FFS Friday - It's a long way in the car sometimes.

Last weekend Family Smyth and I took a little trip interstate to visit Mr S's Granny for her 90th birthday. It was amazing trip and I was so happy to see my little girls enjoying their cousins, Nanny and Poppy and of course, Granny. Naturally, I also managed to collect a few FFS moments to share...

• The night before we leave I am packing. Of course I'm packing on the fly. Why would I spend a week coordinating my luggage and making sure I didn't forget anything? It's not like I'm a SAHM. Wait a minute... FFS.
• Lady Pippa refused to sleep this night, so I was packing my bag at 9pm with a baby rolling on the floor sounding like Bobcat Goldthwaite. FFS.
• Eventually I get her to sleep, finish packing and head to bed at 11pm. Lady Pippa awakens at 11.15pm. FFS.
• We get up and rolling in the morning and fly to our destination with no worries. We pick up our hire car and begin the epic trek to the NSW/VIC border. What do you MEAN it's 330km to the border? That's THE END OF MY ISLAND THANKYOUVERYMUCH. FFS.
• We stopped frequently and it took us 6 hours to get there. FFS.
• We all shared a room and it meant that Millie was not fond of sleeping. The first night we battled through, the second and third nights she slept in the middle of our double bed. FFS.
• She got sick on the last night we were there and was snotty and inconsolable on the way home. FFS.
• Pip joined the Illness Party the next day and has been requiring several thousand cuddles per day (No FFS) but isn't enjoying having high fevers and hates taking panadol. She vomits every time we try to give it to her. FFS.
• Millie has taken to being very offended by Pip's crying. She is in no way helpful attempts to console her by patting her and saying 'It's otay Pip, there's no monsters' and when that doesn't work, shouting 'STOP IT PIPPA STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP.' FFS.
• I was feeling very sorry for my girls on Wednesday and my day's thoughts went from:
  11am: Oh my poor darlings, maybe I won't go to sewing class tonight. I want to cuddle you all better.
  2pm: Dear god, go to sleep Millie. Stay asleep, Pippa.
  4pm: Packs bag with latest sewing projects whilst humming a tune to block out the noise.
  5pm: WHERE IS MR S? Still humming. Wind up burning the pasta sauce after stopping one child throwing a camping lantern at the other. Mentally balled up in a corner rocking and back and forth.
  6pm: Mr S arrives home 'Do you mind if I go to class? No? BYE BYE.'
• Now I am thick headed and snotty. FFS.

Nuby Reviews - Rhythm Bottle Feeding System

A while back I was contacted by Nuby Australia and asked if I'd be interesting in joining their team of bloggers - a Mummy Blogger if you will. They offered to send Family Smyth some of their new products to test, review and giveaway here.

First up is the Rhythm Bottle, with additional teats and disposable liners. Curious. I'd seen these advertised and wondered both what they'd be like to use and what the actual point was.
There's a better explanation of bottle usage over on their website but essentially it's a sterilised liner that fits in the purpose-built reusable bottle and reduces air in the milk filled liner, thus reducing air intake by your littlie, thus reducing colic.

Let's begin!
Child and toddler paraphernalia not strategically placed.

Lady Pippa has the odd bottle every now and then, and has always suffered with colic and gas. Whilst she latches well she doesn't need to work particularly hard to breastfeed and is a bit 'relaxed' slack about the whole affair, so I was keen to try the bottle system for one of her bottle feeds.

The bottle is supplied with one newborn sized teat, so Nuby also sent a packet of 3+ month teats to fit the bottle. There are notches in the sides of the teat to help you align it in the bottle top and there are air intake holes in the teat itself.

Pip do it on her nown.

What's disconcerting about using the bottle is there's no bottom in the bottle, so it looks just like a regular bottle, only it's really a cylinder with a screw top. The first time I washed it I knew something wasn't right with it but I just couldn't work it out. It took me a few seconds to realise there was no bottom in the bottle. I'm sure that if I had more sleep it would have been slightly more obvious to me...

To use the liners and bottle system you assemble the liner within the bottle, warm the feed seperately and then pour into the liner. With the bottle top and teat on, you push the bottle of the liner upward within the bottle, essentially pushing the air out of the liner through the teat, making it somewhat airtight.

Feedwise, the Rhythm bottle system works just like a regular bottle. As the bottle is emptied, the liner collapses on itself. Several comparisons sprang to mind, but, well, I'll leave that one well alone. Pippa enjoyed being able to hold the bottle herself whilst we fed and I found the bottle quite easy to hold. I did have trouble with a bit of leakage through the air intake holes, and I'm not entirely sure how to get around it.

Finished feed. Collapsed liner. 

THE MRS SMYTH RECOMMENDATIONS

The Good Bits

• The liners are sterilised, so if you are formula feeding and needing sterilised bottles these would be ace for on the go.
• Pip did not have as much gas after the feed, and I do think that the liners reduce air in the feed. Win!
• It's easy to assemble and far less daunting (for me) to have to think about sterilising bottles and teats. I've never formula fed under 6 months before so I've not needed to worry about sterilising bottles and teats for breastmilk.

The Not So Good Bits

• There was a bit of leakage through the top of the bottle, so that would be cumbersome if you were feeding like this every day, but perhaps you'd find out how to fix that.
• I don't like the disposable nature of the system. I think it's a great idea for now and then, but unless you had a baby who had severe colic I don't agree with throwing away liners for every feed.
• Cost. The bottles, teats and liners are relatively inexpensive, but at approx $7 per box of 50 liners, it could wind up being pricey if you fed with this system full time.
• I disagree with feeding juice to babies and infants, and I think it's counterproductive and unhealthy to advertise  'Simply drop a pre-sterilised liner into a Rhythm™ Disposable Liner Bottle and fill with breast milk, formula, juice or water.' (Source: Nuby website)

Overall

I really liked the system. I wish I'd had it for my first baby Millie, who had weeks of colic and gas in her early days. I love the disposable liner system for travelling - I'll be taking them with me when we travel interstate this month.

What do you think? Would you try the Nuby Rhythm Feeding system?

*Products were supplied to me by Nuby Australia for the purposes of review on my website. No payment was offered or accepted. All opinions are my own.

FFS Friday - Twonager Edition.

We are about to journey to family birthday interstate. Two kiddlywinks under 3 on a plane and a 4 hour car ride. Gulp. FFS.

In a discussion with my SIL about portacots, car seats and high chairs she says she's just spent an entire afternoon with my MIL going through her wardrobe trying to decide what to wear to the birthday party - did she have anything formal enough? I hadn't even given it a thought until she mentioned it. Now I can't stop thinking about it. My personal checklist to leave the house these days is: vomit free? Let's ride. FFS.

I've been sewing up a storm - pics to come. In the course of the last week I've burned my hand on my iron and sewed my finger. Bent needle and everything. Amazing. FFS.
I did finish two quilts, a skirt, a bag, hemmed some jeans and abandoned a project.
I gave said Twonager a quilted blanket I'd been working on since March. She'd been watching me work on it but I hadn't let on it for was her. I set the washing machine for 5am, had it in the dryer at 6am, folded it up and gave it to her at 7.30am.
'Remember it was your birthday? Here's a present Mummy's just finished for you.'
'I don't like it. I don't want it.'
'It's a special blankie, Mummy made it just for you.'
'I don't want it.'
FFS.

I thought it was an anomaly until we were gazing out the window an hour later, talking about the moo cows across the road...
'Oh! Moo cow, Mummy!'
'Yes! Look at it! Now, remember Mummy made you a special blankie for your birthday?' Hushed, reverent tones.
'Yes. I don't want it.' Hushed, reverent tone.

FFS.

Despite telling me 'IT IS SO PITTY MUMMY IS IT MILLIE'S?' for the last two weeks and  subsequent rejection she has been snuggling under it all afternoon and said 'I REALLY LIKE IT' tonight.

Thank god. FFS.

FFS Friday

This week kind of levels out to a nice, even keel. That said, there's been all manner of excitement (question mark?) and excitement (real, live excitement).

It turns out that despite the myriad of cars, comings and going and noise, only two people live at BNHQ. They are actually quite nice to speak to. Their dogs still bark all day and they fix their cars all evening, but at least I'm no longer worried they're going to maim me. NO FFS.

• Pip has gotten two teeth in two days. I imagine this is quite painful, and I'm certainly sharing in her pain as she had me out of bed 9 times on Monday night. FFS.
• There's more coming. I can see their taunting white points. FFS.
• We went camping last week and it was amazing. However, as I was ferreting through the linen cupboard finding blankets I rested my head on the sheets to get a better look inside. Then I realised I'd not only fallen asleep, I'd fallen asleep standing up in the linen cupboard. FFS.
• I need to put a sign on my front door saying 'A TWONAGER LIVES HERE.' This week has seen the introduction of the 'Time Out' space for Millie. It's so hard, and I'm mourning the loss of her sweet little baby innocence to a two year old who seems to be as stubborn as her mother and father. FFS.
• When I went to pick up Millie from daycare on Wednesday at 2.59pm, the car did not start. FFS.
• I love living in the country. I rang my local Bridgestone service centre who dropped everything, drove to my place, jump started the car (cost: $0!) and offered to follow me to their centre so they could check the battery. NO FFS.
• I got them to replace the battery in Handsome James. That was $125 I hadn't seen coming. FFS.
• He runs like a dream now. NO FFS.
• He needs his shocks replaced, and is getting two done this month and two the following month. The car account currently has $0 in it. FFS.
• In the past two weeks I have rotary cut my finger once, cut the same finger with a knife and mandolin sliced a different finger. FFS.
• I have always bruised easily (YO PLATELETS, WHADDUP?) but it's a bit extreme at the moment. My legs are always covered in bruises and I can tell you what every single one is.
  'This one's the bed end.'
  'This one's the fire guard.'
  'I ran into the clothes horse.'
  'Millie pointed her elbows into my thigh.'
  'I ran into the door frame.'
  Sadly these are all true. I'm just freakin' clumsy. FFS.
• After the 9 wake ups from Lady Pip on Monday night, Lucy woke me up for a 10th. Suffice to say I didn't react particularly well. FFS.
• The cat really is a f**king fruit loop. FFS.
• I joined a quilting class in Huonville. I bloody love it. I left Mr S with the kiddies at 6.30pm Wednesday night and came home at 8.45pm to a quiet house. I'm going again next week and every available opportunity after that. NO FFS.
• My latest project looks awesome. NO FFS.