Carolyn reviews the B.Box

5 things I love about the b-box …

1. It fits into my favourite handbag! I rarely go anywhere without my gorgeous apple-green Kate Spade handbag that I fell in love with & purchased in Soho NYC. Well, now my B-Box is it’s perfect companion. It’s a miracle that I’ve found room for another new addition to my handbag, but the B-Box is compact & cleverly-designed. Our nappy bag’s zipper broke recently and of course I was heartbroken! Weeks of running around town with loose nappies & broken wipes containers stuffed into my handbag…not fun. Now all Jesse & I need is my favourite handbag & his funky B-Box inside! Saved!

2. Quality Quality Quality…The B-Box is a very ‘tough’ container that will last for years to come. With thoughtful mechanisms for opening & closing different parts of the B-Box, it is sure to win the war against time! The design is successful in keeping the contents securely in-place & the easy-wipe change-mat is the perfect size for it’s purpose.

3. No Excuses for Daddy! With the B-Box within reach at all times, whether at home or out adventuring, there is no way Dads can find an excuse to get out of nappy-changing! No more “I can’t find a nappy anywhere!”, or “Where are the wipes?”. This little nappy-changing kit saves the day.

4. Gorgeous Designs & Colours! When I chose a B-Box for a friend’s baby shower gift, I wasn’t sure which design to decide upon! The adorable ‘Cherry Delight’? The very stylish ‘Falling Leaves’?? It was the oh-so groovy ‘Retro Circles’ that caught my eye for a bubs whose sex is unknown; perfect unisex pattern & colours! Jesse & I love the blue & red cars on our ‘Beep Beep’ B-Box change-mat…so fun!

5. The gift that just keeps giving…Jesse & I love to go for walks to the beach, sometimes up to the park or through the country-side & an essential task before taking these walks is always remembering the ‘pram-check’! Leaving the house without an adequate number of nappies and wipes can be a dangerous activity! Now, this Mummy simply needs to check that our B-Box is in the pram & off we go!

click here to find at Mummy's Favourite!

What are our customers saying?

I believe that Mummy's Favourite has one of the nicest customer bases. It is so so lovely and quite humbling to open emails that someone has taken the time to write to us. Here are some received over the last couple of weeks:

"Hi Jennifer,Thank you so much, my order just arrived!
I am sure I will be purchasing from your store again. Your service was excellent.
Kindest regards,C"

"Hi Jennifer,
I received my order this morning, thank you. I'm very happy with the goods.
Kind regards, L"

"Hi Jen, I just wanted to say we received the trunki and it is fantastic, my daughter is already dragging it around the house and filling her things up with it. Thanks again, your website is great. T"

"Yay - thanks babe... love your work! K"

"Hey Jennifer!We received Sophie this afternoon. Thank you so much! She is totally adorable and my son looked at her with wide eyes when I took her out of the box. Finally something good for him to chew!Thank you again From E"

"Hi Jen,I got everything in the mail today - thanks again...very happy with everything ..Cheers, M"

"Hi Jen Thank you very much for the quick delivery of my purchase. I will be recommending your site to my friends. It's always nice to get such great service. Will definitely be buying from you again B"

So - thank you back dear customers for putting a smile on our faces. We appreciate it xo

45 cent postage weekend has commenced :)

jen x

And whilst we are talking about warm weather & babies...

Muslin wraps are a must! A good one will be used in multiple ways

1. covering the baby against the hot sun when all they have is a nappy on whilst ducking between air conditioned locations
2. throwing over the pram for the same reason as above
3. wrapping baby up in to help settle them on hot evenings.

These ones are great! Another helpful thing about muslin wraps is that they dry quickly - ready to be used again. You can't have too many muslin wraps!

Moses Baskets

Last Summer our thermometer reached 48 degrees outside the car when I was collecting Thomas from school. Like everyone elses, our home was like a hot house. The air conditioner seemed to go into meltdown. I bought one of these so I could let Henry sleep in whichever room was the coolest as it was tricky maneuvering his cradle around and I didn't want it bumping into other pieces of furniture or doorways! It proved invaluable on holidays and general visits. I don't feel comfortable taking a pram inside other peoples homes, especially onto carpet, so this was perfect.

Initially I didn't buy the stand, but I did at a later date. It was good keeping him off the floor when we were away and there were a few Summer loving creepy crawlies around ...

It is now used as a toy basket under Henry's cot. I am sure it will be in our family for a long time!

New from Glasshouse Fragrances ...

(bad photo I am sorry - snap taken in the warehouse - terrible lighting!!)

Too exciting! New fragrances from Glasshouse arrived today & I can't resist but add a second post for the day.

There is now a body bar in the Miami fragrance (Pomelo Grapefruit) & it is beautiful!

Also ...

Two new fragrances!!!

Esperance (Mimosa & Wild Apple) and Lizard Island (Lemon Flora). We will be photographing them this weekend with my well, Kirk's :) new camera and popping them on the site next week. It goes without saying that they are AMAZING!!

Other exciting news today is that the Angel at my Table teepee is in the current issue of Real Living.

Have you seen these?

I didn't realise when we first got Automoblox instore but the components of these cars can be interchanged between models. We now also have the mini versions in. Fantastic gift for boys or girls!

King of the Jungle

On Sunday mornings for about 40 minutes, Henry and I play in a little room about 3m x 6m with 6 + other babies & their mums or dads. It is a room at our church dedicated for parents and bubs during the service with audio streamed in. It is great. We are welcome to be in the main room, but it is so much more relaxing in the baby room. Henry is almost old enough to be in the creche, but I am LOVING having some 1:1 time with him so am in no rush to hand him over. Henry crawls around making boofy boy sounds like a lion, knowing he is the biggest of the pride. It is adorable.

Watching the other babies on their backs kicking their little legs and reaching out for objects makes me wonder where time has gone! It wasn't long ago that Henry was lying on a mat like this entertaining himself whilst I was on the computer next to him.

Summer Entertaining

Over Winter my French Bull Salad Bowl was given a workout with popcorn infront of the Saturday evening Disney movie. I reclaimed it this weekend with Summer Salads! My favourite one at the moment is one that I found on the back of Creative Gourmet (nope - mistake they are the berry people - great site though!)I meant to say the Gourmet Garden site. It has great non fuss recipes. The kids love the Chicken Pasta. It is a meal in itself and left overs make a great next day lunch. Find it here

Find our French Bull range here

More gorgeous Sambellina photos!

My eldest, Thomas is not into cars. I find it quite curious - his dad works in the automotive industry and drives the sort of car that makes other boys (big and little) stop and gawk in awe. Thomas is not fussed. Not into cars, trucks & the like (except for a brief flirtation with vw 'herbie'). He is more into adventure - Indiana Jones style, lego construction etc.

I am making a point of pointing out trucks with Henry, I take him to see the garbage truck first thing in the morning. Play with cars, make brrrmmm sounds. It will be interesting to see if by his second birthday we choose the Sambellina invitations shown above! For a truck design - they are cute! Click here to see the range ...

Daily Shipping to NZ

My cousin gave birth to a baby boy yesterday morning Auckland time. He looks ADORABLE don't you think! I can't wait to see him. My maternal grandma has 5 great grandsons now and 1 great grand daughter. How fabulous would it be to get to that age and watch the family continue to grow.

We send express post to New Zealand every day. Makes it so easy to stay in touch with family and friends. It can arrive as fast as standard mail to Perth!

For every mood ...

These mugs might look simple, but they are anything but. Perfect size for a decent cup of tea or coffee and a colour to suit every mood and every occasion. My preference is the pink but I have surprised myself at times with the colour I will choose for someone else or what I have even chosen for my drink.

Last month I gave a set to my sister for a combined housewarming / birthday present. She is young, flatting with friends and lives overlooking a popular Sydney beach. The mugs so suit her and her lifestyle. Friends all know which mug is theirs and they look awesome in her cupboard! When I gave them to her, it was infront of lots of my family. It was FASCINATING which colours people chose as their favourite. I would never have guessed my grandparents selection. I love it when people you think you know surprise you.

At the moment I am feeling a little orange, or maybe purple. Then again, maybe green - make that 3395C green!! :)

Click here to find them online.

Running out the door but have to share ...

Amy Butler's new range of fabric!!! Better get back to getting ready for the school day ...

Have a great day! x

Q & A with Kate from Sambellina

We have had a great response to the Sambellina range (see our cover of yesterdays magazine). I love it! Fresh, young, fun, stylish. Click here to see the range.

I happened to have Milly (3) with me at the warehouse the day the range arrived. She has her next 3 birthdays worked out (she is a little planner ...)

I am so pleased that we get to meet Kate from Sambellina ...

How long have you been running your business? We started up the company a year ago - and officially launched in July 2009, but I have been thinking about it ever since my daughter was born and found how much I loved children's birthday parties - planning them, styling them and being at them, eating fairy bread....

What were you doing prior to your current venture? I was an IT "nerd" - a software designer / developer for 12 years .... It gave me the opportunity to travel a lot, but going back to the corporate world in between kids even part time was really challenging - as much as I tried, my heart just wasn't in it. Somehow, along the way - probably at a party - I had the "light bulb" moment and decided to develop Sambellina. I have worked three times as hard ever since, but am completely passionate about the elements of what I work with now - graphic design and stationery....I feel so lucky to be able to say that about my "job".

If you had to choose your favourite product from your range, what would it be & why? I think the pink and white polkadot partyware - I'm obsessed with the classic spotty pattern - I can't even really say why - I think they make me feel happy - and they seem to be loved by kids but also by the adults (read - other polkadot addicts)
.
I also have a very soft spot for the Choo Choo invitations as there is a little person in my house who talks about his "choo choo rain set" all day every day .

What do you do to relax? Drawing, reading magazines, shopping, eating chocolate, drinking champagne, going out for a yummy gourmet dinner with my husband (dreaming here) - all followed by a massive session at the gym or walking the dog... ( or not !).

If you were able to go wherever you wanted to this weekend, where would it be?
My most favourite place in the world - Sunshine Coast - or somewhere warm. Melbourne is like living in a fridge (be it a stylish fridge) at the moment.

What was the last thing that you purchased? Chocolate

Who lives at your place? My husband Chris, our two cherubs - Samantha (5 yo) and Christian (2 yo) - and our very patient cuddly golden retriever, Cody. xx

Mummy's Favourite Magazine ...

Our latest magazine issue came out today, full of gorgeous new designs!!

Click here to sign up to our fortnightly edition.

Gourmet Getaway

One of my favourite actresses is Jennifer Garner. I loved her in Suddenly 30. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it came out the year I turned 30 and it seemed to be talking about my thoughts (fears?) at the time. I pulled it out last week because Thomas wanted to learn the dance to Thriller and I didn't want him watching Michael Jacksons film clip with Milly around. It was a good excuse to have a little dance!! :)

Jen was spotted leaving Violets Santa Monica preschool carrying a Built Gourmet Getaway in the new French Bull Multidot pattern. Click here to have a closer look.

An Angel at my Table review by Belinda

This month we welcome Belinda Graham, aka gorgeous mummy to 2 and reviewer extraordinaire. This is how she describes herself: "I’m a wife, a mum, a freelance writer, a blogger, a renovator, a decorator, a redecorator, a crafter, a chocolate addict and sometimes - sometimes - I can be a total bludger. But that that doesn’t happen very often because I like being busy."

Belinda is over qualified as a reviewer of our range - she was the deputy editor at Real Living and their online editor until recently. Welcome Belinda and Thank You!

Her first review is the An Angel at My Table (click here)

“Oh wow, that’s a really, really, really nice tent mummy. You like it?” asks my two-year-old son, Zak.“I do like it Zak,” I say. “And I’m so glad you like it. You’ll like it even more when it’s out of the bag and actually made into a tent.”And so begins Zak’s love affair with his brand new “house”, also known as the Angel At My Table Teepee. His crazy grin once it was all up said it all: “AWESOME”. And awesome it is for me too – both he and his little sister, Layla, 15 months, zoomed in and out for hours, locked themselves in (and the other out) by doing up the Velcro straps, had lunch in there, played shops where little plastic balls were selling at the highly inflated price of $50 each, and actually gave me a chance to do sit back and relax (when I wasn’t being demanded to “buy something”.)

I’m a big believer in toys that have a purpose: those that teach them something, encourage creative and/or imaginative play, and develop fine and gross motor skills. Funnily enough, this cute little teepee does all of the above. Zak wanted to help me put it together, and seeing as it was simply connecting a few poles together via “tunnels” (plastic pipes), he could, which helped his fine motor skills; he asked me a hundred things about it – “how does the bell ring” “how is it closing” “something more about Indians?” which taught him all sorts of things he will relay back to me next time it’s up; and it instantly made them creative - it’s a shop! A house! Layla’s bed! A reading spot! A garage for the ladybug!

As for the parent test (ie, is it easy to assemble?) I passed that one too. I deliberately didn’t look at instructions the first time and worked it out in just a few minutes, being the clever person that I am. There’s also two ways to erect it – the lazy way as I call it (and as pictured in my images) which means you can simply push back together and lean against the house without taking it apart for the next day’s play; or the sturdier way with the extra posts at the bottom which is ideal if you have the space to leave it out all the time – it keeps it in perfect teepee shape.

A final test? When it was time to pack it away, I just closed it up and brought it inside past Zak who was sitting on the couch reading . “No, mummy, put it back out.” “But it’s getting late, time to pack up outside.” “I might go play again in a little while. I might.” So out it went again. Out he went again and if it wasn’t for the rain, they might still be out there…

Read more about Belinda over at her blog

& to see the teepee on our site click here



Aren't these photos just the sweetest?!

Q & A with Mirabai from Pure Baby

I can thank my Grandma for discovering Pure Baby for me almost four years ago. She purchased a singlet for Milly from a boutique in Adelaide. Pure Baby has since become a favourite of mine. It ticks all the boxes; easy to dress baby in for its envelope necks, front zips, press studs in all the right places, it is organic and soft soft soft (beyond the first wash, unlike inferior brands that look good on the rack) and it washes really well. I have yet to have an issue with stains. Henry's entire newborn wardrobe has been almost entirely Pure Baby. I am quite pleased that 6 mths down the track he can wear some of the Summer range again.

It has been so important for us to bring Mummy's Favourite customers the right brand of clothing for babies. In future blogs, I will give you more reasons why we have a mummy crush on Pure Baby.

I am delighted to introduce you to Mirabai ...

How long have you been running your business? I started Purebaby eight years ago following the birth of my daughter Samara.

What were you doing prior to your current venture?I was studying Law and being a mother.

If you had to choose your favourite product from your range, what would it be and why?My favourite product is most definitely our zip growsuit because it makes changing so easy in the middle of the night! I also love our muslin wraps as they are so versatile – they breath well in summer and make a great shade cloth across the pram.

What do you do to relax?The best way for me to relax is to jump into a hot bath with a few drops of lavender oil. I have also been taking tennis lessons which are a great stress relief.

If you were able to go wherever you wanted this weekend, where would it be? Luckily for me, I am going to the place where I love going on the weekends with the children – Somers on the Mornington Peninsula.

What was the last thing that you purchased? Some delicious organic olive loaf from the local bakery.

Who lives at your place? Husband Sanjay, daughter Samara (9 years) son Oliver (2 years) and our black cat Lucky.

Clever Marketing

LOVING these ads



Who taught them to say BACHELLLLOOOORRSSS like that. Hilarious!


Thank you to my Uncle Stephen who put me onto this one. SOO cute!!

45 cent delivery weekend!

Of course - only at www.mummysfavourite.com.au

Happy Weekend!! xx

FRIDAY FRIDAY YEAH YEAH YEAH!!!

At my son's school they do a Friday dance. It is so cute. Today was the spring version. Winter was running on the spot. They punch the air during YEAH YEAH YEAH. Oh I love a school with spunk! Hoping to dig these out this weekend!! Hope you have a lovely weekend :)

Q & A with Karen from Karen Miles Pty Ltd :)

Meet Karen, she is one of those people who always leaves you feeling great after a conversation. She is one clever mummy to boot! I have just learned that she is a girl after my own heart - Paris & jeans with linen shirts....

How long have you been running your business? Two years

What were you doing prior to your current venture? I ran a business for 5 years providing career skills development and entrepreneurship training for young professionals, Gen X and Y, and the youth market.

If you had to choose your favourite product from your range, what would it be & why? I love my book 'The Real Baby Book you need at 3am' because I both wrote and designed it, and it helps make new mums feel ok about the challenges of motherhood (click here). My design confidence then grew to create a new business Miss Scarlett http://www.missscarlett.com.au and my favourite invitation design is the Chocolate Cream baby shower invite because of the classic colours and Burberry-esq pram.

What do you do to relax? I walk twice a week to de-stress, and I love going antique shopping at markets.

If you were able to go wherever you wanted to this weekend, where would it be? Paris Paris Paris.

What was the last thing that you purchased? Some new clothes for my birthday - boyfriend jeans, linen shirt and bead/ribbon charm bracelet.

Who lives at your place? My husband Stu, Harrison (4) and Scarlett (15 mths), and me!

Party?

A couple of months ago I received an email about a new range of party invitations - Sambellina. I immediately jumped on the site and placed an initial order. I got back to Sam within 24 hours and placed an amended order - I added all the designs as I couldn't choose! We now are selling this totally cute and adorable range as well as the co ordinating plates, gift tags and cups. Could not be any easier!!

My favourite is the Choo Choo design (of course for sentimental reasons). Thomas was called Choo Choo by his special friend when they were little. It was too cute. When I saw that design, I wanted him to be three again! Maddy would have approved :)

International Post

We send international parcels everyday. All sorts of things - from posters to keyrings, to FLATout bears. Its so easy now that we have an arrangement with Australia Post. It is fast, trackable & we only charge what Australia Post charge us for the service.

ZONE A (NEW ZEALAND) Up to 2kg $35, Over 2kg we will send you a quote
ZONE B (ASIA / PACIFIC) Up to 2kg $44, Over 2kg we will send you a quote
ZONE C (USA / CANADA) Up to 2kg $52, Over 2kg we will send you a quote
ZONE D (UK & REST OF WORLD) Up to 2kg $64, Over 2kg we will send you a quote

It is cheaper to send via regular post, but this service is reliable and straight forward. Love that!