Throwing the Ultimate Adult Halloween Party!

Are you excited for Halloween? I am! If you've been reading my posts the past few weeks, or know me at all you will know I LOVE Halloween.

The love for me goes as far back as I remember- the costumes, sweets, movies... I loved it all as a child, and once I was an adult the Halloween parties were the best. I've spent so many embarrassing Halloween nights "out out" in town dressed as zombie-this or spooky-that, and many more dressed up and watching scary films with friends at their houses.

If you're looking to throw a Halloween party for the grown ups this year (because sometimes we deserve a night to dress up and have a glass of wine or two in the spirit of scariness!) you can check out these awesome ideas to make it a party to remember.

How amazing do those cocktails look? You can find even more party ideas for your grown up Halloween bash here!

Disclosure: This has been a collaborative post. Halloween pack provided by Festive Lights.

Monster Island [Film Review]

"It's spooky but fun, and a little scary. But fun scary! Can we watch it again tomorrow?" (Isla)

Monster Island is a fantastic new family film coming out this month, right in time for Halloween. Bought to you by the producer of Top Cat Begins and the writer of Madagascar, it is a wonderful animated feature with a lot of laughs and just the right amount of fright, and we were thrilled to be lucky enough receive a copy to review.

I've been doing everything I can to get Isla into the spooky Halloween spirit- if you've been reading my other posts you can tell it's one of my favourite times of year- and this film was the perfect vibe to get her in the mood. Every week for one day a week, we snuggle up after her afternoon nap and have a bowl of popcorn and a film, and she'd been eyeing Monster Island up suspiciously since it had come in the post.

The film follows Lucas, a young boy who isn't having the best time in the human world- but once he finds out he isn't exactly human he leaves to find his real roots and discovers Monster Island, a wonderfully vibrant world full of more tentacles than a seafood salad, fangs, and a villain so well written you'll be booing him off the screen (Isla did, several times!).

The movie is rated PG so I sat with her- I was worried some of the monsters might be a bit too scary for her, but even at 2 and a half years old Isla wasn't phased. She absolutely loved telling me about all the weird and wonderful things she was seeing and could follow along really well with the story. Even as an adult, I found it hard to look away. It's a seriously enjoyable film for the whole family.

Monster Island is due for release on the 16th October!

We received a copy of Monster Island in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions are my own. Pictures provided and owned by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution.

Is it my fault she's shy?

When I was a child, I can remember feeling nervous in big groups. I would get very anxious about whether or not I would fit in, and I would panic and think about all the things that could go wrong. For a large period, I was terrified of going out or taking the bus or having to use the phone. Usually, once I acclimatised I was okay and I was quite good at smiling and pretending my heart wasn't trying to break out of my chest.

This reflects pretty heavily on my personality as an adult. I have pretty severe social anxiety and don't have very many friends at all- I've always panicked about what people think of me, reading between the lines and creating a situation in my head which leads me to believe people don't want to be around me.

In a lucid moment, I always know I'm being ridiculous and as I was as a child, I'm still very good at forcing myself to just get on with it.

The hardest part of it all, is seeing my toddler be shy. Once a super outgoing pre-walker who had no sense of "stranger danger" in the slightest, Isla is now terrified of new people and experiences. I take her to the soft play and she is very anxious about playing with other children.

You can see that she really wants to join in and be a part of it all, and she talks furiously about going to meet new friend and asking me if she can play with the boys and girls.. it's just once she's beside them she panics and runs back to me.

She is similar to how I was, and once she gets used to a new place or being around someone new, she can relax... but it's heartbreaking when she sobs into my lap and I don't know how to reassure her.

I honestly believe it is my fault. What if she has picked up the vibe from me? I've only taken her to toddler group twice and that is a new development that took me 24 months to be brave enough to do. Can she tell I'm terrified? I worry my own anxiety and shyness has stopped her getting socialised outside her circle of friends and family. I do try very very hard to make a point of being friendly and chatty to everyone we meet so she see's they aren't frightening.

I'm doing everything I can now. Isla recently had her 2.5 year review with the health visitor team who were shocked by how advanced her speech and mental development is. They said she is on par with a four year old but in order to keep her from playing up and struggling in future, I needed to try offer her more situations to "get it all out" and use her skills. So I took the plunge and have finally started taking her to toddler group every week.

It's a small step, but I'm already seeing improvements in her- she is keener on other children besides the ones she already knew, and she was even brave enough to play away from me at our last session.

If anyone has any tips or just knows what I'm going through do share in the comments or tweet me. I need some reassurance that it isn't forever and she won't always be shy...!

Thank you for reading.

Steph xo

Nimble Milk Buster- Review and Giveaway

As I've been breastfeeding Archer, I've only really used bottles on rare occasions, using milk from a breast pump. I recently went into my cupboards to move some bits around and I found my bottles were a mess- they looked greasy and grimy and when I opened one, they really smelt!

How had this happened?! I hadn't used them for ages, but I had washed them and put them all away dry. I could literally smear the grease with my fingers. Apparently, because my breast milk is high in fat, it can leave a residue film across all my pump parts and bottles. It can even happen with formula.

It was perfect timing really for me to test out the milk buster sprays by Nimble. The handy spray is designed to get into all the nooks and crannies of bottles and tiny pump parts (as well as bowls and spoons if you're weaning!) and get rid of the cloudy smelly residue, leaving them crystal clear and germ free as the day they were bought.

To make the test fair, I took out two of the bottles we have yet to use and filled them both with some pumped breast milk and gave them a shake, then left them to sit for an hour.

(splashed with milk)

I then washed and rinsed one in just water, and the other using the cleaning technique on the back of the milk buster bottle.

I was honestly sceptical at first, but after having to re wash all my bottles and pump parts multiple times between uses, I was willing to try anything.

(After washing)

The difference was clear almost instantly- the bottle on the right was with milk buster. Look at how crystal clear the teat is compared to the already cloudy bottle on the left! I wash and sterilise so thoroughly but the difference really is as clear as day using milk buster.

You can buy it in full size bottles and a handy travel size which you can throw into any travel or changing bag. You can also rest assured as the product is plant based, so no chemical nasties.

Now, if you're interested I'm offering two readers the chance to win a full sized bottle of Milk Buster to try for yourself! Enter in the widget below!

Milk Buster by Nimble

I recieved a full sized and travel bottle of milk buster in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are my own, and all photos are my own unless stated otherwise.

Prize to be supplied directly by brand. All entrants must be UK residents aged 18+ and supply valid contact details. Winners will be selected at random and contacted by myself. Winners will need to confirm details by responding within 14 days or winner will be re-selected.

Spider Grab- Toddler Friendly Activities

Carrying on the theme of Halloween, we've been playing a new sensory game this week- Spider Grab!

The whole thing only cost around £2.50 and took less than five minutes to put together, and Isla has been playing with it for days now.

I found this small storage basket in Poundland, as well as the crochet wool/string and some spiders. I weaved the string through the holes and then placed the spiders in the bottom of the basket.

The idea is that the string makes it quite challenging to collect the spiders as they get tangled, and with it being pulled taut Isla had to weave her hand around to reach the bottom. It's a lovely activity to help develop fine motor skills and to develop problem solving skills.

With the spiders and the string "web" it's a lovely themed activity for the season. We've also tried putting conkers in the bottom, and doing it timed! You can also make it harder by adding more string or using tweezers instead of fingers.

Halloween is getting so close now!

Steph xo

Weaning with Archer- Apple & Carrot baby food recipe

Archer hit 4 months at the start of October, and along with his age and the signs he's been giving us for weeks now, we've decided to start introducing him to purees! How exciting!

Isla was early to be weaned as well- we started her at 16 weeks. They're both just exceptionally hungry children and even with me breast feeding this time around, there was no denying Archer felt ready to join in with the good stuff.

So, I'm inviting you to follow along with our weaning journey. I'll be sharing recipes, tips and tricks, and how he gets along with it all.

This past week, Archer has had tastes of avocado pureed with breast milk, bananas, and parsnip puree. I've been homemaking all of his food so far and once he hits around 6 months I will start mixing in some elements of baby led weaning.

Apple and Carrot Puree Recipe

Ingredients;
- One medium Gala apple (Gala apples have a mild, sweet taste)
- One medium carrot
- 1.5 oz breast milk (optional, to make a creamier texture. You can mix in formula when serving if you prefer)

Start by peeling, and then chopping your apple and carrot. I choose to steam most of the fruit and veg I work with so chopping it as small as possible helps with cooking times- it also helps when blending later.

Steam the carrots for around 10 minutes before adding the apple- the carrot cooks faster and you'll lose a lot of the apples juices if you put them in too soon. Once the apple is added, steam for around another 10 minutes.

If you have a low capacity blender like mine, add in around half the steamed bits and blitz on low before adding in the rest. Keep stopping to mix in the larger lumps until none can be found, forming a puree.

I prefer purees to be a bit creamier and I find they blend smoother if I add in breast milk- plus, it makes the flavour a little more familiar for Archer. Add in around an oz to two oz, dependant on how thick or thin you need the mixture.

(Alternatively, add in some formula when serving if that's what baby drinks, it will also make it creamier and add the familiar taste!)

I put around 1.5oz of food in each storage pot for now as that's around what Archer eats. Once he's eating more, I'll start making enough to freeze and store.

What was the first thing your little one ate? If they try apples and carrots let me knw how they get along!

Steph xo