Wednesday 17 July 2019

Family of 4


Wow...
Long long time since my last post!
Daphney is 2.5 years old and a sassy little lady!
I now work at John Lewis and most importantly and the reason for starting this back up is I'm pregnant!!

We are welcoming baby no.2 who is due March 16th 2020!

Thursday 3 August 2017

Baby Recipe - Cottage Pie

Hello,

I had such a dinner success tonight so I thought I would share my Cottage Pie recipe with you.

This recipe is a great way to get veggies into your little bambinos food, this would count towards yours and their 5 a day!

Ingredients 
Olive oil 
1 white onion -diced 
2 carrots - peeled and chopped
1/2 courgette - diced 
1/2 carton chestnut mushrooms - fixed 
2 tins chopped tomatoes
500g minced beef
Potatoes (depending on how much mash you like)
Optional (for alders)
3 TBSP Worcester sauce 
1 beef stock cube 
1 pack of ready salted crisps 

Methods 
Heat 2tbsp of olive oil in a pan 
Add all the veg and sweat down until soft 
Add mince and cook until meat is brown
Add tinned tomatoes 
Transfer to slow cooker (or cook on the stove top)
Cook for 5 hours on high
- Dish up portions for your baby and set aside 
Add Worcester sauce and stock cub to the rest of the cottage pie mix and cook for a further 2 hours on low
Boil potatoes and mash
Top cottage pie with mash 
Smash crisps and add to adult cottage pie
Finish in he oven for 40 mins 

Serve with veg 



Enjoy! 

Thank you for reading 
Mummy Stephens 



Thursday 27 July 2017

Baby Recipe - Banana Pancakes

Hello Everyone!

My last Recipe post on my French Toast went down a storm so I though I would share another favorite of Daphney's and that is Banana Pancakes and this recipe could not be any easier... it's only 4 ingredients!

Pancakes are a great way to introduce Eggs into your babies diet whilst still being tasty. This recipe is great for 6/7 month BLW.

What you will need 
2 Eggs
1 Mashed Banana 
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon or Nutmeg
Coconut oil 

Method
  • Beat the eggs and add in the mashed Banana 
  • Add in the Cinnamon or Nutmeg which ever you are using 
  • Heat a pan with the coconut oil and drop small amounts of the batter into the pan (As there is no flour in this recipe, make sure the pancakes are turning a golden coloring before turning or they might turn to mush!)
  • Brown pancakes on each side and serve
Enjoy!






Have you got a favorite food you like to feed your little bambinos? 

I'd love to see your creations tag me on Instagram using the #mummystephensBP

Thank you for reading 
Mummy Stephens x

Wednesday 26 July 2017

Baby Recipe - Banana French Toast

Hello loves,

I recently made Daphney some French Toast and she loved it so I thought I would share my recipe with you!

French toast is great for weaning as its soft for your little one to chew or suck! I think this recipe would be great from 6+ months, this recipe can also be changed to add different fruit like raspberries or blueberries depending on what your baby likes.

So let's get into the recipe!

You will need
1 Banana
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Sandwhich Thin
1 egg
Frying pan
Coconut oil

Method

  • Mash the banana in a bowl
  • Add the egg and spiced - give it a good mix
  • Heat the coconut oil in a pan over low heat
  • Cut the sandwhich thin into easy chunks for your baby to hold
  • Dunk the shapes into the banana mix
  • Lightly fry till golden brown
  • Wait until the French toast is cool enough to eat
Enjoy!









What do your little ones like to eat? 
Let's see your French toast, post a photo below or tag on instagram #mummystephensFT


Thank you for reading
Elyssia

Saturday 22 July 2017

My Top Tips - Healthy Csection *Graphic photo #10




Hello Lovely’s 

I am so excited to be a guest on One Sharp Mama's blog,if you haven't managed to check out her page, go and have a look below is my guest post which will be going live on her page soon.

My top 10 tips of a healthy Csection

#1 Research-Research-Research!

I was petrified about my upcoming C-section! I have never stayed in hospital and never had an operation so I researched everything there was to know about what I was about to be going through. I must have watched every video out there on the whole procedure and what happens (which granted was a bit too much to handle!) but when it came down to the wire I am glad I did as I was fully prepared and felt much better about it!


#2 No question is a silly one

Before my planned C-section I had a million questions and I didn't want to go in without knowing them. Some were random questions like "Do I need to shave my downtown area" and others more on point. The Dr’s were so helpful and answered all my questions even if I thought at the time they might have been silly! Being from England I had read a lot about what was going to happen but some of the things I had read were American and the procedures might be slightly different so always ask!



#3 "Voodoo"

I worked in Wholefoods in the health and beauty department before my maternity leave working with, as my husband would say, "voodoo potions" *sigh* and I would again read up on all the herbal remedies which might help me heal after. My top products would be Arnica 100c - this helps with swelling and bruises, I took this the day I gave birth and all the time I was in hospital which was 4 days and I didn't have ANY bruises from having Daphney! Which when you think how much pulling, cutting and tugging goes on during a C-section I was shocked about! 
Secondly I would highly recommend Vitamin C as hospitals are known for all sorts of colds, flus and nasties which as a new mum you don't want to be getting! I popped 2 - 3 a day and again didn't get sick whilst I staying there!



#4 Sweet Treats
I’d recommend taking some sweet treats! This really cheered me up and here in England before a C-section you can’t eat anything from around 9pm the night before. We arrived at the hospital for 6.45am and John was eating my sweets and coffees so when Daphney was born I couldn’t wait for that little pick me up which sugar peaches would hit.


#5 Rest is super important but keep moving?
My thoughts before I had Daphney were that I wanted to play with my new baby girl and share my excitement with the world. In reality I was shattered, physically and mentally exhausted. Having a c-section is a major operation where 7 layers of skin, fat and muscle are cut so take it easy Lady’s!




#6 Day after keep moving…
Ok so this sort of goes against what I said in my last post but bear with me! The more you move…gently, the quicker you will heal and the layers will get back to normal, don’t get me wrong it HURTS but it’s a must! Trips down the hall even trips to the bathroom are a massive achievement. The day after I had Daphney the midwife told me to start moving around and I thought she was joking but honestly it is the best thing you can do, plus means you aren’t going stir crazy in a hospital bed as much!



#7  Positive vibes
Another massive thing in healing is positive vibes and thoughts. I am awful with pain but I knew if I thought I was going to be ill, sick and in pain I would be dreadful, so instead I told myself I was fine, took my meds and I was fine, everyone was so shocked at how quickly I was recovering.



8# Borrow Bridget Jones’ knickers
This on makes me laugh all the time and yes ladies I’m still wearing granny pants, they are the most comfortable things ever!!! They sit just over your belly button so don’t sit on your new healing cut – Same goes for maternity leggings, I lived in mine for months after giving birth as I didn’t want anything to irritate my incision.


9# Drink plenty and take stool softeners
*Ok so TMI alert* my first poos after labour hurt but nothing to when I stopped drinking water – let’s just say it looked like I had been eating sticks like a bear *shakes head*


10# Don’t be scared of your new wound
When I got home from hospital and it finally came to taking off my bandage I was so scared and cried. Looking back I’m not sure what I was so scared about seeing, the midwives said the Dr’s had done an amazing job but I was still scared. Don’t be scared, keep it clean, washed and dry and it will help stop any infections popping up.




Thank you so much for reading

Mummy Stephens x

Tuesday 18 July 2017

What did I wear to my Daughter's Christening?

Hello Guys!

Yes I know...Another christening post, Last one I promise!
This is a ChiChi London OOTD

I've always wanted to own one of the beautiful ChiChi London dress and this was the perfect opportunity.

The dress did not disappoint me. It was truly beautiful and I felt like a million dollars wearing it!

This ChiChi London dress was part of their "plus" collection which goes from sizes 18-26. I did find I needed to go up a size in the dress which made it fit a lot better.
The dress I bought was called Gwen, it was a floral midi-dress with digital floral design, fitted bodice with "V" neck front and back with a perfect bold box pleated midi skirt.

I think this dress would be perfect for any special occasions, Parties, Weddings, Christenings & Cocktail events

ChiChi London have a lot of sales which happen quite regularly. The dresses are popular and I had to try a few times to order the dress as they sell out very quickly but again replenish quickly too. I will leave a link down below for the Gwen dress which is now on sale £39 down from £69.99
Thank you for reading
Elyssia x











Christening Photos

As promised, Photos of Daphney's Christening.
Daphney has 4 God-parents Chris and Loren Organ - Mine and John's Best Friends
Megan and Michael - John's Sister and My God-father

Let's see!!

Father Paul, John, Myself, Loren, Chris, Megan & Michael


The Organ Family with their 2 Beautiful Children



My mum Cheryl, my Great Auntie Mu (*98! Let's just take a second..how great does she look!!) and Michael


Beccy, Daphney and Myself



Myself and Lorna (I've known this beauty for 21 years)