Stokke Table Top

I was super excited when we were gifted a Stokke Table Top a few weeks ago. For those of you who haven't heard of Stokke, it's a super stylish cult baby brand from Norway. I've been coveting their funky, but functional items (like the Tripp Trapp and Sleepi) from afar--until now!

The Table Top is designed to stimulate your child’s eating habits, playfulness and learning development. It comes with 6 background templates that are both fun and educational and the tray is mounted (with suction cups) to your own dining table.

Is this for me?

Blondie Boy is a bit young to be sitting up on his own (let alone eating solids), but I can already see how helpful it will be to let him eat and play where the rest of us do. It also is compact so I can see us taking it with us down to my mother-in-law's house. Stokke says that "sitting with you, your child is more able to bond, and develop language and social skills," which makes sense to me!

Oooh I like it!

For now we've been using it as a makeshift table top on our footstool. It means we have someplace to put our meals and drinks when we are sitting on the couch with Blondie Boy and don't have to worry about spills.

Mmm, can I have the yogurt?

I'm already thinking about using it as a sensory table when Blondie Boy can sit up on his own and letting him splash in water or play in sand. I think it's going to have many functions in our house and he grows and learns!

Emma likes it, too.

(and don't worry we cleaned the Table Top after her snooze)

Ooh look at me!

Yay! I'm Makeup Bag Monday over at Brideface!

The fabulous Nancy from Brideface did my makeup for my wedding and my friend Dana's 80's party (check out NBH's makeup ala Nance, too!). She is absolutely the best and I haven't been satisfied with anyone else doing my make-up since!

Every Monday she reviews someone's make-up bag and suggests new products for them to try and this week it's me! I've got some giftcards from Christmas I've been waiting to use to get her suggestions, so I can't wait to try them out.

Do you want to be Make-up Bag Monday or do you need a fabulous make-up artist in the Greater Cincinnati area? Get in touch with Nancy and let her know I sent you!

What am I 16?

Rewind to last November; NotBlondeHusband and I were driving down from Glasgow to Ayrshire for his Aunt's wedding and I looked something like this:

Yikes. Anyway, what happens to my poor NBH as he drives his almost 9 month pregnant wife and puppy down the road? He gets in his first accident ever, which results in our car getting written off/totaled. The damage and the accident weren't that bad, but the resulting work needed done was greater than the value of the car.

So why am I telling you this? Well when your car gets totalled, you suspend your car insurance; when NBH called to renew/start the insurance back up we were informed that I would not be insured. Apparently for the past 4 years I have been driving illegally as the insurance company wrongly informed us that I could drive on my US license for a year every time I entered the country. Since I left the UK once a year this worked--well apparently not. If I want to drive in the UK, I have to take the British test.

So fast forward to now and I'm back where I was some 14 years ago studying for my driving test. I've only booked my Theory test so far, but will have to take the Practical test as well.

Some of these questions are really stupid. Apparently some of the things I need to know to drive in the UK include:

-the maximum speed of a motorized wheelchair

-how many breaths per compressions for CPR

-how to reduce my emissions/drive environmentally friendly

So I've read "The Highway Code" front to back and am practicing on a computer program I got for £5 off of Play, but I'm still worried I will fail. Mostly because a pass is 85% (umm that's like a B+, not just passing) and also because I will feel like an absolute ass if after 14 years of driving I fail a test I passed the first time I took it on my 16th birthday.

I'd post a picture of me at 16, but all of my HS pics are in my Dad's attic in Ohio.

South Beach Phase 1

Today I officially start Phase 2 and I'll continue to blog about South Beach, but I will update once a week instead of everyday. Here is my complete food list from Phase 1:

Phase 1, Week One

(links where available, most recipes from South Beach Diet Quick and Easy)

*all non-water beverages 8oz unless otherwise listed


Wednesday
- fried egg and bacon
- cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes
- sugar-free cherry jello
- warm beef salad
- peanut butter and celery
-skim milk
- babybel light cheese
-coke zero

Thursday
- cottage cheese and cherry tomatoes
-chicken fajita salad
-peanut butter and celery
-coke zero
-sugar free cherry jello


Friday
-coke zero
-atkins chocolate decadence bar
-fajita lettuce wraps
-turkey parmesan


Saturday
-peanut butter and celery
-skim milk
-dill pickle slice
-grande decaf skinny sugar free vanilla latte
-prosciutto rolls with low fat chive philly
-homemade cheeseburgers with lettuce 'buns' and minted peas/brocolli/green beans
-sugar free cherry jello


Sunday
-coke zero
-atkins chocolate decadence bar
-cauliflower and broccoli with veggie dip
-baked ham
-skim milk
-stuffed mushrooms (no wine) topped with prosciutto


Monday
-coke zero
-ham and low-fat mozzarella omlette
-diet irn bru (16oz)
-cottage cheese and tomatoes
-philly cheesesteak pile
-sugar-free butterscotch pudding


Tuesday
-tall skinny decaf sugar-free hazelnut latte
-cottage cheese and tomatoes
-ginger chicken with snow pea salad
-mushrooms, red peppers and broccoli with veggie dip
-sugar-free butterscotch pudding


Phase 1, Week Two

Wednesday
-Dr. Pepper Zero
-Chocolate Brownie Atkins Advantage bar
-Cottage Cheese
-Seasoned Steak and Broccoli with low fat cheese
-2 Peanut Butter Cookies
-Skim Milk


Thursday
-Dr. Pepper Zero
-Chocolate Peanut Caramel Atkins Advantage bar
-Parma ham rolls with low fat chive Philadelphia cream cheese
-cherry tomatoes
-cheese string
-Beef and Bean Chili with low fat cheddar and sour cream


Friday
-Dr. Pepper Zero
-atkins chocolate decadence advantage bar
-skim milk
-Beef and Bean Chili with low fat cheddar and sour cream
-turkey parmesan
-sugar-free apple flavored water (1L)


Saturday
-Skim Milk
-Atkins Chocolate Chip Crisp Day Break Bar
-Parma ham rolls with low fat chive Philadelphia cream cheese
-cherry tomatoes
-Chicken Breasts With Stuffed Spinach and Goat Cheese
with Stuffed Baked Tomatoes
-2 Peanut Butter Cookies
-Skim Milk


Sunday
-atkins chocolate decadence advantage bar
-skim milk
-Dr. Pepper Zero
-Caprese Salad with Parma Ham
-Quarter Pounder with cheese, no ketchup, no bun


Monday
-Dr Pepper Zero
-Atkins Cappucino Nut Day Break Bar
-Tuna Salad on mixed lettuce
-Turkey and White Bean Chili
-2 Peanut Butter Cookies


Tuesday
-Dr Pepper Zero
-atkins chocolate decadence advantage bar
-Skim Milk
-Turkey and White Bean Chili
-2 Peanut Butter Cookies

A Step in the Right Direction

I'm not going to get into a full-blown debate about the health care bill that just passed back home in the USA.  All I'm going to do is post a real-life comparison that I feel supports my support for the bill.

R in North Carolina:

-Paid $3000 out of pocket with insurance. That was just for her didn't include the pediatrician that attended the c/s or her newborn daughter's hospital stay.

C-sections normally run $10,000-$15,000 without insurance and without complications.  That doesn't include hospital stays or any care for the baby, let alone any pre-natal or post-natal care.

Me, in Scotland:

-9 months of pre-natal care, including 5 ultrasounds, multiple bloodwork, several prescriptions, physiotherapy, crutches, splints, etc.
-emergency c-section, spinal anesthetics, 3 1/2 days in hospital, infant and mother antibiotics, etc.
-all my prescriptions and dentistry up until my baby's 1st birthday

COST: FREE

"This legislation will not fix everything that ails our healthcare system, but it moves us decisively in the right direction"-President Obama

Where oh where has Blondie gone?

So I've been pretty good at updating what I've been eating, but between playing with my ever-growing boy, sticking to South Beach and trying to get out for at least one walk a day, I've neglected my blog.

To be honest yesterday I was ready to quit. I got a lovely care package of Girl Scout cookies from my Mom and I don't know I just thought this wasn't working. I think it's that one week hump you need to get over.

Before he left for Poland (don't ask, apparently Warsaw is shits and giggles for bachelor parties, who knew) NBH insisted that I shouldn't weigh myself at his Mom's, we don't have a scale, because I might have put on weight since the last time I weighed myself and therefore be discouraged.

Well I ignored NBH's advice and trepidatiously hopped on the scale this morning. I'm not going to tell you what I lost, but let's say I lost more than enough to know it's not just water weight. Add in that I know I'm retaining more water than usual (ladies you know what I mean) and I'm a happy girl.

So now I'm off to walk my boy in the howling winds that are whipping around the lovely seaside town of Troon, because while he has some crazy metabolism (he's eating the amount of food for a 6 month old, but below the 9th percentile for weight), I don't!

Hopefully you'll be seeing a lot more of me here and a lot less of me in real life weight wise!

St Patrick's Day Playlist competition

Want to win a Rock 'n' Roll Weekend in Ireland?


The competition is open to music fans in the UK and anyone who votes or submits a song to add to the playlist is in with a chance to win a rock 'n' roll weekend in Dublin. The competition closes tomorrow (Sunday 14 March) and the top artists will be announced on St Patrick's Day.

Click here to enter! (only open to UK residents)

My friend Caitlin brought this to my attention and I was in no way compensated for this post.

South Beach

If you take a peek on the right side of the blog you'll see my ever so exciting meal plan. It's not so much a meal plan, but a list of what I've eaten. You see I'm starting back on South Beach again. I know I found it really helpful to read what other people ate Phase 1, so I thought I'd do the same.

So it's no fruit, bread, grains, sugar, etc for me for the next two weeks. Phase 1 isn't the most fun and I admit it is restrictive, but it is only two weeks and after that I can add back in fruit and good carbs, so it's not that bad. I do get annoyed at the lack of sugar-free items in the UK (umm hello have you ever seen how much sugar is in yogurt?) and that there are no SB branded products, but what can ya do.

South Beach has worked for me before and really helped me stay motivated and exercise more, too. If you want to join in or have any questions, please leave a comment! I'm not an expert, but I do have a few tips and tricks I've learned along the way.

Delivering Happy Feet

One of the first things I noticed when I went on maternity leave was how daytime commercials are totally different from nighttime commercials (yea I like TV, so what?). One of the commercials I'd never seen before was for a shoe company called Hotter, so when I got the opportunity to review a pair of their shoes, I thought, why not?

Hotter have been making shoes in the UK since 1959. While they originally made slippers, they diversified in the early 1990s, when they identified a niche in the market for stylish shoes with comfort built in. To be honest I wasn't sure if I was their target audience, but as a new Mommy who basically just wants to live in comfertable clothing, I guess I am!

I got a pair of the Harley boots and normally it takes me a few weeks to break in a pair of boots before they stop killing my feet, but these have been great. I also sometimes have problems finding boots that fit comfortably over my calves and the split back design of these mean that's not a problem.

I wore them out to lunch today with some leggings and maybe I'm wrong but I thought I looked pretty cute! They are warm without being too hot and I'm looking forward to trying them out on a long walk with Blondie Boy tomorrow!

To request a catalog click here or browse online. To get 10% off your first order and free P&P use the code FIRST.

Transatlantic Blonde received this product to review.

Two months

Age - two months

Weight - He last got weighed 2 weeks ago and was just under 10lbs.

Height - 23 1/2" (again 2 weeks ago)

Sleeping habit - He is starting to sleep longer at night, but not consistently.

Eating habits - Eating 5oz every 4 hours and now we're trying 6oz before bed.

Favorite activity - Playing in his chair and hitting the whale on it that makes the music play and the fishies light up and wobble. He also *loves* to kick and kick and kick some more which made his photoshoot interesting this month.

Milestones - 2 month vaccines

Firsts - Went for a walk in his pram outside and slept in a big crib (his Daddy's baby crib) while having a week's holiday at his Mimi Arlene's while Daddy was in London.

Wordless Wednesday

Mommy said boys who are good for their immunizations get lollipops.