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Friday 29 June 2012

Tommee Tippee digital video monitor with movement sensor pad review-it's ace

We've never used a baby monitor before and, well never really needed one as our previous one bed flat was too small to warrant it. Leon had shared our room up to 15 months and then we got a comfy sofabed, collapsed our own bed and migrated to the living room separated by the kitchen. We'd hear the little prince if he needed us.

But, our new flat in Madrid is considerably larger, making it harder to hear little yelps, and requires running up and down a long corridor if checking on the babies- often waking them in the process...

So, the Tommee Tippee Digital Video Monitor has been a heaven sent piece of equipment for us! Not only can we check on 5 month old Elias and 2 and a half year old Leon from the comforts of our living room, it also alerts you should there be a lack of movement from the baby, helping relieve new parents' fears of SIDS thanks to the high tech sensor pad.
Tommee Tippee Digital Video Monitor with Movement Sensor Pad

Easy to set up, this is a brilliant, sleek monitor with super quality, colour visuals, night vision and zoom function: this is so cool as you can focus on your baby and even better if you have two kids as you can zoom in on each one.

You can even talk back to whoever won't sleep and tell them to knock it off!

Another great feature is that you can turn off the screen while keeping the sound on, which is handy. You can also opt to turn off the sound or have it very quiet- all combinations that we use. Great for showing off your baby to friends at night if he's quietly sleeping. (Just make sure you zoom back out again to reduce noise levels as it squeaks unnervingly if you take it into baby's room on full volume if he's crying.)

There are little lights that blink on if there's noise - but it's not very obvious and not too visible from afar (for when we're outside on the terrace and I can look in on the monitor through the door or if music is on...). The great thing is that you can unplug it from the power source and carry it with you.
Tommee Tippee Digital Video Monitor Parent Unit. So Clear!

I loved the function allowing you to respond to baby, calming him down with your soothing voice. Though I found it hard to know when he could hear me or not- a little experiment with my man sorted that out- and a read through the instructions put my mind at ease.

All the buttons are helpful and I found the nightlight function on the baby end very useful giving a lovely soft glow- adaptable with a slider or with the parent unit- and I found that if you placed it in front of a white background the light glowed further.

The movement sensor pad that is placed underneath baby's mattress is a good idea for young babies, sounding an alarm if it detects a lack of movement for 20 seconds- a drive to reduce SIDS, however I didn't feel the need to use this and personally felt it would make me worry more about it! But it's a good idea to link this to the baby monitor for parents concerned about their younger babies (after 5months they perhaps wriggle too much but it's a sizeable pad so some of Elias was always on it). When I tried it out I was impressed, however you need to remember to switch it off if picking baby up, and to bring parent monitor with you- things I forget at 4.30am thus provoking unnerving beeps!

Another great function is the temperature which now, summertime in Madrid can be above 37 celcius during daytime and still in 30s at night. Even if we're cool, the babies' room seems hotter but then it drops in the early morning so this reminds me to go check on windows etc.

I love that the parent monitor is so portable and the high quality of the video image even at night! Look!

Tommee Tippee Digital Video Monitor so clear even at night!

The digital quality is superb and there's no interference noise as I've heard with other friends' monitors. The whole set is super easy to set up- and I highly recommend it. You can buy it here http://www.tommeetippee.co.uk/product/digital_video_baby_monitor_/ for £199 and follow Tommee Tippee on Twitter @TommeeTippee_UK

*I was sent the product for the purpose of the review but am using it a lot and love it!

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Sharing is caring

Leon loves his brother- I know this- but I worry about his displays of aggression towards Elias that can happen most days through roaring loudly at him, thumping, pinching and kicking him for no apparent reason. It seems that he's realised all the attention he gets from me and how much time we spend together and isn't liking it. Im making more of an effort to take time to play Duplo on the floor with Leon and praise him for all the positives and it's paying off. I've become more patient too and try not to take out my anger of his actions on him but still discipline him appropriately. It's hard not to leave them both together, especially when I know Leon really cares for him but it's not possible and this makes it tough for me constantly moving baby around the flat in the afternoons when leon's back from playschool.


He shares his apple as well as his toys with his little brother and can't wait for him to be able to play with him properly. He loves giving him cuddles and jumping on him- still not twigging how little he really is.

Need to find ways of them playing together safely I suppose. Elias wants to move around a lot more too- though he can't yet and I feel like I'm constantly surveilling them!

Location:Madrid,Spain

Monday 25 June 2012

Lame

I'm constantly springing around my home barefoot and managed to step on a thorn-like black thing that I can't get out of the ball of my right foot. Feels like glass, but is black and smaller- a splinter or perhaps a bee sting but I didn't spot any bees on the floor. It's incredibly frustrating digging around the the underside of my foot with tweezers and a needle but give up after 5 minutes as ankle aches from the twist and I realise I'm digging deep into my foot and possibly making it worse (or I'm needed by a child...). I can't get the thing out. It's even more gross as I've realised the extent of pedi neglect and thick layers of dry skin make the task harder and more disgusting. I walked on it a lot yesterday so have probably lodged it in more though I've been limping along the side of it. At nighttime the immense corridor appears more like an expedition than a few leaps.

I feel lame.

Foreign body in my foot get the fuck out!!


**Update: IT WAS A MASSIVE SHARD OF GLASS and it's out now PHEW**

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Cybher!!!!

Cybher 2012 was awesome and it was such a while ago, but for any female bloggers who can get to London for the 2013 event it was a brilliant reunion of female bloggers across the spectrum.

The intro panel predicted the future of blogging would include fewer 'sponsored posts' and tighter relationships with brands, a big emphasis on monetisation- but the consensus was that if you're going to work on something, why not monetize it?! I took away encouragement to : Stay authentic, dedicated, love your blog, find your niche and have fun with it. This was echoed throughout the rest of the day.

Highlights include:

Zoe Margolis explaining her ordeal of being outed as a raunchy sex blogger- I'd read about this a while ago, and thought it an awful experience- but hearing about it personally made me realise the challenges and unexpected turns that bloggers were encountering ten years ago when it wasn't so 'mainstream'.

Erotic bloggers Lori and Ruby inspiring others to be courageous and write about sex. A lot. It was a talk full of giggles and grins- but it was all very down to earth. They were positive about including a bit of sex in your blog- but if you do this, top tip was to not write about your own sex life and think of creative ways to include experiences... We learned about how big the sex toy products reviews are but this is all very alien to me! For them, it's hard to remain anonymous- don't put anything out there that you would want known. If someone wants to find out they will. Make it part of who you are (Ruby). Why not? Women have been writing about sex for ages.


Imagery and idea generation to make your blog brilliant
Blogging is very visual now. Lifecasting Pinterest Instagram very popular and help with traffic.
Keep imagery consistent in width... Careful with images if you steal them...


Check out picnik creative kit from Google+, pixlr.com and splashup.com for adding frames, filters etc don't need software- just image editing websites
Polyvore for creating sets of items with backgrounds etc (good for fashion bloggers) has a social aspect but can grab HTML code before publishing
Can use images from search.creativecommons.org and can use their images with attribution. Can also allow your images to be used.

Money saving blogging
Look at last few posts and see how you can put a frugal spin on it.
Not many ppl in this sphere- but people looking for it. Be consistent (special day like magpie Monday,  ebay Sunday etc)
Link to others seems to give authority- in the know of niche
Plan content like a news editor

Bloggers Q&A
Messed up rooms and would have loved to have gone to how to get what you want but have seen enough tips on Twitter to get the gist. This was an exchange of other people's blogs- good to see mix of responses eg. Always replying to PRs as not sure where they may move to next. "it's nice to be important but it's important to be nice"

Feminist panel
When they had their F moment what exactly does it mean....?? For me perhaps can call yourself feminist if you've been discussing the ideals and read up on history etc.

They say:
Equality etc
Important to have the label to acknowledge the history and equality of women and questioning things and using power for good
#cybherfem to continue discussion
So now yes I can call myself a Feminist too!

Cybher ethics in blogging
Authenticity- be real- but as Emily mentioned have diff voices (fam, work etc.) so CAN choose one
Credit your sources and inspiration. Politeness and usefulness,  Common sense and transparency
Blagger v blogger- Natalie Lue: fine but ask nicely and be prepared to come up with your stats etc.
Emily: introduce yourself even without asking fir anything. Create a relationship. Will get better opportunities too with being creative.

#shareniger to share their stories- child brides etc


Tuesday 5 June 2012

Partidos Eurocopa 2012

Por las mamitas que quieren saber cuando son los partidos del Eurocopa 2012 Aquí están!

Polonia - Grecia. Viernes 8 de junio, 18.00 horas. Cuatro.

Rusia - R.Checa. Viernes 8 de junio, 20.45 horas. Telecinco.

Holanda - Dinamarca. Sábado 9 de junio, 18.00 horas. Telecinco.

Alemania - Portugal. Sábado 9 de junio, 20:45 horas. Cuatro.

España - Italia. Domingo 10 de junio, 18:00 horas. Telecinco.

Irlanda - Croacia. Domingo 10 de junio, 20:45 horas. Cuatro.

Francia - Inglaterra. Lunes 11 de junio, 18:00 horas. Cuatro.

Ucrania - Suecia. Lunes 11 de junio, 20:45. Telecinco.

Grecia - R.Checa. Martes 12 de junio, 18:00. Cuatro.

Polonia - Rusia. Martes 12 de junio, 20:45. Telecinco.

Dinamarca - Portugal. Miércoles 13 de junio, 18:00 horas. Cuatro.

Holanda - Alemania. Miércoles 13 de junio, 20:45 horas. Telecinco.

Italia - Croacia. Jueves 14 de junio, 18:00 horas. Cuatro.

España - Irlanda. Jueves 14 de junio, 20:45 horas. Telecinco.

Ucrania - Francia. Viernes 15 de junio, 18:00 horas. Cuatro

Suecia - Inglaterra. Jueves 15 de junio, 20:45 horas. Telecinco.

Grecia - Rusia. Sábado 16 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

R.Checa - Polonia. Sábado 16 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Portugal - Holanda. Domingo 17 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Dinamarca - Alemania. Domingo 17 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Croacia - España. Lunes 18 de junio, 20:45 horas. Telecinco.

Italia - Irlanda. Lunes 18 de junio, 20:45 horas. Cuatro.

Suecia - Francia. Martes 19 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Inglaterra - Ucrania. Martes 19 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.


Cuartos de Final A (1º Grupo A - 2º Grupo B). Jueves 21 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Cuartos de Final B (1º Grupo B - 2º Grupo A). Viernes 22 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Cuartos de Final C (1º Grupo C - 2º Grupo D). Sábado 23 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Cuartos de Final D (1º Grupo D - 2º Grupo C). Domingo 24 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.


Semifinal 1 (Ganadores cuartos de final A y C). Miércoles 27 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.

Semifinal 2 (Ganadores cuartos de final B y D). Jueves 28 de junio, 20:45 horas. Canal por determinar.


Final (Ganadores semifinales 1 y 2). Domingo 1 de julio, 20:45 horas. Telecinco.



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Location:Calle de San Bernardo,Madrid,Spain