Feminst Friday

The Friday Feminist Mom Roundup

Here's how it works. Write a blog about being a feminist mom, raising a feminist child, a rant or anything that falls under the realm of being a feminist mom. Come back and link your post and post the button on your blog.

That's it.

You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your post and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Friday and via a widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for 5 days.

Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support other feminist Moms.

The more support you give, the more you will get back! I can't wait to meet and interact with other feminist moms around the world!

Wordless Wednesday

Mashed Potato

This is What a Feminist Looks Like

I've decided to do something and I don't know if it will work. I need all of your help for it to work and I hope that you'll join me. I'm a proud feminist and a proud Mom. After reading a few great blog posts recently, I've realized I really want to connect with other feminist moms and so I give you:

The Friday Feminist Mom Roundup

Here's how it works. Write a blog about being a feminist mom, raising a feminist child, a rant or anything that falls under the realm of being a feminist mom. Come back and link your post and post the button on your blog.

That's it.

You don't even have to be a blogger to take part - just send me your post and I will publish it on my blog for you. You don't even have to include your name if you prefer.

When you've published it, come back on Friday and via a widget thing you can add a link to your post and share it with everyone. The link remains open for a week.

Visit others, comment if you like them or feel inspired by them. Just go out and encourage and support other feminist Moms.

The more support you give, the more you will get back! I can't wait to meet and interact with other feminist moms around the world!

...and the winner is!

There were 94 entries for this giveaway and I'm really excited about the great turnout! Keep a lookout for more giveaways headed your way :) Now let's get down to business. Blondie Boy was so excited after pressing the button he passed out!


Notice he's wearing giraffes, nice touch right? Anyway! The winner of the Sophie the Giraffe Giveaway is... Marah! Please be in touch within 48 hours or another winner will be drawn. Congratulations and for those who didn't win Sophie the Giraffe is available for £11.99 from Hello Baby Direct and other fine retailers.

This product was provided to Transatlantic Blonde to giveaway, but the postage will be provided by Blondie herself.

Sunday Style

You may have noticed I've changed the layout of my blog and added some tabs or if you're like me and read everything in Google reader you have no idea what my blog looks like!

Either way I'm thinking my blog needs re-vamp. I love my background that the fabulous Mooeta made for me, but I think the focus of my blog has changed and maybe it doesn't represent what it's all about now?

Does blog appearance matter to you? What sort of things do you like to see? Could you really not care less and wish I'd shut up already?

Anyone have any tips or tricks on how to make a fabulous header/background? I'm not the most html savvy gal on the block. I'm also totally up for working out a deal if anyone wants to hook me up :)

...And for putting up with a fairly boring post, here's a video of Blondie Boy doing two of his favorite things: screeching/babling & kicking:

The Naughty Step

Pippa tagged me in this meme a few days ago, but I was struggling to think who I would put on the naughty step. Blondie Boy woke up early this morning and I was flipping through the crap that is morning TV and heard a story about Billie Piper on GMTV and immediately I know who should go on the naughty step.

Photo from the Daily Mail.

Really Billie? I understand that she may not be blowing smoke directly in her son's face, but regardless she is smoking in very close proximity to her wee son. This is not okay in my book and I don't understand how people still smoke so close to small children. I HATE seeing mother's holding their child's hand or pushing a pram and smoking.

I do not let anyone smoke around Blondie Boy and if I know someone has been smoking they aren't allowed to hold him. I've read studies where even as much as residual smoke on clothing can affect babies.

Why would you knowingly endanger your child's life with something that can so easily be prevented? Ideally no one should smoke, but if you want to harm yourself, at least do it far, far away from children.

So I've gone ahead and judged Billie and think she needs time to think about what she's done. Who would you put on the naughty step?

I tag:

-Mrs Bro, The Thomas Chronicles
-Kami, The Mommy Diaries
-Vonnie, Adventures of a Lady in Training
-Andrea, Forever is Tomorrow is Today
-Allyson, Day in the Life

Sophie la Girafe

Have you met Sophie?



I'd read about Sophie on Kami, Tanya, Mo's blogs and lots of my friends had recommended her as well, so when we got the opportunity to review Sophie for Hello Baby Direct, I was pretty excited.

Blondie Boy has been drooling and chomping on his hands for a few months and while no teeth have sprouted, it's clear that he is teething. You can tell when his mouth is sore and I don't like medicating him if I don't have to.

Sophie is billed as a sensory development toy, but I'd call her a teether. To be honest, she looked and squeaked like a dog toy at first glance and believe me the Emma Dog's ears perked up when she first heard Sophie squeak, but she's not a dog toy.






Sophie is made of 100% natural rubber and food paint which means she's non-toxic and supposedly smells and tastes nice to babies.

Blondie Boy's been testing Sophie for the past week and while it took a few days for her to grow on him, he definitely enjoys chewing on her legs, horns and face and swinging her about. I wouldn't say that he prefers her to all other toys, but he does love her. Sophie is much easier for him to chew on that traditional teethers which are often too large for his mouth. Blondie Boy prefers to be able to chomp where his back teeth should be, so Sophie's legs reach that back spot perfectly.

My only complaint would be that the paint on her horns and ears has seemed to rub off which makes me think Blondie Boy has ingested it. I know it's food paint and he's no worse for wear, but it still bugs me just a little.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a teething baby, but don't just take my word, here are Blondie Boy's thoughts on Sophie:

Sophie the Giraffe is available from Hello Baby Direct for £11.99, but Trevor from Hello Baby has kindly donated one for me to giveaway on my site!

To enter:

Comment on your favorite teething remedy and to whom you'd be giving Sophie

Extra Entries:

-Follow my Blog publicly and comment to let me know (1 extra entry)

-Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway and comment to let me know (1 extra entry)

-Follow Hello Baby Direct on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway and comment to let me know (1 extra entry)

-Blog about the giveaway and comment to let me know (1 extra entry)

Make sure to leave each entry in a separate comment.

I've checked out shipping prices and I'm opening this giveaway to all of my readers worldwide! A winner will be drawn at random on July 27th at 12:00 GMT. Winners must contact me within 48 hours or another winner will be drawn. CONTEST CLOSED.

GOOD LUCK!

Transatlantic Blonde was provided this product to review.

Plumb in your Mouth

I haven't blogged about making Blondie Boy's food, but we kept it up with making our own food while we were on vacation. Since I last blogged he's tried peaches, pears and peas (eh on the peaches and pears, liked the peas) and now we've moved on to plums.




Plums were on sale for £1 a punnet at my grocery, so it seemed like a good deal. There were a lot of different ways to cook the plums, but I opted to go with what seemed like the easiest: boiling.

I washed the plums and threw them into a pot of boiling water for around 10 minutes. The water will turn from clear to a bright purpley-red.



When cooked I dunked the plums in cold water to get the skins off, but honestly they were peeling off already. A lot of the flesh came off with the skin, so I think I might try an alternative method in the future.




The plums will come apart in your hands, so take out the pits and throw into a food processor and blend until smooth. As always I put in in an ice-cube tray to freeze and store for later. I brought back trays from the US which are about 2x bigger than UK ones and a better portion size. As you can see a punnet of plums only makes 6 cubes--not a great output.





I tasted the puree and it was really tart. I decided to mix some with rice to cut the tartness, but umm you judge for yourself what Blondie Boy thought. We'll give them a try for another 4 days, but I don't foresee a success.

Smiley Happy People

For those who don't know my sister Alison is a fabulous wedding planner, event coordinator and stylist; if you are getting married or having an event check out Aviva Events--she's the best!

Well in her profession she knows some of the best photographers in the Tri-State area (OH/IN/KY) and for my 30th birthday she gifted me a photo shoot by Kortnee Kate for Blondie Boy! She also got the amazing Nancy from Brideface to make me beautiful before hand; Nancy did my makeup for my wedding and other events and it is one of my favorite treats!

I'm so pleased with the gorgeous shots that Kortnee got of Blondie Boy and of us as a family. It was a really hot day and Blondie Boy was struggling in the heat (and an unfortunate face-plant that won't be mentioned), but she got some amazing shots.

Blondie, Blondie Boy & Auntie Alie

Chillaxing (or as my Mom calls it: Someone left their baby on those steps)


Blondie, Blondie Boy & NotBlondeHusband

We call this one Nature Baby

How does he look cute even when he's crying? LOVE his Bare Knees kilt :)

Happy Family

I love how crisp and clean the shots are and the vibrant, bright colors. There are more pictures up on Kortnee's blog and I can't wait to get these up on our walls and hopefully next time we are in Cincinnati we can get more shots of the boy done. Or if Kortnee fancies a trip to Scotland (come on we're prettier than Ireland!) she's more than welcome in Glasgow!

Thank you Kortnee and thank you Auntie Alie!

Flukeing Fantastic!

Before we left on our transatlantic trip Blondie Boy was lucky enough to be chosen to test out some gorgeous Fluke clothes and products. Fluke are an online children's clothing retailer with classic, but funky clothes made from beautiful fabrics with great attention to detail and subtle styling features.

Blondie Boy was sent the Bill & Ben Baby Blanket, Whirligig Striped Short Sleeve Tee Shirt and Rintintin Long Johns. I was in love before we even opened the package as they were wrapped in adorable cartooned wrapping paper--it felt like I was getting a present from a friend!

I threw them all in the wash (they came out the same as the went in; no fraying, shrinking or discolouration) and then straight into Blondie Boy's carry-on bag for our flight to California.

We used the blanket to line the bassinet on the flight and it was big enough to also fold over on top of Blondie Boy. Now I can't prove it was the cuteness and comfiness of the Bill & Ben blanket than caused Blondie Boy to sleep 8 1/2 hours out of the 11 hour flight, but I know it sure didn't hurt!

We also used the blanket at my Mom's house and normally we wake up to find Blondie Boy with his covers kicked off, but I couldn't help but smile when I walked in to see him like this.

I think he liked cuddling the blanket in part to the different texture of the stitching on the reverse of the blanket.

The clothes were super soft and Blondie Boy looked so cute in them! I'm really picky about what I'll let him wear; I think a lot of baby clothes seem to be cluttered with unnecessary designs or scattered with branded characters. Fluke clothing is simple, but stylish and I'm very proud that Blondie Boy is a Fluke kid!

Right now everything is 50% off! If that's not a good deal, I don't know what is!

Transatlantic Blonde received this product to review.

Hup Hup!

Two times out of three Blondie Boy and his Octopus chose The Netherlands...

World Cup Prediction 1:

The Netherlands

World Cup Prediction 2:

The Netherlands

World Cup Prediction 3:

Netherlands lead and Spain win at the last minute.

My chicken's pretty funky

I've started a bunch a post this week but not finished any of them. I could have written about CyberMummy, a belated post on the birth of my faux-nephew, dieting, Blondie Boy turning 6 months or even an easy one a survey post.

Red over at Resourceful Redhead awarded me with the sunshine award, but honestly lately I've been feeling anything but sunny. It's certainly not a lack of ideas that's fueling my writer's block, but I'm pretty sure I know what it is.


I'm homesick. It normally happens at some point after we get back from the States, but this time since we were home so long it has hit me really hard. I can't get back on the same timezone and I'm just sorta in a blah mood in general and it is affecting just about everything I do.

CyberMummy: I totally appreciate the fabulous people at Emma's Diary sponsoring me to attend and I had a great day listening and learning from speakers, liaising with PR folk and meeting other bloggers. However, I didn't come away with that warm fuzzy feeling of sisterhood everyone else has been blogging about. I felt like an outsider looking in; everyone seemed to know everyone else or had just made a new best friend. Between all the back and forth on twitter and blogs popping up on lists just makes me feel like I've failed at Blogger Popularity 101.

Faux-Nephew: My best friend had her baby boy 3 weeks early and I was in the same country as her, but couldn't go and see her. Logistically there was no way I could get to DC from Cincinnati and back with a 5 1/2 month old with all the stuff we had scheduled while I was home, but I still felt ridiculously guilty that my best friend in the entire world was so close, but so far away. Even just writing this right now I feel guilty and teary that I didn't find a way to make that 10 hour drive and meet her new son. I hate that I don't know when our boys will get to meet and I know that's because I live abroad.

6 months: Blondie Boy is half a year old, W-T-F. He's following the same growth curve and now weighs 16lbs, 8oz. We had his customary photo shoot, but I just can't be bothered photoshopping in the number 6 and pulling it all together. Otherwise I love the boy to bits and he constantly makes me smile and there absolutely nothing blah about him. Trust me even his poos are blah, they are more blech to be precise.

Dieting: Ugh. We all know I've done South Beach before and it really works, but I also know that South Beach and fresh food in general is really expensive. Being on extended maternity leave means being on a budget, so South Beach isn't going to be an option. I'm going to try the Special K Diet (2 bowls a day + one healthy meal), so if anyone knows anyone at Kellogg's please hook a girl up. In general I'm not happy with my post-pregnancy body, but let's not go there.

Sunshine Award: I'm supposed to tell you ten things about me and let you know ten other bloggers I like. Honestly I think I've been honest enough in this post and I'd suggest you try any of the people in my blog roll to the right.

This isn't my typical post and I know that; hell there's only one picture and it's not even of Blondie Boy. I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer, but I am trying to keep it real. Wasn't blogging about stuff whether people like it or not one of the things CyberMummy taught us? So for those of you who hate this post, I'm sorry. I promise to post some fabulous pictures of Blondie Boy, taken by the AMAZING Kortnee Kate, tomorrow for you. See yet another easy thing I could have blogged about, but haven't.

Thank you for bearing with me and if you've ever been in a funk, especially a homesick funk, what do you do to shake it?

Happy 4th of July!

To celebrate Blondie Boy's first Fourth of July, we had an All-American BBQ complete with burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob and all the fixings. Unfortunately we had some very Scottish weather, so we all ate inside.

I was very excited to use my new USA shaped cookie cutter and even made the red and blue colored sugar all by myself :)

We had brought back some plates and decorations with us and a good time was had by all!

Home and Away

We're back in Scotland after a wonderful month in the States with my family and friends. I know I've been seriously slacking blog-wise, but hopefully things will be back to normal soon.

I've barely been back 24 hours and I'm off to London to attend CyberMummy thanks to the fabulous people at Emma's Diary. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of other bloggers and hopefully learning some new tricks to make my blog more interesting for all my readers!

This will be the first time I've ever left Blondie Boy overnight before, so wish me luck! I know I'm going to miss him, but I know he is going to have lots of fun with his Daddy watching episodes of Dr. Who on Sky+ and the World Cup.

Also, you can now find us at TransatlanticBlonde.com! No need to change your feeds or anything if you follow me through Google Reader or elsewhere, though :)