Mummy Genius - Truck and car toy storage.

Yesterday we were given a secondhand wooden toy storage unit with fabric baskets, the baskets were a little worse for wear (even when they are new the baskets don't survive for long in our household) and so in a stroke of genius I decided to ditch the baskets and use the frame to store my little mans large toy trucks and cars. I am so happy with the end result... especially as there was really no effort on my part. YAY!

The taller trucks go on the top shelf as they won't fit on the lower levels and because of the design of the rods all the trucks and cars are held in place by the rod at the front, this stops them from rolling out and landing on little toes. It's a perfect solution to the massive pile of trucks that toppled all over us and the floor every time the door was opened!

A wish...

A wish, a santa, a dandelion... a spider!

Sometimes the smallest thing in the world can be the most magnificent. For my son today that amazement and wonder came in the form of a dandelion puff... truth be known I am not even certain that these actually come from dandelions. It doesn't really matter where it originates, all that matters is the magic it brings to those tiny hands and the excitement in his voice when he yells

'Look Mum... spider, get it!'

There is a handful of things I really look forward to as a Mum such as the first time my baby smiles or laughs, the first time they tell me they love me and this moment, their first wish!

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Visual Tutorial - Earring Hanger

A quick little earring holder created by using an old picture frame, a piece of scrap material, some wadding and some glue :)

Book Love - My Top 5 For Children

Good books are one of those things that we often forget to share with our friends. Unlike the name of that wonderful coffee shop who makes a perfect 1/2 strength hazelnut latte, you know the one that we choose to keep to ourselves... books should be shared, reading is a wonderful way to bond with your child as well as a very fun way of teaching them the literary basics. We often talk about the awesome bargain we found at the shopping centre or a great movie we saw but we often forget to mention our great reads... especially when it comes to children's books! In the spirit of sharing and the love of books I thought I would share with you 5 of my favourite books and explain why I love them.

My most favourite book of all time would have to be Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. It is the very first book I have read to all of my babies. Dr. Seuss is one of my childhood favourites and my girls love it too. The repetitive rhyming and whimsical drawings are what makes Dr. Seuss books so appealing to the younger generation (and mine too!). The catch phrase 'I do not like green eggs and ham, I do not like them Sam I am' is iconic to this book and makes a fun way for your child to read along.    

Cuddle Up Tight is a beautiful picture story book by Rosie Reeve. The soft pastel illustrations make this book a pleasure to read and the storyline makes it the perfect pre-bedtime read. This book is one of my favourite 'read with the kids' books

My fave daddy 'humour' book would have to be My dad thinks he's funny by Katrina Germein and illustrated by Tom Jellett. I love that this book addresses all those 'Dad-isms' that dad and the kids think is funny but sometimes makes mum roll her eyes :)

My all time favourite childhood read would have to be The Magic Far Away Tree by Enid Blyton or anything by Enid Blyton to be honest. Although the characters in The Magic Far Away Tree have kind of rude names (Dick and Fanny - although they are common names for the era the book was written) the storyline is very wholesome and magical. I think I reread this book maybe 20 or 30 times during the course of my childhood.

And lastly Number 5: The adventures of the wishing chair, another beautiful book by Enid Blyton. The timelessness of this book to children with great imaginations is just perfect. 

What's your favourite book for children? 

Nûby Mummy Review - Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier

Nûby Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier

One of the things I have learnt as a mummy of four is to do what works for you. I remember when I was pregnant with my first baby and I heard many people say:

'Pacifiers damage your baby's teeth'

'Your child will not learn how to self soothe'

 'Thou shalt not use pacifiers' 

Okay, so maybe the last one is a slight exaggeration... When my 1st little bundle was born 6 weeks premature I soon realised that the benefits of her using a dummy for the first few weeks of life. Using the pacifier meant that she was able to leave the hospital and thrive out in the real world.... you see being so early Ellie didn't quite have the ability to suckle and to top that off her tiny lips just weren't able to attach to my breast at first. We used the dummy to 'teach' her how to suckle and with it's help she bloomed! 

We found that there was no need for our second daughter to use a pacifier... and so we didn't, simple as that! :) 

While pregnant with my 3rd daughter my partner passed away and once she was born I choose to use a pacifier to soothe her at times when it just was not possible to feed her on demand... such as when I was ushering her 2 sisters out the door, my arms full of nappy bags and school jumpers frantically rushing to the bus stop in hopes we hadn't already missed it.

With baby number 4 Nûby offered me the opportunity to review their Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier and so we decided to try the pacifier to settle our new little boy Ronald while we bathed him. Our little guy just didn't like to bathe no matter what we tried and so we offered Ron the pacifier and immediately he settled and while he happily sucked away we washed to our hearts content... no stressed baby and no stressed mummy and daddy. We also offered him the pacifier when he had had enough of being in the car and had started to work himself up on family trips. Once again he took the pacifier and he even nodded off to sleep, thus the paci has earned the affectionate nickname of 'The baby Shusher' in our home. 

The Nûby Orthodontic Pacifier has an orthodontic shaped teat that Baby Ron took to straight away, I am also breastfeeding and found that there was no nipple confusion caused by the pacifier at all. Bub went back and forth from the breast and the pacifier without a hitch. The Paci also has a raised textured section where the teat meets the faceplate which are designed to stimulate bubba's gums by massaging as he soothes. The Nûby Pacifier left no marks on Ron's skin at all in the first few weeks but now that he has grown quite a lot and he consists mainly of cheeks ;) I have found that occasionally it will leave a slight line on his cheeks where the face place meets his skin.

The Nûby Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier is also BPA Free! If you don't know BPA or bisphenol A. is a chemical found in some plastics that can cause health problems in babies and children. We definitely want BPA free products for our little ones! The Prima™ also survived our microwave steam steriliser without losing colour or damaging the paci's appearance or the teat! YAY! With all those cute designs available you really want them to keep their designs and I was very happy to see the cute patterns still on Ron's pacifiers when I opened the lid of the steriliser. 

All in all the Nûby Prima™Orthodontic Pacifier has lived up to all it claims to do and I have been very happy with it's performance. Besides the marks Ron sometimes get's on his chubby little cheeks I really can't fault them. If I was going to suggest an improvement I would probably suggest Nüby make the handle of the pacifier glow-in-the-dark making it easier to find for the parents who wish to use them during the night or for when they are dropped in the car. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Nüby range of pacifiers so please pop on over to the Crafty Mumma Facebook PAGE and have your say!

{ NOTE } I have not been paid for this review. The opinions expressed in this review are mine and mine alone and based on my experience with the Nüby - Prima™ Orthodontic Pacifier supplied to me by Nüby Australia for the sole purpose of review.