The Yummy Mummy and Jetsetting Babies Eco Friendly Tip # 2

Eco Friendly Tip # 2 – Toys that ‘never die’

I read a great book while on holiday in Australia on having a green mind when you go about your day to day living of your lives. The name and author has escaped me but I promise to find out ASAP and post it in to this blog. Basically the author talked about items in their lives which lasted, ‘things that never died’. These items were ones which once purchased once did not need to be replaced for a very long time, if you could re-use and re-use an item it’s carbon footprint in less than something that you only use once and dispose of. It inspired me to try and make as many of my belongings ‘things that never die’.

When first buying toys for my daughter I realised that I had an opportunity for me to make eco-conscious purchases and buy toys that would ‘never die’. There are so many plastic bits and bobs out there that can be squashed, smashed and broken and so often there is a wooden alternative. If you purchase a wooded toy it will last the life time of your child, your children, friend’s children and even be passed down generations. (Dylan’s rocking horse is a great example, Tara’s husband found it in his Dad’s attic it looks great in their sitting room, works just as well as all the plastic rocking horses out there and not only did it not cost a cent it has close a zero carbon footprint .)

I find the ‘Melissa and Doug’ toys to be really good quality, brightly coloured educational and most importantly indestructible. Amelie loves her wooden toys. Now I won’t lie she has her share of plastic ones too but I find a little solace in my eco-conscious purchases and know that when she out grows them I can put them away for my children, grandchildren or great grandchildren to come, at best they will need a dust and a new coat of paint.

Amelie concentrating very had on her 'Melissa & Doug' stacking toy

There is a wonderful store in Stillorgan called Nimble Fingers. They are jam packed wall to wall with wooden and fabric toys for your kids. They are beautiful and reasonably priced. I can’t wait to get Amelie a doll house when she is a little older. You can even shop on line http://www.nimblefingers.ie/

Eco-Conscious Toy pointers

We all love to spoil our kids but before you rush to the shop to buy them all the newest and latest toys think about the following ideas, you might save a few bob and help out mother nature too.

-          Sometimes children will have as much fun with the pots, pans and wooden spoons do they really need a new toy, get creative around the house you’ll have fun and save money!

-          Swap toys with friends when your children get bored as opposed to buying new ones.

-          Put some toys away and bring them out again after a few weeks, it is like having new toys.

-          Raid the attic of your parents, who knows what you might find?

-          Second hand toys will only need a clean and polish and if you buy from a charity store you are giving back to your community too and helping those in need.

-          Buy toys made locally or by hand, check out your local craft markets.

-          Buy toys the will ‘never die’ made from wood or fabric

-          Donate old toys and books to a school, charity or crèche

-          Get outside and in touch with nature, far better than any toy you could imagine!

 Amelie gettig up close and personal with some of natures most beautiful toys at Adeliade Zoo

Dylan and Amelie having some fun in the park... They look like they could do with a few toys here

ha ha ha but they were actually having a great time this day enjoyng the grass and the birds they

were full of smiles, I promise!

Again, I completely plagiarised this term ‘thing that never die’ and will post the author

responsible for my inspiration as soon as I find the book again. It was a great read and clearly very inspirational.

With love,

Angi, Tara and the Jetsetting Babies

Review # 3 Mugs Cafe Dalkey - Jetsetting Babies guide to Dublin South

Ok I know I am little early with the review this week but we have had a week full of sickness. Poor DJ and Amelie have had the tummy bug and it seems the yummy mummies are not so yummy this week either. So this weekend I am going to disinfect this house and finally get rid of these bugs once and for all... so here we go here is review number 3...

MUGS CAFE DALKEY

A: 61a, Castle St. Dalkey, Co. Dublin .

T: 012840419

Mugs is a dainty little cafe situated in the heart of Dalkey, on Dalkey main street. When I say dainty, I mean dainty. Its not the most buggy friendly of places. The double doors that lead in to the cafe are awkward to open as you need to open both of them to actually get in to the place. Once you are in there is no where to park your buggy and unless you get the sofa to the right of the door your kinda stuck. Its very small and intimate in side and you are bound to knock in to someone sending their lattes flying. There is a small narrow staircase leading to an upstairs, which does have an area at the back that has comfy sofas and an area where you could sit with your babies, if you can actually get up there. There are no high chairs, no changing facilities and no children's menu. However they do fantastic coffees and yummy cakes and soups. If you are happy to take your baby in there in a papoose or sling and you avoid the lunch time rush its a lovely little place to go. The staff and owners are really friendly and they love babies. So all in all, not a great place to go with your babies but if your on a mums only morning out go check it out.

High chairs              N

Baby Changing         N

Children’s Menu       N

Kids Activities           N

 

Lots of love The Jet Setting Babies and The Yummy Mummies

Wordless Wednesday

Kickstart & Coco Markets in People's Park Dun Laoghaire

Today Amelie and I popped into 'Kickstart' in Peoples Park in Dun Laoghaire to see what all the fuss was about. What a fab day to be had by families. There were bouncy castles and slides, candy floss, arts and crafts and face painters.

Amelie was a little small for all of the activities but had a great time watching all the older kids play. She especially enjoyed watching the juggler and had fun showing off her clapping and waving skills too.

The Coco Farmers Markets were on as usual and we got a few tasty treats, I had a a break from the amazing and addictive duck pies and instead opted for a delicious sausage roll from the 'Lovin Catering' bakery stand.

 

We sat by the water fountains and ate our lunch together. While it was chilly it was a lovely day out and we look forward to next year's kickstart when Amelie can take part in a few more of the activities, until then the swings will keep her amused time and time again!

This was a five star family friendly event, and we look forward to the next one to be held by the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Keep reading our blogs for event updates and of course more reviews on Dublin cafe's and restaurants. So far we have published reviews on The Giddy Goose and Sea Green Emporium and Tea Rooms...

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!

Love the Jetsetting babies and their Yummy Mummies

x x x

Review # 2 Sea Green Tea Rooms and Emporium - Jetsetting Babies Guide to Dublin South

Hi Everyone,

We are back this week with our second review, if you missed our first review on the Giddy Goose in Dun Laoghaire be sure to check out our previous blogs. This week we are talking all about a little place in Monkstown that is worth a visit anyday of the week. We would love to hear your views on the places we visited so feel free to get in touch. We have a face book page too of course, be sure to 'like' it to find out more... http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jetsetting-Babies-Guide-To/184088134954174

Sea Green Tea Rooms and Emporium

A:       11a – 12a The Crescent

Monkstown

T:       (01)2020130

E:       info@seagreen.ie

W:      http://www.seagreen.ie/

Sea Green was such a hidden treasure and not a place we discovered until sometime into our search for the Jetsetting Babies Guides most family friendly cafe in Dublin's South. A friend mentioned that during her first few weeks home from the hospital she would pop down daily for  walk to sea green and get a great take away latte. We heard… 'great latte' and were there in a flash. So impressed we were that our search slowed for a little as we found it hard to drag ourselves away. Vintage wooden highchairs with the softest cushions for the babies are a photo op in themselves, but there are only three so you will have to be quick. Ample parking space for buggies, a changing table and even a supply of organic baby food will see coffee melt into lunch, lunch into coffee and coffee into “oh no I have to get home and get the dinner on.”  The coffee, the homemade scones and the hot chocolates are to die for. The salads we found to be a bit hit and miss but there are plenty of other tasty soups, sandwiches and homemade meals that you will be more than satisfied. The staff are very friendly and accomodating, they are patient with children and make a cute babychino (a little heavy on the chocolate in my opinion for a baby but for toddlers and up it's a go.) With a cute shop where you can find excellent boutique gifts, designer clothing and shoes, you will be dreaming of going back for seconds the moment you leave. What’s more if you don’t have time to browse their store while you dine, check out their website once your kids are in bed and treat yourself to some great online shopping.

High chairs              Y

Baby Changing         Y

Children’s Menu        Y

Kids Activities           Children's vintage style toys for sale 

With love, Angi Tara and the Jetsetting Babies

A lovely Christmas decoration Tara picked up in Sea Green Emporium for Amelie as her first Christmas decoration, isn't it gorgeous!

xxx

Mama Loves, Baby Loves

There is such a variety of products on the market aimed at Mums, mums to be and babies… I of course get bedazzled by them all. One thing I did want though was something more natural. I became very mindful about what I put on my skin. Skin is the largest organ that we have, and everything we put on it gets absorbed in to our blood stream. I didn't want to add something to my skin that may possibly get in to my little bundle of love.

MAMA TARA LOVES: One of the best products I can recommend is almond oil. It is great at preventing stretch marks and for keeping your body lovely and hydrated. Also Vitamin E oil is great. Most pharmacies carry these. For my face I use Dr Haushka, their mud mask was great at keeping my skin clear. It can be a little pricey but I pick it up on e-bay at half the price. I also use their cleanser and their moisturizer quince day cream. Any eye cream with light reflecting particles in it will be a god sent for those days where you are running on no sleep. I use Nivea light reflecting eye cream. My make-up bag is very small, but I have a few key items I could never live without. I can put my make up on in the morning in 5mins flat.

If I have had a partially bad night I will use a dab of tinted moisturizer (Olay do a great one). I use it around my nose chin and forehead. I use YSL touché de clat under my eyes. Hoola bronzer by benefit applied with a big brush to the temples, under the cheek bones and the jaw line. I also sweep it down my neck. Curling your eye lashes makes your eyes look more awake. I usually add a dark navy eye liner to the top of my eyes. The blue brings out the whites in your eyes. Lastly mascara.

I always feel better with a tan, but so many of them are so full of chemicals so I searched everywhere and found a great one called True Bronze by Hamilton. It’s an Australian brand but again you can get it on the internet. It has walnut extract in it, which is a natural food dye. I found it had a pleasant smell and gave a natural even looking tan. One thing I would advise against is perfume (at least for the first 6 months of your little one’s life). They know us by our scent so by putting perfume on they are going to get confused. I even use a deodorant that is scent free.

BABY DYLAN LOVES: Ooh I just love baby products they look so cute and I wanted to buy everything for him. However DJ has very dry skin and is very sensitive. For the first 6 weeks of his life I used warm water and cotton wool for wiping his bum. I only stopped because his nappies got decidedly worse, and we needed to move on to something more heavy duty. So I use pampers sensitive. Almond oil again is just amazing and he loves it when I massage him before bed time with it. It’s also great for cradle cap. You just brush it out in the morning. Silcox base is also good for their dry skin. Vaseline is a great protector to put on their sensitive bums as a barrier. Sudocrem is good for nappy rash. Hamilton also does a great sunblock for a baby that’s good for sensitive baby skin. That’s about all I use on him. I had to change our washing powder too. He was getting very itchy and I couldn't understand why, until the Dr recommended changing our washing powder. There are some great eco-friendly ones that are very kind to the skin as well as the environment. Fairy non bio is also very good for sensitive skin. Just use half the amount you would usually use.

 

MAMA ANGI LOVES: Tara has taught me a huge amount about products for my face and body. Before I met her I did not really think about what I used all that much (which is strange because I am extremely conscious about the ingredients that go into my food, where those ingredients come from and how eco-friendly those ingredients, I point blank refuse to buy things with too much packaging) I was amazed that I had over-looked this area in my life, I only bought what I needed that was in budget. Needless to say I have been experimenting with new products trying to find more natural, ethical products that work on my skin. In some area’s I’ve had luck in others the search continues…  I love the Simple range and use a lot of their products. Wherever possible they exclude parabens, petrochemicals, alcohol, perfume and colours which are some of the biggest causes of skin irritation for Mothers and Babies. It seems they put in the bare minimum and still manage to achieve great results. I use the ‘Kind to skin facial wipes,’ and the ‘Deep cleansing face mask.’ I love the body shop for so many reasons. They do a rebate on packaging so you get product for recycling which means you can feel good you are doing a little something for mother earth every time you use their products. The have an amazing cleansing shower gel which I am hooked on. It is Divine Calm, made with French lavender, community trade camomile and essential oils. It is so relaxing and refreshing, it helps me wash away any anxieties I might be having about what I am going to try to get done that day along with any worries and concerns so I can start each day fresh and relaxed… if you ask me that’s good for Mamma and good for Bubby!

BABY AMELIE LOVES

I had a wonderful midwife in Holles Street Hospital. Amelie was born five days late with extremely cracked and dry skin, it was quite distressing for me. The midwife advised me that it was quite common for babies born late to have this problem. She kept me calm and gave me a few tips on helping Amelie’s skin recover.  Firstly she asked me to discard all the gallons of products we had been given as gifts or bought ourselves thinking it is what we would need when Amelie arrived. Secondly she recommended that we bath Amelie using only water for as long as possible and add a little chamomile tea to the water. This alternated with a little silcox base worked wonders for clearing up her dry skin and was also very calming. After her bath each night we massage her body with organic olive oil. When she is teething and has a nappy rash I put a dab of Sudocrem to clear it up but otherwise I only use Vaseline. I try to avoid wipes wherever possible and use cotton wool and water, if I have to use wipes for outings or very dirty nappies I like the Huggies Pure wipes with no purfumes petrochemicals or alcohol.

Hope this helps a little,

Tara, Angi and the Jetsetting Babies

xoxo

Hi everyone, hope you enjoyed our first review. We would love to hear what you think? Have you been to the Giddy Goose? Do your experiences match ours? I must say I got a delicious take away Latte from there yesterday… hmmm does anyone think that I have a coffee problem? Haha!

I really enjoyed that bit of sunshine today. We had a lovely walk on the Pier and it was great to get a bit of fresh air. While I was down in The People’ Park in Dun Laoghaire at the Coco Markets today with Amelie and my father in-law, making the most of the gorgeous weather, I picked up a flyer for a free event that sounds like loads of fun for families living in Dublin. It looks like it will be an exciting day out for the whole family! Finger crossed for some good weather!

Date:         Sunday 23^rd January

Time:         12pm to 3pm

Location:  The People’s Park Dun Laoghaire

Cost:          Free

What:       'Kickstart 2011'

Bouncy Castles, Entertainers, Dj's, Face Painters, Games, Sports and it's all free.

The Coco Markets farmers markets will be there as always too.

Try a Duck Pie, I get them all the time they are delicious!

Last year my husband and I took Amelie to the Teddy Bears Picnic in Blackrock. It was an extremely windy day and Amelie was tiny so we didn’t get too involved in the activities but we still had a fabulous day. It will be held again this year on the 3^rd July, check out www.dlrevents.ie for more info on 'Kickstart 2011', The Teddy Bears Picnic and loads of great family fun event coming up in 2011!

Here is a photo of Amelie on her way to the Teddy Bears Picnic last year, she was so small then, i miss that. Now that she is running around all over the place she seems so grown up!

xxx

Review # 1 Giddy Goose Cafe - Jetsetting Babies Guide to Dublin's South

Good Morning Everyone,

We are very excited to post our first review today, the start of something special! We know that eaveryone has a different dining experience each time they visit a venue and these reviews merely represent ours. We hope you find this review and the many to follow helpful. Enjoy your weekend we hope you find a gret latte and a tasty muffin somewhere...

THE GIDDY GOOSE CAFÉ

A :     138-139 Lower Georges Street

          Dun Laoghaire

T :    (01) 2148634

The Giddy Goose... we go back to again and again, baby friendly you ask? Well Yes! How friendly you ask, well honestly it depends on what day you go. Some days we sneak in out of the rain and are greeted with smiles and the waitresses will hold the door, move the furniture, park the buggie, get the high chair, and tickle the babies until they’re happy. Other days you do all of the above yourself while they watch with a strange look from behind the counter as if you are aliens. Though we must say they are perfectly patient when the bubs throw food at the ground, other customers or even the staff and never complain about the mess you leave behind. For slightly older kids with better dexterity and larger appetites the Giddy Goose has all sorts of treats from colouring pencils for entertainment to delicious kids options on the menu. They even sell babychinos (albeit they’re a little overpriced) to complete the café experience for the youngsters. Beware it can get super busy on the weekends so it makes a little squishy for too many buggies! The quality of food and coffee is about as consistent as the quality of service, stick to the simple dishes with simple ingredients and you should really enjoy your meal. Get into the cup cakes quickly too as they always seem to run out. Overall we go back again and again because it is a lovely little place with a lot of character and a nice buzz to it for Yummy Mummy and Jetsetting Baby alike.

High chairs	Y – 2
Baby Changing	Y – 1
Children’s Menu	Y
Children’s Activities	Y – Colouring

Love Angi x

Eco Friendly Tip # 1 – Me & My Travel Mug

Eco Friendly Tip # 1 – Me & My Travel Mug

For Christmas I was very excited to open one of my presents and find a travel mug. I had wanted one for quite some time but had not gotten around to picking one up.  The main reason I wanted a travel mug was because all of those take away lattes had really started to eat at my conscience. I imagined the pile of paper cups, plastic lids and paper sugar packets getting higher and higher the landfill spilling over and toppling into pristine forests and crystal clear ocean (overactive imagination YES far from the reality NO. So every time I bought a cup of coffee to drink while doing the shopping or running errands it tasted a little bitter, even though there was nothing wrong with the coffee.

Now I simply pop into my favourite café (that sells fair-trade organic coffee of course) hand them my travel mug and I am on my way sipping a delicious guilt free latte. It stays hot for longer too so it means if you get distracted with a dirty nappy or a crying baby and the coffee gets forgotten you have a much better chance of still enjoying it warm instead of cold. I salute everyone out there who already has their eco-friendly travel mug and urge all of you who don’t to jump to the travel mug band wagon! If you are a Yummy Mummy who lives a hectic life this is a small, simple practical item that you will really enjoy and it’s great for the planet!

The Math –

If I got 1 take away coffee a week (and well let’s face it, it’s usually three) for a whole year I have saved by using my travel mug between 52 – 156 paper cups, and 52 – 156 plastic lids from ending up in landfill.

Check out www.kitchen cookware.ie and pick up your Travel Mug today!

Introduction

We are two mummies from two different parts of the world, who met at the local health care center when our babies were just 3 months old. Since then we have been inseparable. Our babies Dylan and Amelie are the best of friends, born 2 days apart, and get up to all sorts of trouble on their adventures.
We decided to do this blog because like most mums out there, our little bundles of surprises have completely transformed our lives not just upside down but sideways as well. Throughout the past 10 months we have learned the hard way on everything from where to go for coffee, how to pack for a 30 hr flight, traveling to busy cities throughout europe, to even just trying to get out of the house in less than an hr.
We have started to do a guide of all the best Cafes and restaurants in Dublin Ireland, that are baby friendly and do a great latte. You cant imagine how many places do not have changing tables, no highchairs, and are just impossible to get in to with a buggy. Also what do you do when you are on Maternity leave with your little ones? Where is good to go that gets you out of the house interacting with the rest of the world? Where can you go shopping? Just because we are mummies now doesn't mean we can be fabulous yummy mummies who still have a good social life.
The Guide is called. The Jetsetting babies Guide to Dublin..
For the next few posts we will be posting on Cafes and restaurants on the south side of Dublin.
Hope you enjoy, if you have an queries in the mean time please don't hesitate to contact The Jet setting babies. If its cool hip and baby friendly they will know all about it.

Love

Tara Angi & The Jet Setting Babies