Milk & Manolos

Back in April I had lunch with one of the most stylish women I know. We’d set a date via text and the Munchkin and I were excited to meet her new baby, barely 4 weeks old.

Now I remember what I looked like 4 weeks after the Munchkin arrived, I have photos to prove it, and let me tell you, it wasn’t a good look. Yes, I wore my pre-baby jeans with pride but the mens sweatshirts and unwashed hair was a particular fashion no-no (well, for anyone older than 18). To say that I prepared myself is perhaps a little strong, but I was ready for what I might see.

Of course I had got it completely wrong. There she was looking more amazing than ever, her teeny Munchkin wrapped neatly in his Phil & Ted’s in what I can only presume was a cashmere blanket to die for. The make-up was on, and the hair was done. This was one HOT Mama. Over lunch I listened and learnt, as I had done in our younger years - man this is girl is stylish.

On leaving our 3 hour lunch she introduced to me to what has become a true life saver. She wanted to pop quickly into Cook! and would I go with her ? Why of course. Not sure what to expect, there I found a smorgasbord of frozen food, and straight from the oven tasters too ! Ten minutes later I emerged with two career bags full, desperate to go home and start thoring. No need, I read on the instructions, for best results cook from frozen.

I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been back since. Cook!’s perfect for the days you just don’t fancy slaving over a hot stove. There’s a great variety to cater for every taste, and budget. The Munchkin particularly loves the chicken goujons.

The big difference about Cook! is that it’s not manufactured like other shop bought meals. I love that the cook is credited on the packaging (being the thorough person I am I checked the freezer to find other names on the Chicken Alexander I was considering). Thank you Wayne, thank you. It’s possible to order them on line and they deliver too.

One fantastic tip I also got on that day was to defrost and de-canter into my own vestibules for impromptu dinner parties. I’ve not been quite that brave yet, but I will …

I’ve officially turned into my mother. As Lakeland Plastic’s Christmas Catalogue thumped through my front door this morning, it was difficult to contain my excitement. But when exactly did this happen ? I blame the Munchkin. There’s something so incredibly enjoyable about freezing her individual batches of my home-made Spaghetti Bolognese that for a moment or two my obsession with Lock & Lock containers was more than a little worrying. With the arrival of said catalogue not only is there a huge array of things I truly believe will make me a better wife or mother (which I hasten to add I never end up actually buying), but a world of freezing opportunities, with a Lock & Lock range to die for. Can you freeze a whole cake ?

On a recent trip to Granny-Ma’s the Munchkins love for Lakeland was cemented. Somehow or another she seems to have developed a love for rubber gloves. Amusing at first I am now beginning to worry. At this juncture I should perhaps outline that Granny-Ma is in fact an antique dealer so has a plethora of Lakeland gloves for renovating and cleaning tasks. Insisting on wearing the medicinal looking rubber gloves on each of her chubby hands after a recent visit I received more than the odd worried glance from passers by. Is it right for one so young to have such a love of rubber ? And if she loves it this much now, what does the future hold ? Anyway, that’s a WHOLE different subject and one I’m sure she wont thank me for sharing in approximately 15 years time.

Lakeland has such a wonderful range at gadgets that it’s pure entertainment simply reading the catalogue. I frequently have to stop myself (or be stopped by the less consumeristic Husband) making gigantic purchases. If there’s anything you need for your Cucina, you can be sure they stock it.

One of my favourite things in the world is receiving a gift that’s wrapped in cellophane. I’m not sure if it’s the years of sitting in an office where glorious gifts for one the best agents in London would be marched passed me on pretty much a daily basis, but the sight of a cellophane plumage is still enough to send me into an excitable spasm.

Fortunately for me, my best friend knows this. When she was so insistent about throwing me a baby shower, it scared me, the sight of a cellophane wrapped gift crossing the threshold helped calm my nerves. Not only was it beautifully wrapped but it was truly one of the most useful presents I received in the run up to D-Day. Her new business was born…

Nappycake.com is quite simply where it’s at. Opened in 2005 following the birth of her daughter and my rather successful babyshower, they’ll taylor make cakes according to your budget. Let me get something straight, these aren’t no ordinary cakes, but made from nappies individually rolled to make a tiered cake, similar to that of a wedding cake. On top of that (quite literally) is the fun part. The inclusion of shoes, hats, mittens, not to mention champagne are all an option. Finished with a ribbon and the obligatory cellophane a delivery of one of these is going to make one happy mama.

We all have fashion secrets, and mine I’m about to share for pure comic value. I have a very guilty pleasure that’s not only more than a touch out of date, but a little ‘pie and peas’. There’s no easy way to say this, but I LOVE Juicy Couture tracksuits. The brighter, the better. Normally it’s only close friends and family who’d see the wondrous sight of me clad in bright velour or terry towelling but this morning I seem to have woken sans common sense.

Every Sunday we like to frequent our local farmers market. It’s become somewhat of a tradition. A pain au chocolat for the Munchkin, a sausage bap for the Husband and a strong black coffee avec sunglasses for me. We’ll potter for half an hour picking our fruit and veg at a leisurely pace. Not only do we save a fortune, but we’ve never eaten so well. And of course it’s all seasonal which is a big plus too.

So back to the fashion disaster. Early this morning I threw on my turquoise terry towelling tracksuit, dragging the Munchkin out to get some papers while the Husband continued to snooze. Cut to an hour later, the husband full of efficiency thanks to his double macchiato suggests an early visit to our friendly farmers. Being pretty much frog marched out of the house I gave brief regard to the outfit. Fine, I thought, we won’t see anyone we know.

Car parked and following the Munchkin at the mandatory snail’s pace, it seems we weren’t the only people to have the same idea. In the Sunday morning silence a little voice then rang out (and not the Munchkin’s I might add) “Look Daddy, Iggle Piggle“. The humour of this statement wasn’t missed by a soul, especially me. It made perfect sense. I suddenly realised then that did look utterly like our small felt friend. The husband of course found much amusement in my being mistaken for a 5′8” turquoise children’s toy. Back in the car he begged that the Juicy Couture stayed strictly at home in the future. I concurred - it wasn’t quite the look I was going for.

The Husband has a current pash on for Vinegar. Loving it almost more than life itself he has taken to spending hours daydreaming of foodstuffs he can soak with it. I know this from a recent entry to his Facebook page. So great is his love he’s now sharing it with the world. You can imagine my pride …

I have however recently been introduced to a new use for his best beloved, and it doesn’t involve chips.

I’ve spent far too much time this past week trying to get sticky labels off things (from birthday presents to those damn annoying stickers on the bottom of my new shoes) that I went in search of something to aid and abete me. It’s then that my love, well fondness, for vinegar developed. No longer do I have to have to spend hours chipping away at a sticky residue with my already poorly cared for nails, or desperately try to peel off a stubborn label for it to tear half way through. I even attempted the Velux window who up until yesterday was sporting the Mother of all sticky debris - the remains of the not so careful removal of their instructions six months ago.

So how does it work it’s magic ? Easy. Simply douse a cotton-wool ball in vinegar and attack your sticky nemisis, soaking in the vinegar. Leave to saturate for a minute and then rub with a dry cloth. Voila, a gunk free surface.

I’m afraid there is a downside which unsurprisingly is the smell. It goes without saying that it’s best to wipe our stinky friend away as thoroughly as you can. An open window can also help to obliterate the school canteen aroma that comes hand in hand with our new cleaning buddy. Failing that, it’s nothing a trusty Diptyque candle couldn’t sort out.

Occasionally I’ll make a purchase that I believe is going to make me a better person. By owning said item I presuppose not only good fortune, but success, beauty and good health shall be bestowed upon me. More often than not I’m wrong. They do change my life, but only marginally. It’s like the food processor. Do I feel like a better person owning it ? Yes. Do I make healthy home cooked meals every day ? No. Slightly disappointing as of course that was the plan. The thing is, I now have the facility to do so should I want to, thank you very much.

Devouring the Family section of Saturday’s Guardian, as I’m given to doing, I discovered Letterbox have one such item. This one will REALLY change my life, honest.

An ingenious idea - Black peel and stick chalkboard. I know it’s not going to look like the old school chalkboard that I’d originally wanted but I’m sure to take great pleasure in washing down the surface and applying one of the four panels included for the rather reasonable £ 14.99. The fact that I don’t have to wait for the Husband to do it is also greatly appealing.

I’m shall be so organised I won’t know what to do with myself.

I’m not sure about you, but I generally tend to start my Christmas shopping the minute I put on my first woolly cardigan of the season. As that was yesterday, you can imagine what a flurry of activity my keyboard has seen this morning. A purchase is yet to be made but I’m bookmarking my favourites ready for payday.

David Graas has designed the most stylish of child seats that’s really worth checking out. We all know small people often prefer the box that their expensive present came in, so why not combine the two ?

For just € 54 (excluding shipping) you can bag yourself one of David’s limited edition chairs.

Go on now, don’t be shy …

I’ve just discovered a fantastic way to get difficult stains out of whites - soak them in lemon juice for 15 minutes before washing. It needn’t be labour intensive - at this point if you’ve got an image of me Nigella Lawsoning it up, sexily squeezing a lemon between my newly manicured nails well think again. Shop bought, glass bottled, or even kitsch plastic lemon will do. Douse in the juice and for particularly tough stains try leaving them in the sun, or under a lamp for a few minutes.

As a young girl I desperately wanted Mothercare’s 1970’s playhouse. I can still remember the smell. On my 5th birthday my wish was granted and many an hour was spend arranging and rearranging tea parties, dinner parties and lunch dates with various soft toys whose names were down and were definitely coming in, whether they liked it or not. Real life people also crossed my plastic threshold, but as I was very much mistress of my house, with hindsight I may have been a little overpowering.

When trying to find the Munchkin a playhouse of her own, I discovered the wonderful Paperpod. As you can guess, it pretty much does what it says on the tin.

Paperpod have produced a range of environmentally friendly cardboard creations for small people to call their own. And what a selection ! To name a few, the Munchkin was able to choose a teepee, a traditional Wendy house, a rocket and a castle. No surprise with what she opted for. A Wendy house in which all cuddly toys are currently housed.

Sturdy and affordable Paperpod’s really worth checking out.

I admit I’m new to the whole ecofriendly thing. It was only when Madame Hindmarch designed the reusable carrier for the girl about town that I thought about the responsibility I, and we, have to the next generation. I promise you I not about to get all goaty bearded, sock and sandal wearing on you but it’s time for us all to start pulling our weight.

Carbon Clear has created a carbon offsetting package to deal with those lovely disposable (an non-disposable) nappies we all love to hate. Great I thought. How much is THAT going to be ? The answer, a very affordable £4.88 to cover the first two and a half years of a child’s life.

What happens with the £ 4.88 ? It’s invested in carbon reducing projects that balance the volume of greenhouse gases emitted from the stinky little things. It’s got to be worth the gamble …