I’m SO thrilled to introduce this week’s nonstopmama Podcast, in which I chat all things natural beauty with the lovely Nicola Elliott, founder of NEOM Luxury Organics!

Click on the link below to listen to the Podcast:

(Or, if the link isn’t showing on your iPad/similar, then you can download it here!)

I know how much nonstopmamas ♥ this GORGEOUS range of all-natural goodies for the bath, body and home (along with high profile fans including the Duchess of Cambridge) and Nicola’s story is inspiring.

During our chat, she tells us what inspired her to create the range, why she’s passionate about au naturel beauty and why she believes real life beauty and wellbeing is NOT about conquering your ‘To do’ list or doing a hundred ‘butt lifts’ at dawn!

Stay tuned for Nicola’s personal ‘natural’ make-up favourites, too (and maybe skip over the bit where we get onto ‘green’ loo cleaning and cat litter trays) …

At the start of the show, in beauty news, I also mention these new summer nail colours …

…. from Butter London and Little Bu!

Show notes:

Click here for info and to buy the NEW NEOM Enchantment scented candle and diffuser  (below) …

Nicola and I also mention Dr Hauschka; naturissimo.com; Balance Me; Sarah Chapman skincare; Trilogy; A’Kin; Burt’s Bees; Green People; The Organic Pharmacy; Lavera; Earth Friendly Baby; Ecover; Weleda; Bare Minerals and the Lily Lolo range.

Thanks SO much to Nicola for being my podcast guest this week, and thanks to you SO much for listening and spreading the word, nonstopmamas!!

When Great Little Trading Company, the one-stop-shop-for-all-things-family-fun, suggested that nonstopmamas might like to hear about their Bunting Picnic Blanket, I was, in my head, already at the beach. Or the park. Or the church BBQ where super-organised mamas suddenly whip picnic blankets, camping chairs and melamine stuff out of nowhere, with a ‘Here’s one I prepared earlier!’ flourish.

How do they do that? I can get a lot in my bag but it doesn’t stretch that far.

With it being National Picnic Week, we put this bestselling blanket to the test and absolutely LOVED it!! Here’s why:

•  It’s gorgeous to look at. Obviously. LOVE that cute, colourful bunting design!

• It’s BIG. Although I didn’t exactly conduct a ‘number of bottoms on blanket’ test, you could easily fit 4-6 on it, possibly more.

•  It’s surprisingly lightweight. And who wants to heft? Hopefully, it’s too hot for that.

•  It’s super-comfy: nicely quilted cotton on one side, crucially water-resistant and wipe-proof fabric underneath.

•  It rolls up into this super-neat, easy-to-throw-over-your-shoulder roll with straps …

… this is super-important for me, as I am USELESS at folding (you should see me with a Super King duvet cover. It’s not pretty).

•  It’s machine-washable (oh yes!) and air-dries surprisingly quickly. Which is essential if you’re likely to need to do so after almost/every/OK, every use.

Highly recommended, mamas! It costs £45 and is available online here!

This made me smile when I stumbled on it on Pinterest, from The Orange Rhino (the cheeky cutie is not mine. The fridge is too well stocked).

It kind of sums up how I’ve felt this week in terms of being on top of things. (Or not).

Last night, I was texting one of my dearest, oldest girlfriends, and I might have mentioned that I was washing the kitchen floor (at about 10pm) and quite fancied a glass of wine.

As in …

… spotted here!

“No worries” she came back. “I’m struggling to figure out what day it is and have a panic on as I have a book club in less than a week and have barely started the book. Also trying to sift out orange Sainsbury’s carrier bags from what seems like a mountain for a firebird costume I’m apparently creating something half convincing for on Saturday morning”.

I know. She’s a super-creative, arty-crafty mama (but don’t be intimated. She’s as super-lovely and quite normal otherwise).

I asked if I could quote her. Really, the Sainsbury’s bag firebird thing was too good not to share.

She said of course, and that ’I'm constantly Superglueing something back together, along with my fingers, or sellotaping flaps back into books or trying to find a Philip’s screwdriver small enough to replace a battery on a toy. The things we do – like cleaning the kitchen floor at this time of night. Sit down woman and have that wine’.

I hope this encourages you this Friday, mamas, and that these little links will, too …

•  I love this post by Lisa-Jo Baker, on the TRUE meaning of hospitality. It will make you smile if you’re ‘entertaining’ this weekend and are prone, like me, to getting a locked jaw with stress and barking orders at anyone within a 5 mile radius approximately an hour beforehand.

•  And this on the Mama Mio Musings blog (which came up during my podcast chat with Sian Sutherland last week!). One (French, in fact) maman talking about what it means to be a mama (and stepmama) – very touching, I thought!

Wishing you a FUN and blessed weekend, mamas (relate to this?) …

… me too!!

See you on Monday!! XXXX

 

Love. LEGO!!

So much.

If not when stepping on it (have you seen that Pinterest cartoon, with the doctor asking the little boy how much it hurts on a scale of ’0 to stepping on a LEGO?’. Too funny).

Well, here’s another super-goodie: LEGO DUPLO’s The Number Train is THE most lovely new set for toddlers and pre-schoolers (and, let’s face it, treading on the bigger bricks doesn’t hurt as much).

The latest addition to the DUPLO range, it’s a great way to help little ones learn their numbers, without them realising it, because they’re having so much fun.

The toddler numeracy equivalent of Zumba, if you like (although I’m not suggesting they put that on the packaging, next to ‘Fine Motor Skills’, ‘Ideas & creativity’ ‘Shapes & Colours’ and ‘Counting Numbers’. But it’s a thought).

It’s a great size, with lots of chunky, colourful bricks for little hands and imaginations to get stuck into, putting the carriages together in order and rolling the train along the floor.

Plus, you get a friendly driver and dog, too (you could, of course, add other DUPLO ‘passengers’! I’m seeing zoo animals alongside Disney princesses. It could get seriously surreal …).

It’s such a sweet set and, I think, a great price at £12.99. And I’m DELIGHTED that LEGO are kindly giving one The Number Train set to a nonstopmama, too!

Psst: I’m also SUPER-thrilled to let you know that nonstopmama has just joined the LEGO Family Blogger team – hence the new, shiny blue brick on our homepage! – so watch this space for all the latest LEGO news and happenings, hot-off-the-baseplate!!

To enter the giveaway to WIN the new LEGO DUPLO The Number Train, simply:

 1. ‘Like’ the nonstopmama Facebook page or Follow us on Twitter, at @jbadenh or Pinterest (JBadenHoward) – OR all three (you can’t blame a girl for asking …).

If you’re following on Twitter, please tweet the message “I’ve entered to #WIN the LEGO DUPLO Number Train with @jbadenh: http://bit.ly/11xWZ7u”.

2.  Simply leave a Comment below (maybe tell us why LEGO is such a hit in your home, although the draw is completely random, so this isn’t at all required! But it’d be fun to know!).

That’s it!!

The winner will be chosen at random by computer (we’ll email them to arrange for delivery of their prize!).

Please take a mo to check out the giveaway rules here, thanks so much!

This giveaway will close at midnight on Saturday, 27 July 2013.

This giveaway has been promoted at Loquax and ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, nonstopmamas!! XX

(Via Pinterest).