#Lechuza Spring Planting Ideas

This weekend I was inundated with cards and gifts from my two gorgeous girls - they embraced the idea of Mother's Day very enthusiastically this year.  One of the things that Holly was particularly keen to do was to plant me some flowers rather than to buy cut flowers...it was mightily handy that we had just become the proud owners of two brand new Lechuza self-watering planters.

The girls chose some spring flowers and spring bulbs from the supermarket and brought them home to make them look a bit more snazzy and give them a home!  They worked together as a team.

Lechuza's range of table-top planters are all self-watering and they work by wicking water up from a well at the bottom of the planter and then up through a fabric string into the base of your plant pot.  This means that you can fill the reservoir with water and, over the course of a few days or weeks, your plant will suck up water when it needs it.  You can see how far the water level has dropped using the handy little marker in the corner of the pot.

The girls planted up this decorative flower into a Lechuza Mini-Deltini planter. The Deltini and Mini-Deltini planters come in a massive range of different colours that would suit almost any home decor but we LOVE this fun owl design!  Perfect for the kids.  This pot works by allowing the water to soak up through the absorbent substrate (they call it Lechuza-Pon) so you don't need to fill this pot with compost.

I think I am most taken with this simple cube design.  It has turned a very dull plant pot of spring bulbs into something very striking and you wouldn't believe how simple it was.  Fill with water...push the wick into the bottom of the normal plant pot...plonk plant pot into planter.  Easy!

Using Lechuza planters over the past couple of months has really re-inspired me to grow indoors.  I tend to plant a lot of edible plants outside over the summer but traditionally I've not bothered indoors because I never remember to water.  Self-watering planters may well be my solution to this problem!  I only have to remember to top them up with water infrequently and I think they look fab on my window ledges.

Mums - What Makes You Feel Mellow?

If there was one thing I would ask for as a Mother's Day gift this year, it it would be a whole afternoon of just me.  Nobody else. No noise. A chance for me to do whatever it is I want to do and not have to rush.  The thing that makes me feel most mellow is a long hot bath with lots of time to spend pampering.  As I write this on a Tuesday evening after work I feel exhausted, stressed, sweaty and exasperated that, once again, bedtime for the girls took so long that I missed my opportunity to take a long hot bath and instead, tomorrow morning I will rush to squeeze in a shower before breakfast time and the school run.

For me, bathtime is not only my chance to indulge in a few of my favourite skincare products (one of the original starting points for my Mellow Mummy blog!) but it also signifies time.  Time for a bath means time for me.

Pebble Grey, bathroom accessory specialists asked me to think about what it is that makes my bathroom my place of sanctuary.  I love my bathroom - the two keys to a properly mellow bath are my heated towel rail (got to love a huuuuuuge bath sheet straight from the nice warm towel rail) and my LED Mirror which makes a really lovely light glow in the bathroom if I switch the main light off.  These two things set the mood but it is the pampering smellies which really make the occasion.

So here are my top tips for a mellow mummy bathtime experience this Mother's Day.

1. A really good quality bath milk or bath soak.   Bubbles are cool but they tend to disappear quickly so choose a product with a scent that you love and which works as an additive to the water that can keep your skin soft and well-loved.  I LOVE the Elemis bath milk as it leaves my skin feeling wonderful but the Neal's Yard Remedies bubble baths all smell amazing.

2. Turn the lights low and zone out.  These days I most enjoy having a bath after the girls have gone to bed because it is more likely that I will remain uninterrupted.  Though not guaranteed.

3. Use a gentle body exfoliator during your bath to slough off dead skin and leave your body feeling renewed.  This Agent Provocateur Silky Body Scrub is one of THE most awesome products I've ever come across.  My legs and arms felt soooooo good after I had used it and the room filled with the heady Maitresse scent.

4. Use a face mask or dedicated facial wash on delicate facial skin so as not to dry it out or irritate.  Modern Friction by Origins skincare is my current favourite exfoliating face treatment.

5. Bathtime doesn't have to finish once you get out of the bath. Once you're wrapped up in that warm bath sheet you can still find time to treat yourself.  Finish off with a slathering of a sumptuous, sweet-smelling body lotion and let your skin drink it up.

6. Finish off with a home manicure or pedicure (to me, the fact that I only find time to do this approximately once every three or four months means this is the ultimate indulgence).  Give your feet a scrub, rub in a little hand cream or foot cream, touch up those nails and lie back and wait for them to dry - the perfect excuse to stay still, chill out in the bathroom and not go anywhere for a little while longer.

Peppa Pig Mothers Day Gift Ideas

I'm just a little bit excited about Mother's Day this year as I think Lara, who is nearly 5, really understands the idea this year.  Holly goes through stages of being a real Mummy's girl and she has also recently discovered the joys of Peppa Pig - I think I may have seen or hear approximately 20 episodes in one sitting this weekend.  These two fun gift ideas would make lovely gifts for mummies to share with their children this Mother's Day (30th March).

These fun Peppa Pig wash mitts cost in the region of £4.99 and come in two sizes - one is shaped like Mummy Pig in her bikini and is great for mummy to help out at bath time.  The other is much smaller and is for tiny hands like Holly's so that she can join in with washing at bath time too.  Both of my girls love these wash mitts and really got into the idea of washing being both of our jobs.  The Peppa-sized mitt really was quite small and was too small for Lara but it actually works quite well for our two girls to be able to share the set between them.  You can find these Peppa and Mummy Pig wash mitts online and in most major supermarkets.

Lara also is particularly taken with this Peppa Pig board book - "My Mummy". It is written such that she can read it herself and I almost melted when she first read it out loud to me - now Holly likes to take the book and sit on her bed and "read" it to me as well with lots of "Mummy" words. My Mummy is a fun book in which Peppa explains all the cool things about her mum, Mummy Pig. There are references to lots of Peppa Pig episodes that I recognise including the one where Mummy Pig lets the Peppa and George dress up in her clothes and the one where Mummy Pig gets stuck in a blackberry bush.

My favourite part of the book is where Peppa days that her Mummy works very hard on the computer - I tell Lara she can say the same about me! I think this book makes a wonderful mothers day gift to read with your little ones and this year I've really seen how books about Mummy can help children understand the role of their parents well within the context of other people's families.

 

Me and My Mummy - Mother's Day Book Carry Case Review

Me and My Mummy is a fun little carry case for young children (and their mummy's) this mother's day which this year takes place on the 31st of March. The Me and My Mummy carry pack by Little Tiger Press features 4 compact story books with a special mummy theme as well as a mothers day card to decorate and a set of themed stickers to personalise the card.

My two girls quickly got to work on the card (although I have been told that I'm not allowed to look at it and Lara has hidden it away in her room). The mothers day card has text pre-printed inside and all your child needs to do is to write their name and, should they want to, colour it in. There is a whole sheet of stickers that they can adorn it with and it also comes with an envelope.

The four books inside the carry pack are short paperback books with large coloured illustrations. The Most Precious Thing, Little Bear's Special Wish, My Mummy and Me and Big Bear, Little Bear. Each book has been re-printed especially for the carry pack in a small square format.

The Most Precious Thing is about a little bear who goes exploring with her mummy and every new experience seems to be the most precious thing ever... or is it?

Little Bear's Special Wish is about one bear's search for a really special gift for his mummy's birthday.

My Mummy and Me is a very simple book that my 4 year old was able to read to me.  It is a really tender tale of a little mouse who wants his mummy to know how much he loves her.

Big Bear Little Bear tells the story of a tiny polar bear who wants to be just like his mummy when he grows up.

The four stories in this Me and My Mummy carry pack make lovely bedtime stories for both my 1 year old and my 4 year old. I think the carry pack would be a good idea for taking with them when they stay overnight at their Grandparent's houses. This special carry pack costs £9.99.

  

Mothers Day Book Ideas for Children by Tiger Press

Tiger Press sent the girls two beautiful story books to review, both of which would make beautiful Mothers day gifts for a mum of a young child and they are a fitting celebration for Mothers day which is on the 31st of March 2014.

I Want My Mummy by Tracey Corderoy (illustrated by Elison Edgson) is an outrageously cute book abut a little mouse's first day away from his mummy. Grsny tried everything to cheer him up (even wearing an oh-so-cute dragon costume) but it takes a lot to cheer him up because all he really wants is his mummy.

The illustrations of the tiny mouse, Arthur, are really sweet and both of my girls were instantly drawn to the book for this reason. This book helps a toddler or preschooler understand that they don't need to be scared just because they are apart from their mummy - it would make a good book for reading at bedtime if your children were away from home for the night to try and cheer them up.

I Want My Mummy is available in both hardback and paperback. The story is a good length for a single bedtime story - not too short, not too long.

Mummy's Little Sunflowers is also pretty cute and tells the tale of two cheeky little mice who want to impress their mummy.  The story is written by Angela McAllister and is also illustrated by Alison Edgson.

The story tells the tale of Scurry and his little brother Scamp.  Scurry gets a sunflower seed from nursery that he hopes to plant and grow into a big flower for his mummy but his cheeky younger brother can't resist the tasty treat and eats the special seed.  Between the two siblings they go on an adventure to try and find a replacement sunflower seed.

I loved the little mouse Scamp - I particularly liked the fact that he calls the flowers "funflowers" as this reminds me of Holly right now.  In fact, the two mice remind me quite a lot of my girls and the way that they interact... Holly is the troublemaker but Lara will lead them off into things they probably shouldn't be doing.  I can also picture Holly trying to grow a whole sunflower in a matter of hours - she's not awfully patient.

Mummy's Little Sunflowers is available in hardback for around £10.99 and would make a lovely Mother's day themed gift to read with siblings.

Mothers Day is All About the Chocolates, Right?

I was sent a box of chocolates in return for this chocolate-fuelled review.
When I was asked to review a box of Mother's Day Chocolates from Hotel Chocolat, I ummmed and aaahed for at least 1 minute! Who was I kidding? No-one else is going to buy me a box of chocolates for Mother's Day, are they? Last year Mother's day was all about the amazing feeling of experiencing my first ever Mother's day as a mum myself. This year, it's all about the chocolates and flowers! Unfortunately, until Lara is old enough to buy me presents herself I have to rely on Mr B to supply the goodies, and, given that I can count the number of times he has bought me chocolates on the fingers of one hand, and the number of times he has bought me flowers on the fingers of one... finger... I could be sorely disappointed.



I tried the Sleekster All About Mum selection box of white, dark and milk chocolates. The chocolates arrived really promptly and were well packed. The selection box looked really smart and I couldn't wait to get into it.



The chocolates were a really grown up mix of fruit centres, caramels, nutty fillings and boozy bits! They are mostly shaped as hearts with a few traditional truffles, a shell and a sexy pair of lips! I found the All About Mum selection to be a really feminine selection without being delicate and flouncy. The chocolate from Hotel Chocolat is to die for. I love their bitter dark chocolate and filled with an Armagnac ganache I think the Love-Me-Do heart was my absolute favourite with the fascinatingly fruity Blueberry Truffle in white chocolate coming a close second.



I love the fact that their fruit fillings don't taste as artificial and boring as those you would get in a standard high-street box of chocolates and I think it is great that Hotel Chocolat believe in the quality of their chocolate and the ethics of their cocoa supply.

I would love it if Lara (via Mr. B. ) were to buy me a box of these chocolates.



While I'm here, and moaning about never receiving chocolates or flowers, I'd just like to give a shout out to Interflora who heard my illness woes on twitter and magicked up a bunch or gorgeous spring flowers within an hour and a half to cheer me up and make me feel better. Now I had better head off and drop some more hints to Mr. B.