Mattel does 4 Way Cradle Swing n Glider

This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.



Lily Jade must be the luckiest baby girl of all times. Just after she was born, her grandparents arrived from Malaysia. She was cradled, soothed, rocked, held, sung to and talked to. And then, like most good things, it came to an end. My parents left. And I wished I had an extra 3 pairs of hands. Much to my relief, a parcel arrived in the mail from our sponsors at Nuffnang. We were so excited, the Little Lamb Cradle and Swing was such a handy little helper in our household. Lily loved it, as much as I did.

When the lovely people at Nuffnang contacted me once again, to see if I wanted to review yet another toy from Mattel, I could hardly contain my mirth and excitement! Oh yes please! And then this one arrived...

Fisher Price i-Glide Cradle and Swing.



So we have been spoilt by the option of swinging from left to right, front to back on left and front to back on right. And now, we have even more choices! The i-Glide is more than just a swing, as its name suggests, it also glides.



With the i-Glide, Lily can enjoy not only the swinging, but also a head-to-toe and side-to-side gliding motion. There are four different motions to soothe and entertain, all in the one baby cradle swing.

The cradle itself is quite easy to assemble. My four year old son and I put it all together. It's easy enough as long as you follow the instructions. The seat is a nice soft micro plush fabric in vibrant green and it is easy to take off and put on for washing.



Other features include a variety of jazzed up classic tunes, 6 different speed settings, a fun fluttery mobile and two-position recline for baby’s comfort. The control panel is down on the ground, with easy on-off buttons. It is really easy to work out the different modes, and the transition from swing to glide is made with just a push of two buttons. The seat can be rotated to the left or right.



I love the globe mirror on the mobile. Lily does enjoy looking at herself, and the colourful fluttery butterflies surely are engaging. The mobile does swing out of the way, so it makes it easier to put her in or take her out of the seat.



But perhaps my favourite bit of it all is that, not only does it use battery power (4 D size batteries), but there is also an option of using an AC adaptor. You have no idea how many batteries we have used in this household in the last 4 years. It is phenomenal! Not to mention spending a fortune on those exorbitant D-size batteries. And every time batteries need changing, it's my job to unscrew the itty bitty screws that hold the casing, and then replacing the batteries and the itty bitty screws! Oh how I disliked toys that ate up batteries! So I was really stoked with the thing that plugs into the wall.



The other important bits...

Product Dimensions:

76.2cm in height x 40cm x 27cm

Batteries are not included.



And you see, it has worked its magic again!



Sshhhh....baby's now asleep.



I don't know which one I would choose between the Little Lamb and the i-Glide. We are certainly spoilt for choices. The one thing I know, a cradle or a swing or a glider definitely comes in handy, for those sneaky times when mummy just needs to plonk baby down. And baby loves it. Real sweet.



www.fisher-price.com.au

A New Beginning

One day not so long ago, I fell in love.

It has only been a week, and we have been taken on a whirlwind journey. From the moment we set eyes on this vintage charm, its land so vast screaming out endless opportunity. To the moment we decided we could live there, and so put in an offer for the house. The visits to the banks. The visits to the house again and again. The realisation that we needed to sell the current house and works that needed to be done to get the house in shape to sell. The phone call that told us we were new owners of this property. Whoaa... it is all happening. And it has only been one week.

And I wasn't even looking.

Love is blind. Love is fate.

It is here, we shall begin a new chapter of our lives...

Four Kids

Last weekend, we played mum and dad to 4 kids. We were minding a friend's 5 year old son, Isaac, for the day.

We had 4 child restraints in the car, the third row of seats in our 7 seater SUV resurrected. It was the hubby's dream come true! In fact, he bought the car for exactly this reason. To fill the seats with kids. Though I'm pretty sure he ain't getting anymore from me!

So off we went, Isaac, Lachlan, Lucas, Lily, Gary and I to attend not only one, but TWO birthday parties that day. Packing the family into the car was uneventful. Pffftt... easy. 2 minutes tops per child. It just felt like the whole house was coming with us. Bag for Isaac, bag for Lachlan and Lucas, baby bag, water bottles, stroller, baby carrier, sun screen, hats for everyone, birthday presents, costumes etc etc etc.

The first was a party for a pretty little girl. She turned 4 that day. It was held at a park. What an awesome park it was! The kids had a ball, running free and wild, climbing, swinging, sliding. (Mental note: must have kids' birthday party at a park next time.) It was a lovely day for that too. They decorated gingerbread men and fairy biscuits, did crafty things. 4 hours and lots and lots of cupcakes, sweets, jellies (and maybe a little too much sun) later, we were ready for the next party.

A superhero party for 2 year old super-e!

Just imagine 4 little superheroes, tearing into the house of our next hosts. Cape flapping, a little worn out from the previous party, maybe a tad (ahhh just a tad) sugar high. Sheer terror, for me that is! I don't know how the hosts felt. It was a great party no doubt!

I had the darting eyes all day that day. Uh, where did he go? OK, now where's the little guy. Eeeps, I'm sure he's just hiding in the bush. What? You mean a 15 year old got shot in this very park? Gaaahhh better keep both eyes on the kids. Yeeeeekkk, where are they. Can't they ALL stay in just the ONE place at the ONE time? OK, so you need to use the toilet? What I need to go with you? Here use this tree.........

By the end of the day, I really didn't care if the kids ate chips for dinner.

The best part of the day was when Isaac called out to me... "mum, mum, mum!" I was like "huh? you're calling me mum?" Isaac says, "yes mum, I want to be part of this family FOREVER!"

*smiles*

4 kids? Pfft... easy. Uhmm... but no thank you.


Happy Birthday Master Elliot! You are just too cute!
Photo credit: "borrowed" from someone's facebook page. :) Just can't resist it!

Reflections on Death

I got a phone call on Sunday afternoon. I was out with the family. We were coming home from a birthday party. A friend of mine had passed away. We went to school together, and later reunited in uni when she did dentistry and I did medicine. We shared some lectures together in the first few years.

She was 30. It was sudden, and tragic. I do not know exactly what happened.

That night, I took a deep breath, and looked at her facebook profile. I clicked on her pictures, and went through them one after another. And I procrastinated that moment all evening.

Four years ago, I organised a little get together with a few school friends. We chatted, we laughed and we remisnisce the old times. We laughed so much. She was always so bubbly. There was a certain positive energy that she emits. She laughed at my behind being so massive, pregnant with Lachlan at that time. After dinner, we walked her to her car. And that was the last time I saw her.

My brother bumped into her on Flinders Street a few months ago whilst being on holiday in Melbourne. She ran up to him and gave him this massive jump hug. She was always so full of......life. And now she's gone. And it doesn't seem real. It's so hard to think about death, without thinking about life.

Even now, I still feel numb.

It made me reflect. On how fragile life is. Somehow, I am just more aware of how alive I am today.

Super-E!

We're off to a superheroes party!







Happy Sunday!

Starting Lily on Solids

Some time last week, I was eating an apple.

And I found Lily gazing at me, longingly. Watching my every bite. So intently. Not blinking. Dribbling. So I offered her a little lick of my apple. She sucked on a bit of apple, smacking her lips, making squeaky noises. Just as she would with her fists. I didn't make anything out of it, until...

I finished the apple. And she gave out this huge wail and started crying real tears! What a drama queen.

Alright. So my iddy bitty baby is ready for a little more than just breast milk.

When Lily turned 5 months a couple of weeks ago, I've been asked a few times. Have I started her on solids? Solids? Hah, the word solids just reminded me of shiny, sinewy, hard-muscled men in spandex. Quick mummy Grace, snap out of your day dreaming. Uhmm, yeah, solids. I'm a little busy this week. Maybe next week, when I get the chance to pick up a packet of rice cereal from the supermarket!

From as far as I could remember, the two boys are real natural when it comes to eating. They're guzzlers, just with whatever food that you present in a spoon for them, all except rice cereal. (And up until they figure out what the colour green is). So I started Lily with the recommended blah blah, a bit of rice cereal in breast milk. She took a little spoonful, swirl it in her mouth, made a funny little grimace and spat it right back out. Suffice to say, she is not at all impressed with it.

Lachlan asked what's that mom? And I said why son, it's glue. You know, the stuff you make craft with...

Why don't you feed her noo-noo (noodles), I'm sure she will like that better!

I completely agree!

Mr. Chatz

My 4 year old Lachlan, is a chatterbox.

At Play...

"Mum Mum, look over here. I made this tower (from Lego), and in the tower there's a princess, not Princess Fiona, but just another princess with long yellow (blonde) hair. And outside, there's a dragon. The dragon spits fire like this... bleh bleh bleh. It's awesome isn't it? And a black horse will come and rescue the princess so he can kiss her, and then she turns into Princess Fiona"

Huh? Is that how the story goes??

At Kinder...

"Hi Leanne (teacher)! How's it going? Did you enjoy your weekend? Yeah, me too. It was lovely weather isn't it? What did you get up to? I was in the garage, just helping dad out. His car needed a big clean up. And there's all sorts of tools for fixing cars. You should come over to our house some time."

Yeah, mate!

At Swimming Class...

"I can't blow bubbles with my nose. I have a cold. All the green stuff will come out. See? You know, last week my brother caught a cold, and he had green stuff in his nose too. He passed it on to me."

(You're not meant to say that Lachlan, just shut up and swim)

When I was mad one day...

Me: "Lachlan, you are really testing my patience!"

Lachlan: "Mum, you don't have any patients. You're not a doctor anymore, remember?"

I didn't get it straightaway. I thought, yep I have definitely lost all of my patience, vamooshed, along with my sanity! A 4 year old telling me I have NO PATIENCE! What a wake up call!

(And yep, surely I have lost all of my patients!)

Pigs In Blanket

You may remember some time ago, I made little piggies in blanket or little frankfurts wrapped in sweet bread rolls. Yummm... these scrumptious little beauties are a favourite with my boys. They scoff them down, one after another after another straight from the baking tray. And there's no stopping until...every little pig is gone.

Well, mom is here. And guess what?




:)

Hop over here for the recipe. Click Click!