue wearing your skin-tight jeans by wearing them unbuttoned and held up by the Bella Band.
2. Second trimester-Bella Band holds up too-loose maternity bottoms till you grow into them.
3. Third trimester-Bella Band prevents your belly from pushing pants down.
4. Post-pregnancy-Bella Bands hold up loose maternity jeans as your body shrinks back into shape. They also do great to hide that postpartum tummy when you lift up your shirt to nurse!
5. Fold into two to use band as a tube bra.

* The Bella Bands are worn over the unzipped/unbuttoned area, on the outside. Wear over your belly or fold into two for a more snug fit.
* One size lasts throughout your pregnancy.
* Made of nylon spandex."

A bit of info about Maternity Exchange, the wonderful sponsor for the Bella Band:

"Maternity Exchange™ seeks to make maternity wear shopping a guilt-free, liberating and fun experience. We are the first maternity rental store in Singapore that carries luxe international maternity labels like Liz Lange, Japanese Weekend, Belly Basics, Duet Designs, Arabella B and Belly Button. And the best part? You won't have to pay through-the-roof prices for them. We know you want to look fab, not fat, during this fashion-challenged time, but stylish and affordable maternity styles are sadly lacking.

Add to that the fact that your body is constantly changing, and you're probably even more unwilling to pay top dollar for clothes that will only fit you a couple of months. With the flexibility of renting, or buying in our store, you can have that expansive (and not expensive!) maternity wardrobe filled with luxurious designer and high-quality maternity wear."

The packaging of the Bella Band that I received...

Bella Band sizing chart, I requested the size 2 for myself.

There are 9 colors to choose from and in the end, I opted for the White one as I think it would be easier for me to match it with my clothing. Now a couple more pictures on the Bella Band for you to look at...

That's my toddler's hand touching the Bella Band's soft materials...

The printed details and washing instructions in the inner layer of the Bella Band.

REVIEW #1: OVER TIGHT PRE-PREGNANCY JEANS

Yikes!! I can't even zip my jeans!

Wearing Bella Band over my tight jeans...

Can you tell my jeans are unzipped?

I tried out the Bella Band on Sunday, attended church service and my toddler's Sunday school and have no problems whatsoever with it. It feels great knowing I can still wear my beloved pre-pregnancy jeans (which I always wear to church on Sundays) and to think that I'm actually walking around with my jeans unzipped (gasp!) and yet looking normal and oh-so-chic with the maternity band... AWESOME!!

REVIEW #2: OVER LOOSE PRE-PREGNANCY SHORTS

I have to tell you firsthand... I love, love, love this short pants of mine!

I bought it 10 years ago, wore it throughout my 1st pregnancy, and even had to take out the string at the waist as my belly expands. And now, with my 2nd pregnancy, I find that the pants are a bit too loose for me. I have kept it in my closet for a few months ever since I got pregnant and with Bella Band to review, I decided to give it a try over my loose short pants. And what I think of it? It wraps and grips the loose part nicely and hooray!!! I can wear my short pants again!!!!

REVIEW #3: AFTER MACHINE WASH

Of course after trying out the Bella Band over tight and loose clothing, I have to test it after machine wash. I was wearing the Bella Band for about a week and finally decided to part with it so that I could throw it along with my other laundry into the washing machine to test out the material after machine wash. During then, I had to sulk be content with doing without the Bella Band while waiting for it to dry.

The moment it was dry and ready for use, I immediately wore it over my short pants (again!) and ahhhhhh.... nice... love, love, love the soft materials over my preggy bump! Oh, of course, after machine wash, Bella Band's material remains the same, the width and length are not affected in anyway and the colors remains the same. Wonderful!

I also want to mention that thanks to Bella Band, when I comfort nurse Ben at night, I am very satisfied as it keeps my belly warm and protected. Before this, I had to use the blanket to cover up my tummy when I nursed Ben.

My Verdict? I love this product! I can use it over loose clothing, tight clothing and even at night when I'm comfort nursing my toddler (yes, I may be in my 2nd trimester but I'm still nursing my toddler!)

The only thing that I don't like about the Bella Band is the edges of the label which was sewn on the outside layer which at times scratches my skin. I feel it'll be better if they just print the label like how they did for the details and washing instructions on the inner layer.

You can purchase Bella Band from Maternity Exchange website.

As a bonus, Maternity Exchange is offering a 10% off online purchases of Bella Bands for my blog readers. What you guys need to do to redeem this 10% discount is just simply quote my blog name (I'm a full-time mummy) under the "Remarks" entry during check out and pay via credit card or Paypal. The relevant discounted amount will be credited back accordingly. Please note that only payments via credit card or Paypal can enjoy this discount.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with a free product by the sponsor in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.