Tots Bots Training Pants Review

Here at Monkeyfeet HQ we are rather huge fans of Tots Bots nappy's.

See having kids has released my latent hippy and I love that my baby's bot is being cared for with gentle fabrics, we aren't contributing to landfill and we are saving a fortune!!! Plus they are so darn cute!

 

But using them has a rather sad yet brilliant side effect, you see there's talk that cloth bottomed children potty train sooner than those in disposables. This seems true for my termite who is now very aware of what's going on at her bottom! Infact she's been interested in the toilet area for about 3 months now, telling us when she has pooed by saying 'poo and rubbing her tummy. She pretend wipes her bum when she's in the bathroom and she asks for her nappy off when she knows it's wet or dirty. So with sadness I think toilet training is a very very imminent event.

 

I don't believe in using traditional pull up nappies for potty training, I think they work in the same way as disposables and they mask the feeling of wetness therefore not teaching your little piddler anything at all. Plus they are full of chemicals and a massive contribution to landfill. We've always just gone gung-ho all or nothing nappies off, pants on which has worked for us with the big two when they were aged about 2 yrs and 1 month so I had some hesitation about trying Tots Bots Training Pants incase this was the same, but I'm pleased I gave them an open mind and a fair trial.

 

We received the Dolly Mixture T-Pants.

 

 

Right off they are different from our easy fits because they popper together to create a traditional pair of pants instead of the usual very nappy-like velcro of our easy fits. This means they can be pulled on and off like 'big girl' pants but can be opened easily by mummy if its a messy affair!

 

Flashing her pants in a way that can only be acceptable pre-school!!!

 

They are also much thinner than easy fits so are much closer to normal 'big girl' pants. They have an extra bit of absorbent cloth in the gusset (eek that word makes me chuckle!) which means accidents stay contained but Termite still knows she has had a wee.

I love the design despite my aversion to pink and girly they are cute as can be and really fun. they are made to the high standards you would expect of Tots Bots and I love that they are British Made!

At £10.99 they are more expensive than heading straight to normal pants, but I think these are a grand idea for days out as it buys you an extra bit of time in the event of an 'accident'. So you can get to a loo before you need a whole wardrobe change, but still in keeping with the idea of not confusing issues with disposables. (Do you see I'm not a fan of disposables?!)

I love that they wash well and air dry quickly and I love more that they arent unkind to the enviroment, my bin still stays free of nappies and given that big brand pull ups are about 25p each and toilet training taking anything up to 6 months the Tots Bots price tag is justified fairly quickly. There's also a good resale for Tots Bots. So it's actually an investment.

Lastly I love how amazing the company is, they are always keen to answer any questions, offer advice and chat about all things nappy and their customer service is brilliant. You can check out their gorgeous new designs here

I'd love to hear which is your favourite design? Do you have any potty training tips? Share them below for our readers. 

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My Thankful Thursday - Family

My thanks today are simple and so this post will be short, I am thankful for my family all together again

 

 

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Thankful Thursday 26 March 2015

Hello hello to all my regular linkee's and welcome along to any new friends, don't be shy we like new people!

 

It was lovely to see some new faces last week, do keep spreading the word for us.

Thankful Thursday is my weekly linky for us all to share our silver linings, brags, boasts or just something that made us smile. Be it a picture, a word, a sentence or a great big essay lets share what we are thankful for this week. It can be a new post just for this linky, a picture, a video, one word or a thousand this linky is all about thankfulness so whatever has made you grateful this week I would love to know.If you would like to link up I would love for you to grab the badge below and spread a little linky love to some of the others taking part, by commenting on their posts and don't forget to spread the word, invite lots of people and help me grow this linky and make Thursdays a happier place.

 

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My Sunday Photo, Check Out That View

I'm joining in with #Mysundayphoto and #checkouthatview

 

 

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#Mummymakeover Weekly Weigh In - Week 10

When I started Slimming World I wanted to average a loss of 2lb a week but sadly I've lost my way a little and with a loss of only 1lb this week my average is 1.5lb a week.

I was in a bit of a huff with myself because I could have done so much better had I not devoured an average of 20 Syn's every day! See I'm eating loads of speed food but the chocolate craving has been so bad that I've just given in! I blame the Mr for leaving me to gallivant to India. When I explained this to Sharon (my consultant) we had a chat about what I was going to do differently....

 

Sharon 'so instead of eating chocolate in bed what are you going to do'

Me 'Well it's ok my husband home tonight so I won't need to eat chocolate, erm that sounds rude I don't mean that'

Cue much blushing, from me and Sharon, a bit of a giggle and we finally straightened out that I won't be so lonely next week so I shan't be eating my emotions away.

 

But hey a bit of duvet disco has to count towards body magic right?

 

And you know what 1.5lb a week for a year is 5 stone 8 pound loss which would take me a stone under my target so I'm going to celebrate my achievements and make a plan to go running at least once, get the wii working and go out on my bike. Then those Curly Wurlys can just stop yelling at me and I'll be back on track in no time.

 

If you remember my first #Mummymakeover post I wanted to have reached my Club 10 that's a loss of 10% of my starting weight) by Easter. Now then, that means I have to lose 3.5lb in 2 weeks if I can't do that I'm going to be very cross with myself!

I'd love to know if you are healthy eating, slimming or trying to add more healthy habits to your lifestyle, what keeps you motivated, what are your 'triggers' and how do you combat them?

 

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How To Start An Allotment

Week 2- Enlist Help

This is how it started ...

See what I did? I'm Not asking for help I'm inviting you for fun....

Saturday rolled around and we met the cousins who were dressed for work! A good start I thought, I'd already promised lunch and I was prepared with a bag of goodies and two flasks of tea. So I wasn't shocked when my 'guest' (skivvy for the day) asked if he could do anything.

And so the phrase many hands make light work came into its own. With two of us working we got another load of potatoes and some onions in the ground and the nursery is filled more tomato and cucumber seedlings than you can shake a muddy stick at!

With a wheelbarrow arriving as my Mother's Day present I feel things are really taking shape. Only 3 weeks left to get everything in and planted before the Easter holidays which is my target.

Doesn't it look blissfully 'Good Life' Though?

 

 

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Thankful Thursday Linky 19 March

Hello hello to all my regular linkee's and welcome along to any new friends, don't be shy we like new people!

Thankful Thursday is my weekly linky for us all to share our silver linings, brags, boasts or just something that made us smile. Be it a picture, a word, a sentence or a great big essay lets share what we are thankful for this week. It can be a new post just for this linky, a picture, a video, one word or a thousand this linky is all about thankfulness so whatever has made you grateful this week I would love to know.

If you would like to link up I would love for you to grab the badge below and spread a little linky love to some of the others taking part, by commenting on their posts and don't forget to spread the word, invite lots of people and help me grow this linky and make Thursdays a happier place.

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My Thankful Thursday- A Shake and a List

I must share something with you this week. I've been in a right old grump with myself ,

• I miss my man
• The house is crazy messy
• I haven't managed an early night yet
• I've not finished any of the jobs I wanted to do
• I've not started some of said jobs

So where I would normally have an idea of what I'll be writing on a Thursday I have struggled with inspiration until I saw this quote on Twitter...

And that was just the shake I needed to get back to my normal thankful self. So this week I'm making a list, I'm thankful for...

• Spending time with my besties
• Help on the allotment
• Celebrating being a mam
• Having a Sunday lunch cooked by my brilliant cousin
• Children who behave brilliantly and make me proud
• Laughing hard with the kids whilst dancing to 'I'm a spring chicken'
• Skype
• Slimming world
• Having a home that may be messy but is beautiful and warm and safe
• Blogging pals
• A growing North East Bloggers network
• Charity shop finds
• Lighter nights
• Longer days
• Sleepy cuddles
• Time with my Dad
• Toddler groups
• Mummy friends
• Happy health news for people I love
• A morning to clean
• Painting the bookshelf
• Curly Wurly's
• Time with the kids
• New wellies
• My Wheelbarrow
• The imminent return of my man, who is gonna be hugged a lot!

What makes you thankful?

 

 

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#Mummymakeover Weekly Weigh In - Week 9

Eesh it's been so long since we chatted! So I missed last weeks weigh in, in favour of watching my boy perform in his assembly, but in all honesty I'd had a back week leading up to that and I took the options to hide my head in the sand instead of going to my Slimming World class.

I've discovered something about myself these past two week, it seems the more people tell me I'm losing weight the more 'naughty' I'm tempted to be! Honestly I can't even explain it, there's no rhyme or reason to it and I must spend time looking more thoughtfully at why I do this because I seem to be some kind of example of reverse psychology!

It was therefore quite nerve wracking to head in to class this week knowing I could have potentially undone some of my good work.

Thankfully a good week has gotten me back on track (almost) with a 3lb loss! Making 16lb in total. So next week I'm on a mission to at last get close tony 2lb a week average which means I need about a 4lb loss!

 

Wish me luck....

 

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Simple Slow Cooker Saag Aloo

Ok so Saag Aloo is one of those geet (it's a northern term) easy dishes anyway but with a slow cooker it's even easier (I mean lazier)

 

Ingredients

3 fist sized potatoes peeled and chopped

A bag of spinach (200g)

500ml chicken/veg stock (I used 2 stock cubes)

2 onions sliced

1 teaspoon each of coriander, chilli powder and cumin.

2 teaspoons of curry powder

Ok here's the really complicated bit, so take your time to get it right.....

Put everything in the slow cooker on medium for about 2.5-3 hours until the potatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened. It doesn't look amazing but it's totally tasty !

 

That's it, you're welcome x

 

 

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Sleep The Elusive Luxury

A funny thing about blogging and having a newborn.. Sometimes in the middle of the night in your sleep deprived state you will write a post and save it to spell check later. Then you will completely forget about it! This here is one such post I wrote this about a year ago and have only just discovered it sitting forlornly in my drafts folder! I'm pleased to say I get a bit (not much) more sleep now than when I wrote this but I do still remember very clearly the frustration of a wasted sleep opportunity! So her is my post written in February 2014....

 

 

It's ten past midnight, not too late, but a bit later than I would like to be awake. So why am I sitting in the dark feeling cross?

Well let me explain, when pregnant with Termite (and even before that) I would happily be in bed before 9 with a cuppa, watch a bit TV and slide into sleep by 10, rarely would I be woken until 7am. Just recently though Peanut has taken to refusing sleep until after 9 (a phase I'm hoping will pass quickly) Termite feeds until after 10 and then I make a frantic dash for dishes, housework, organising the next days needs. I fall into bed at midnight knowing I will be woken soon. Sure enough termite requires more sustenance at about 1 am and 4 am! But tonight is a bad night because finally managing to get bed lights out by 10.30 I have listened to Spartacus snore for almost an hour, drifted off only to be woken by Peanut needing to share the news she needs a wee, more snoring and then Termite wakes, so despite potential for 100 minutes of sleep I've managed 10!!!

90 wasted minutes, I could have flown to France, Played a football match, had a manicure. But instead I've been robbed of the most precious commodity a parent has SLEEP!

I feel frustrated and tearful and irrationally cross at being the only one awake AGAIN!

So my advice to any of you out there with weeny ones, leave the housework, ignore the admin and at least once a week when the kids are settled and silent, creep quietly into bed at 8pm and just sleep for as long as you can!

 

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Getting Crafty With Hillarys

Just recently I was invited along to The Hillarys Craft Roadshow to view thier newly launched fabrics and have some fun! The afternoon would also involve tea and biscuits and CRAFT! All good for me, I'm handy* with a sewing machine and there's generally always something being created in Monkeyfeet HQ.
*please note by handy I mean I can work a sewing machine, nothing ever turns out quite like it's supposed to!

We congregated in The a Jazz Cafe in Newcastle, and watched the very talented ladies from The Crafty Hen give a demo of how to make a reusable book cover. It all seemed fairly easy...

• Choose Some Fabric from the beautiful range (imagine these as blinds! They are gorgeous)

• Fold the fabric using the book as a template
• Decorate the fabric, possibly using a wee hand stitched flower (they're very easy we are told)
• Stitch together and et viola.

Or you can do it the Monkeyfeet Way

• Fold the fabric around the book (tweet about it)
• Realise you've folded it too big
• Fold again
• Choose some buttons then spend ten minute dithering over where to put them (tweet about it)
• Attempt a lovely cloth flower and realise you've just managed to create a Barbie shower cap!
• Now stitch the folds together (it's just a teeny stitch it's not hard)
• Realise you should have stitched the edges with the book still inside so that the cover actually fits!
• Re stitch (tweet about it)

• Look at the beautiful creations everyone else has made and feel slightly inferior

• Have a Cuppa! (tweet about it)

Next up a fabric bird

• Cut out fabric using the template (tweet about it)
• Stitch together (tweet about it)
• Stuff
• Et voila.

In reality I cut, stitched and sauntered to the front brandishing an inside out bird awaiting a good stuffing! That's when it all started to unravel, literally. Turning the bird right way out showed some flaws in my stitching, stuffing said bird highlighted even more!

The Top is how it should look, and the botttom is, well thats mine!

 

My poor bird was coming apart at the seams with stuffing escaping form almost every angle! Luckily with a bit of stitching and held at a distance it sort of looks ok, and Termite called it a 'quack quack' which is enough for me!

 

So to sum up, my crafting skills are exactly as I thought..... My ideas are much better than my execution! I had such fun though so a massive thankyou to Joe Blogs, Crafty Hen and Hillarys and all the other lovely North East Bloggers who helped make the day fab.

Proudly displaying our creations

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How to Start an Allotment

 

Week 1

With much excitement and after years of waiting today we trundled of to our new allotment with our box of seeds, potatoes onions and herbs.

In my head we would spend an idyllic morning digging and planting and I would leave with everything safely in the ground....

 

 

Of course with three 'helpers' things were not quite as quick as I had envisaged. Trench digging was assisted with big stompy feet climbing all over the excavated mud pushing it back in. Then there was the 'assistance' with digging, I say digging, The Golden Child turned over one piece of mud and declared whilst mopping his brow that he needed a rest! Termite filled the watering can with rocks and Peanut spent her time looking for willow pieces (there are lots of old worn pieces of willow pattern in the earth and she's collecting them to send away for a cup!)

Needless to say our Sunday morning resulted in only one load of potatoes being planted. Let's hope that next time our labours are more fruitful or it'll be autumn by the time we finish sowing and planting !

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Thankful Thursday Linky 12 March 2015

Hello hello to all my regular linkee's and welcome along to any new friends, don't be shy we like new people! I look forward to seeing what you've all be up to this week, please help spread the word invite your friends and followers to come share the gratitude!

Thankful Thursday is my weekly linky for us all to share our silver linings, brags, boasts or just something that made us smile. Be it a picture, a word, a sentence or a great big essay lets share what we are thankful for this week. It can be a new post just for this linky, a picture, a video, one word or a thousand this linky is all about thankfulness so whatever has made you grateful this week I would love to know.

If you would like to link up I would love for you to grab the badge below and spread a little linky love to some of the others taking part, by commenting on their posts and don't forget to spread the word, invite lots of people and help me grow this linky and make Thursdays a happier place.

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Community Policing - My Thankful Thursday

I've written more than once about my gratitude for the NHS But this week I've been thinking about another service that we all take for granted yet probably don't praise enough, our police forces.

On Friday my Golden Child took part in a school assembly about people who help us. He played the part of a police officer and it comes as no surprise to me that he thinks the Police are pretty ace. You see we have been really very fortunate to have a lovely community policing team. When I first found out we had access to a regular community meeting to catch up with the police and stay informed with any local issues, I was really pleased. I love the idea of having a real community feel and my kids growing up knowing our 'local bobby' . We have a dedicated Neighbourhood Beat Manager who turns up come  rain or shine and makes it his business to know whats going on but also he really has gotten to know the folk on his beat. Sadly he will be leaving us soon but before he left he called in to say goodbye to the family and remind us to keep going to the community meetings and support the new manager. It just shows how people really do care about thier jobs and thier communities. So this week my #Thankfulthursday is going to our amazing Neighbourhood Beat Manager and to all the other officers just like him who care enough to want our towns and cities to be better places.

 

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Comic Relief - How To Help

Imagine giving birth in a hospital with no lights, in fact no electricity! Imagine carrying twins and knowing there is no special care available for your babies so if they come early there's no incubator no special equipment. Imagine this being normal!!?!! Well I'm sitting in my palatial, in comparison to what I'm watching, home warm and safe I'm watching people in Uganda for whom this IS normal. Clinics filled with rats, bats and scorpions so bad in fact that people critically ill would rather go home than risk sleeping in these conditions.

So whilst I sit here crying over a fellow mothers loss. Feeling angry at the world for such unnecessary suffering I thought I would share some ways you can help...

You can donate by text, TEXT FIVE to 70510 to dante £5 or TEXT TEN to 70510 to donate £10.

Give money to your school or club or assciation, if they are running a fundraiser. you dont need to do anything more than put your hand in your pocket and every single penny helps.

You can buy a host of red nose day things from Sainsburys

Courtesy Sainsbury's

You can be part of fashion history by shopping at TK Maxx. TK Maxx has partnered with five of the world’s most celebrated names in fashion to design the 2015 Red Nose Day T-shirt range for Comic Relief. Fashion royalty Anya Hindmarch, Karl Lagerfeld, Diane von Furstenberg, Henry Holland and Matthew Williamson have designed an eclectic collection including seven very special T-shirts and a onesie, that are available now exclusively in TK Maxx

What are you doing to help raise money this Red Nose Day ?

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