Pudding!

*This is a sponsored post for Itha's Puddings. I was provided a traditional pudding and a jar of brandy butterscotch sauce to sample and review.*

Ah, Christmas pudding. Bring to mind black and white movies where the perfect family of 4 sit down to a turkey, and finish the evening with a pudding, perfectly coated in custard and a sprig of holly.

Image found via Google

For my family, if we bothered to have one, it was always a flaming pudding.

Growing up, I thought the Christmas Pudding was simply something we set on fire at the end of the meal for the hell of it. Somehow, setting fire to food didn't worry me - I was more concerned that my cousins had scoffed the trifle while I was watching the adults incinerate dessert.

I never stuck around to eat it because I didn't fancy a bowl of ashes. It's fair to say I never waited long enough to get the full picture.

When I was approached to review a traditional christmas pudding, I did have visions of burning our home to the ground. I've never been very successful at anything requiring an open flame, unless you were specifically wanting ashes and gravy for dinner. In which case, I am a goddess!

Thankfully, Itha's Pudding arrived and it stated that flaming the pudding was optional. I could feel the house breathe a sigh of relief at the news.

Having never actually eaten a pudding before, I decided the entire family should take part on the review, to make sure I got a fair, well rounded opinion. The Man loves fruit and peel in things. I don't. I buy fruitless hot cross buns because fruit and peel in anything is enough to make me gag.

This review is more from him than me.

Itha's puddings are all handmade with fresh ingredients and a recipe dating back to 1912. The traditional pudding features a mix of vine fruits, mixed peel, matured brandy, nutmeg and cinnamon and smells lovely. It came wrapped in a cloth, and vacuum sealed - modern on the inside, traditional on the outside!

Image found here

It's worth noting that Itha also has a range of modern puddings available, such as Macadamia and Apricot or triple-choc-twist. Itha had me at triple choc.

The Man stated that the fruit to peel balance was spot on, but the brandy was very strong, so if you're not a fan of liquor then the traditional pud is probably not for you. The brandy butterscotch sauce was a winner for me, but the brandy flavour was a little strong for my taste.

However Itha does have sauce for those of us who like our ingredients a little less boozy, such as vanilla bean custard, mocha, creamy caramel and very, very chocolate. For a full list of available products visit www.ithaspuddings.com.au

www.choice.com.au listed Itha's puddings as number one out of the four finalist puddings in their higher end category for 2013.

Overall, The Man gave the pudding a 4 out of 5 and the sauce received as 4.5 out of 5. Worthy praise indeed since this is a man who is so fussy about his liquorice, it needs to be sourced from one specific confectionery boutique in South Australia!

So, if you're looking to impress the family with a flaming centrepiece, or just a pudding that will take your grandparents back to their youth, Itha's Puddings is certainly worth a look.

 (and The Man)

Cupcakes in the Oven...

**This is a sponsored post for Wholeberry Folk. I was provided with a sample of their Banana Split cupcake packet mix**

I've never been one for talent in the kitchen. The Man has forbidden me from ever attempting lasagne again, since every attempt has been regarded as a potential mass poisoning.

It's not my fault. I blame the oven. In every house we have ever lived in.

However, since becoming a full time SAHM, I have found myself in the kitchen more often. Through choice. But I have to confess that a majority of the goods coming from the kitchen are of the baked goodie variety.

Yes, I do make proper meals - but to be honest sometimes I wish I could serve chocolate cake for dinner, because that is a crap load more satisfying to make.

Recently I was approached to try a new brand of packet mix cupcake. Packet mixes are fantastic for when Miss 4 is desperate to help me make something, but I'm short on time and 20 minutes to measure out 1 cup of flour just isn't going to happen.

The Wholeberry Folk is proudly Australian made and owned, are preservative and additive free, and use spelt flour. Can you say 'terrifying mother's groups, judge no more my baked goodies!!'

These products are nut free, but do contain gluten (spelt, which is easier to digest and more soluble than traditional wheat gluten) and are made on a production line that produces products that contain milk products, gluten and soy.

I am always in a panic when I have to send food to preschool to share. I'm paranoid about children with allergies or intolerances and I don't want to be responsible for someone going home with explosive diarrhoea (or, god forbid, being hospitalised from an allergic reaction).

The butter in the recipe can be substituted for coconut oil, and milk for a dairy alternative so it's appropriate for vegans, too! My cousin would be thrilled - this is as close to vegan as I will probably ever be.

Miss 4 was ecstatic to be trying out the Wholeberry Folk Banana Split cupcakes, and they were straight forward to make. I loved it because it meant she could be fairly independent in putting the mix together, and she LOVES independence these days.

They were delicious...well, I'm assuming they were - I sure as hell didn't get any!!

If you want to be able to make yummy food that you won't gt a chance to eat, you can find the Wholeberry Folk range at Woolworths, retailing for $6.49.

Happy baking!!



  

It's Red Nose Day!

Most of the time a red nose indicates doom in our household.

DOOM I tell you!

It could be the first sign of Man-Flu or, even more terrifying, Toddler-Flu. Able to strike fear into the heart of mother's everywhere!

And, on a separate note, red noses usually mean that a clown is in the room. And this is very bad because I have a fear of clowns. An all consuming, soul destroying fear.

FEAR!

But once a year, a red nose is something I love to see.

On a bear at least...

Every year I buy a little fairy bear, I have done since before Elena was born - SIDS and Kids has always been one charity that I've been happy to donate to. I know in my heart why it's always been important, and that's where it will stay. It's not my story to tell.

This year I was lucky enough to be sent some Red Nose Baby Wipes* that raise funds for Red Nose Day. Hermione has proven to be quite sensitive to some additives in baby wipes - and I had found only one brand that didn't make her break out in a rash and blow up like a balloon.

Until now!

Red Nose Baby Wipes are the only Aussie made and owned baby wipes on the market, and 5% of all sales go to SIDS and Kids. And they are one of 2 brands that I can use on Hermione.

The wipes are a fantastic size, and the texture is wonderful. Soft and soothing, wet enough to get the job done but your baby is left feeling dry and clean.

Winning!

While our little family is extremely blessed and has never had to access the services of SIDS and Kids, I can't imagine how hard it would be for those families, who have experienced the loss of a child, if SIDS and Kids weren't here to offer the support they do.

"SIDS and Kids is dedicated to saving the lives of babies and children during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood and supporting bereaved families. We deliver on our vision through world class research; evidence based education and bereavement support; and advocacy."

If you give to only one charity a year, make SIDS and Kids your choice.




For more information on Red Nose Day and SIDS and Kids visit www.sidsandkids.org
For more information on the Red Nose Baby Wipes visit www.aussiewipes.com.au

*Disclaimer: I was provided one pack of large Red Nose Baby Wipes to trial.*

Review: Mimijumi

I know that there is a lot of debate about bottle feeding - my choice to bottle feed wasn't an easy one to make, but the reality is what it is and so here we are.

When I was approached to road test the Mimijumi Bottle, I have to say I wasn't sure about the reception it might receive. But as a Mum who does bottle feed I was intrigued by the consideration behind the development and creation of the Mimijumi Bottle.

Mimijumi Bottles are produced in Austria and are newly available in Australia. All the bottles are BPA and latex free, EA free, and anti-colic - factors which have influenced all the purchases of baby bottles in our home.

Something that is very different from other bottles on the market is the nipple. The design replicates a mother's breast (all the way down to the pores!) to assist in creating a feeding and latching experience that is as close to nature as possible.

And so - to the road test!

I was a little disappointed that the bottle can't be sterilised in my steam steriliser, and I had to boil it in water. This isn't a fact that would be inconvenient if Mimijumi Bottles were all you had and you could just throw them all together in a pot on the stove top - but for me it was a bit of a 'doh' moment.

On the up side, the packaging is so cute! Miss 3 has requested that I inform everyone that the bottle packaging makes a fantastic milk carton for your play kitchen, and the nipple packaging is suitable for pretending that you bought some custard.

I have to confess that I'm a slave to all things modern and funky. The bright red colouring and the unique shape of the bottle had me at hello.

Once the bottle was sterilised and the formula prepared, we were all set for our 'baby test'.

The initial test wasn't good. JellyBean was not impressed and seemed to struggle to get a good seal between her mouth and the nipple. She also appeared to have to work very hard to get anything out of the nipple, seal issues aside.

But this proved to be the result of 'Mummy-user error' - I had the bottle upside down in her mouth, so instead of the nipple pointing to the roof of her mouth, it was pointing down to her tongue and every time she tried to suck, her tongue would block the hole.

Once I flipped the bottle around, it was all systems go!

JellyBean happily fed and I have to say, she had far less spillage from either side of her mouth as she seemed to be able to regulate the flow of milk a lot easier, and the nipple was firm enough not to block her nostrils, but soft enough to mould to her mouth.

Mum finally got it the right way up!

And now, with my full belly, I will sleep...

From a Mummy point of view, the shape of the bottle makes it so much easier to hold at the right angle to get the milk filling the nipple. This meant not having to stop so often for burps and a far less indignant baby, as there was little to no stray air getting in the way while JellyBean was feeding.

Overall, I found the Mimijumi a very cute and easy to use bottle. I think if they could get the bottle to be able to be used in a steam steriliser, or a microwave steriliser, it would be perfect! But even with that I'll continue to use this bottle, I think mostly for night feeds as it seems to be far less messy and a lot more calming.

Isn't it cute with it's little 'hat'!?!

For more information on the Mimijumi Bottles and accessories you can visit their website http://mimijumi.com.au or visit them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mimijumi.australia

**In the interest of full disclosure, I was provided with 1 Mimijumi Very Hungry Baby Bottle and 3 teats of varying flow to road test with the JellyBean.**

Reviewed: I Am Number Four

I won't deny it - I only entered the giveaway at BM-I Don't Care because the Guru is a sci-fi nut and I thought he might enjoy a copy of I Am Number Four.

When I won it I was stunned and more than a little concerned when I remembered that, as part of the winning privilege, I had to do a review.

Sure, I could have made the Guru do it - but that was never going to happen. So I steeled myself, had matchsticks ready to prop my eyelids open and settled on the couch for a adventure into weird-alien land.

The Guru had already started reading the book a week ago, and tried valiantly to give me some highlights and get me excited about it. He tried, and for that he get's a gold star.

Surprisingly, the movie kept me interested for all of the 109min run time. I won't deny that part of the watch-ability came from Henri (Timothy Olyphant) - witty, sarcastic and forthright with rippling muscles. Awwwwww Yeaaaaaah!

The start, for me, was dark and 'jumpy'. I'm not into being startled or caught off-guard, but don't let that put you off - those moments are few and far between so you have time to recover.

It was good to see Diana Agron in a role other than a cheerleader. She held up her end well and her character, although girly, didn't make me want to vomit or slap her. She may have run from the danger but she didn't bat her eyelashes and flap her hands as she screamed.

I was slightly sad that the school bully didn't get sacrificed. But I was more devastated by the 'dog-getting-hurt' scene. As I've mentioned previously, I am a gut wrenching sobber when it comes to any scene in a movie which  involves pain, death or sadness in general. This is no exception. The scene may have lasted a total of 15 seconds and was split into two parts but it still gave me ample time for inappropriate tears.

Thank you Dreamworks, for producing another movie which reminds my husband why he won't go to the cinema with me anymore.

Overall I found this movie quite interesting and considering I was dreading the experience, I quite liked it and if a sequel came out I would totally watch it.

They'd have to stop hurting animals, though. And punish the school bully.

So, in true movie critic form, I will give this movies a final rating of...

3.5 out of 5 Aliens!!

If only for the perve, go see it.