Easy Ways To Keep Your Home Clean - Products

Hello! 

Hi, how are you?

Now you're most likely here because you enjoy cleaning... In this post I am going to share with you my top few cleaning products and how to use them to make your home feel clean and fresh quickly and easily.

Having a twelve week old baby means that I simply don't have the time very often to 'deep clean' my home meaning I have had to find quick alternatives that I do almost every single day to keep on top of the cleaning. 

Before having Maci I spent a lot of time at home due to being so poorly during pregnancy so I would spend a majority of my time (when I wasn't being sick) cleaning and in doing so I became extremely 'House Proud' which continues to this day. 

I have composed a list of my top few cleaning products (no particular order)-

 Let's be honest, we all put off cleaning the oven and other difficult items but 'The Pink Stuff' makes it so much easier. I must admit I was a bit apprehensive when I first heard about this product but I can confirm it is as good as everyone says it is.

This Product is one of my most recent discoveries, I came across this product in Morrisons and thought 'heck, why not give it a go' and I was pleasantly surprised. It is a 'Antibacterial citrus spray' also you can spray this on 'food surfaces' meaning it is perfect for the kitchen! Plus it smells incredible, always a bonus right? Oh and it was only 77p...

Now this wouldn't be a cleaning post without some Zoflora featured at some point... Who doesn't love Zoflora. I usually pick up the 'Fresh Linen' scent but the other day whilst in B&M I came across this one and had to give it a go.
For those of you who may not know Zoflora is a concentrated Disinfected that I usually dilute with water and wipe down the kitchen sides once a day.

 Having Laminate throughout our whole home means that it becomes quite dirty and with Laminate you can't really mop it because it becomes wet and then starts to lift so I was so ecstatic when I found these wipes which are made especially for floors plus they are anti bacterial which is perfect when you have two doggies running on the floor too.

My partner does a very physical job meaning that very often he comes home from work with his clothes stained and dirty and of course once i've washed them I don't want to put Maci's baby clothes into a 'dirty' washing machine so I always use this product to give it a thurer clean, it works a treat!

This is definitely one of my favourite products on this post because it smells delightful! All you do is simply tip a 'lid full' of the powder into your toilet to help reduce limescale and of course make it smell lovely!

I hope this post has given you some ideas on how you keep your home clean and tidy easily... Let me know in the comments below if you purchase any of these products and how you find them.

Storm

My Top 5 Newborn/Baby Essentials (Gadgets!)

Hey,

If you're reading this it's most likely because you're due a little human soon (congratulations!) or you may just be curious what interesting things I consider my Top 5 Essentials to keep my little person alive and well.

 Everyone's opinions vary on what is considered 'essential items' and to be quite honest I am very much into my 'gadgets' so when I found out I was having a baby I definitely ventured into the world of newborn/baby ones.

(These aren't in order of importance as they're all equally important in my eyes!)

1: Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep Machine

 

When I was pregnant I had heard about these machines and I genuinely thought I wouldn't use it that often but oh my goodness, it makes your life so much easier. No need to boil kettles and wait for the water to cool down all you do is select the ounces you want on the dial on the top of the machine and then press the big button and like magic the water comes out at the perfect temperature for your baby. Let me tell you at 3am in the morning it is much safer to be using one of these machines rather than boiling the kettle... You have to change the filters every now and then (when the red light flashes) and that is the only downside to these machines (filters retail for around £10)

2: Tommee Tippee Steam Steriliser

 Another great gadget from Tommee Tippee... the steam steriliser! Before having a baby I wasn't even aware you had to sterilize items let alone do it two or three times a day. This machine makes that process so easy, all you have to do is wash out the used bottles (I use fairy liquid) and then pop them into the slots and put 80 ml of water into the bottom of the machine, close the lid and press the 'power' button. Then before you know it all the bottles/dummies/teething toys inside are sterilized and you don't have to worry about any germs. The machine usually takes around ten minutes to sterilize the items.

3: Sleepyhead Deluxe

 This is probably my favourite item on this post because I know how much Maci loves it too... This was another item that I thought we wouldn't use as much as we have. We really couldn't make do without this, Maci sleep in this at night in her cot because she feels safe in it because it is quite 'snug' around her little body whereas in her moses basket she wouldn't settle because she could move around and she didn't like that. 

These Sleepyheads are also perfect for travelling, recently myself and my partner travelled a few hours from home for a couple of nights to visit some family and we didn't need to cart around a massive moses basket all we needed to take was Maci's sleepyhead (we had a cot in the hotel room). Another thing that I love about this brand is that there are so many different designs for these items, I personally have never seen another one similar to Maci's and that I really like. 

The only downside to this product is that they are a luxury item, they retail for around £130 although I would consider it worth every penny and when Maci outgrows this one I will definitely be purchasing the Sleepyhead Grande.

4: Tommee Tippee Sangenic Tec Nappy Disposal Bin (Pink)

 I never thought I would see the day when I end up blogging about Nappy Bins but here we go! 

This item was one of the first 'baby products' I brought whilst I was pregnant and quite honestly I brought it because I was curious as to what it actually was, I didn't realise how crucial it would become in our home. It is basically what it says on the box a 'Nappy Disposal Bin' and it means that you don't have to put any used nappies straight into your usual bin, you can pop them into here and it keeps the odour in and then once its full you then empty it into a bag and you don't have to worry about it. You have to purchase 'refill' bags for this bin so that when you place a nappy into the top of it and push it down (using the specific part in the lid, so no hands get mucky!) it automatically falls into the refill bags. 

The only downside to this item is that it gets full fairly quickly meaning I constantly feel like im emptying it although this wouldnt prevent me from purchasing it as it's a great item.

5: Silver Cross Pioneer Pram & Changing bag (counts as one, right?)

Choosing a Pram is a huge decision and I certainly did my research before I chose which one I wanted. I absolutely love my Silver Cross Pioneer and all the accessories that you can buy for it such as; pram umbrella, cup holder and a matching changing bag.

This Pram is very durable and easy to fold away to put it into the car. To remove the car seat from the chassis you simply press two buttons, can't get easier than that! It also has a massive basket underneath meaning it is the perfect Pram to take shopping!

The changing bag has many sections, it has four bottle holder sections (two on the outside and two inside the bag) which are insulated too. Inside the bag you have three big sections meaning you can organise it to suit you.

Personally I find Silver Cross products extremely hard wearing and durable, I highly recommend any of their prams.


I hope this post has helped some of you out and may of introduced you to some new products.

Let me know below!

Until next time,

Storm

Shooters & Table Reservations - Turtle Bay Southampton

Everyone loves a cocktail right? And If you don't that's okay because this post also includes some delicious caribbean food too, something for everyone! 

Turtle Bay describes itself as a 'Caribbean-style shack with a modern exterior' and that it certainly is, the decor makes you feel like you're abroad in a bar metres away from the beach and the food is simply 'out of this world!' The neon lights light up the bar area and another feature that I loved about Turtle Bay is that it is the first place that I have been to that have 'unisex toilets' how great! 

Another great NEW feature is that they now offer 'Table Reservation' service meaning no more 'hanging' about waiting for a table or standing near the bar if you don't wish too, you can now pre-book your table via the website, how convenient! 

We were spoilt, well and truly spoilt. We were all blown away with the huge array of food and drinks we got to sample for the sake of our blogs and reviews and for that I would like to say a massive thank you to all the staff because they were so attentive and simply 'couldn't do enough for us'. 

First of all I will tell you about all the drinks we enjoyed throughout the night - Our first cocktail was the 'Side Chick Martini' which is Turtle Bay's' own 'take' on the famous 'Pornstar Martini' this cocktail consisted of; vodka, passion fruit, vanilla, orange juice and then came with a 'prosecco side' 

 The second drink that we had was (again) there own 'take' on the Pina Colada called a Koko Kolada. This included; Koko Kanu coconut rum, dark rum, coconut milk and pineapple juice - Tasty! 

Throughout the rest of the evening I also enjoyed some more 'shooters' named 'Ghetto girl' which was a vodka, passion fruit liqueur, watermelon and apple juice 'mini cocktail' effectively! What a great idea... (unfortunately I didn't take any photos of these!) 

Now onto food... I honestly don't even know where to start on this part of the post because we were surrounded by so much food it was unbelievable but I will try my best to cover everything we had that evening.

Throughout the evening we enjoyed the; 

Jerk Platter (middle left)

Veggie Platter,

Doubles,

Sweetcorn Fritters (bottom right) 

Garlic and Herb Flatbread (middle right)

Dirty Curry Fries,

Sweet Potato Fries,

Caribbean Hummus,

Smashed Avocado,

Crumbed Halloumi (my favourite!)

Sunshine Quinoa (top left)

and

Crumbed Plantain.

 Another thing that I noticed about Turtle Bay was that it caters for all allergies and is very vegan friendly! 

I would just like to take the opportunity to thank the staff at Turtle Bay Southampton once again for being such great hosts and providing us with delicious food and spectacular cocktails all evening.

So if you're in the area and fancy a great evening and some cocktails and carribean food make sure to book a table and head down to Turtle Bay, you won't be disappointed!

This post is my opinion only, this is a #sponsored #gifted post although this does not affect my honest opinions throughout this post.

Meet My New Baby (Rebranding & Relaunch!)

A few weeks ago I posted on Instagram explaining that I wasn't feeling inspired to write posts and that I was going to take a break from blogging for a while and quite honestly, I wasn't sure if I was going to return in fact I had decided that I wasn't going to come back but how could I just 'stop' doing something that I had enjoyed doing for so many years.

So I needed to have a rethink, a revamp and then a relaunch... so here it goes!

I have never had a big 'dramatic' rebrand, this might be because I haven't drastically changed as a person until recently and quite honestly my old 'layout' was feeling rather childish so time for a revamp and a new look! So, goodbye to the very colourful background and hello to my new, slightly minimalist look (go ahead and take a look!)

You also may of noticed that my blog's URL has changed... it is no longer 'stormydoos.blogspot.co.uk' but now, I own my very own domain so let me introduce you to my second and new baby Storms Blog - This may not seem like a big deal to those of you who don't blog but for a blogger this is the start of something bigger and better and I can't wait to see what my new domain name will bring.

My aim is to be able to blog almost as a part time profession meaning yes, there may be some #Ad posts soon, if you don't like those posts then please don't click on them but hey, we all have to make a living, right? Although I would just like to take a second to say that any Ads/Sponsored/Gifted posts that I created will only be promoting products which I personally enjoy or use. I would never post about a product that I didn't personally enjoy.

I have also decided that this blog isn't going to be solely 'Beauty' based anymore, (sorry!) I feel like I should also blog about the highs (and lows) of Parenthood and attempt to be as brutally honest as possible because I feel that is very important and I want to be able to look back at posts in the future and who doesn't want adorable baby photos now and then?!

So yeah, I think that's covered everything... If you have any questions about any of the changes please don't hesitate to comment or contact me on my social medias (you can find the links in the right side bar, posh right?) 

I hope you all like the changes and will continue to come on this crazy journey with me...

Things you don't get told about Labor and Delivery.

Hey,

Following on from my previous post I decided to do another post about Labor and Delivery and this time I have chosen to share with you all the parts that you simply don't get told and then are not prepared for, well at least I know I wasn't.

My whole labor and delivery experience wasn't what I had expected at all, my whole pregnancy I had planned to have a water birth with gas and air so when I got told at the Hospital that it wasn't going to happen how I had planned it was a big shock but things do not always go as planned despite how much you may want them too.

Sometimes you won't realise when you're dilated... 

My contractions became noticeable at around 11 pm and at 12:30 pm I decided to go to the hospital thinking that I would maybe only be 1 cm dilated if that, once I was examined I was told that I was actually 3 nearly 4 cm meaning that I then wasn't allowed to leave because I was now in 'active labor'. The reason why this is included in this post is because I would of had no idea that I was that dilated because the pain was so little, I was made to believe that you would be in excruciating pain at this point but for me that wasn't the case.

The after birth cramps... 

This was the first thing that came into my mind when I was planning this post. I had no idea that this was even a thing let alone how painful it would be. After giving birth all your organs begin to move down and your uterus contracts meaning you feel like you're giving birth all over again. I remember lying there a few hours after Maci was born and my epidural was wearing off thinking that I was actually going to die, the pain was unbelievable.

How great Epidurals are...

When writing my birth plan at around 34 weeks pregnant I remember saying to my midwife that I did not want an epidural because of the horror stories I had heard. But I simply could not of given birth to Maci safely without an Epidural, it make the terrifying experience bearable and for that I would recommend it to anyone.

It's OK not to be OK...

Now this is a big one, as I said before I had planned a water birth for my whole pregnancy and I was so set on it happening that I hadn't considered what would happen if I wasn't able to have one. When I was told at the Hospital that I wasn't able to have one, I burst into tears. I hadn't considered or researched any other ways of giving birth and I felt totally unprepared for the biggest and let's face it, most painful experience I would most likely ever have to go through and that was utterly terrifying. For days after Maci was born I felt numb, now at the time I put this down to the fact I had to have a large blood transfusion after my Episiotomy but I think now it was because I was in shock. My 'perfect birth' and how I had planned it for months had happened and not how I wanted it to happen, I would get so frustrated with people when they would say 'But at least she is here safety' because of course they were right but it had happened how I didn't want it to happen. 

What i'm trying to say is that it is ok to not be ok.

(There are many things that could happen which you aren't told about beforehand, stay confident in yourself and you'll be absolutely fine!)

Until next time,

Stormydoos