Right, I’ve had enough now. Being pregnant is rubbish. I’d convinced myself in the months trying to conceive that pregnancy was this wonderful, beautiful state of being which outweighed the minor irritations of morning sickness, headaches, indigestion, wind and constipation. But it was all a lie! These first few weeks are a nightmare, I have to go to work and pretend to be perky and upbeat to a bunch of twenty some-things who think I’m old. I asked one of them recently how old he thought I was and he said, “33?” The bloody cheek! I am 33, but I don’t want some whipper-snapper confirming it for me. The youth of today have no manners; I’d have lied when I was a twenty-something.

Anyway, I digress. Being pregnant in the first trimester is, for me, like being ill for 3 months. If it was possible, I would lie in bed and wait for it to all be over, but unfortunately having a job, a toddler and a husband mean that’s not possible. The last time I was pregnant, my morning sickness lasted for 16 weeks. I remember one of my friends saying she thought I’d gone off her as I didn’t call or meet up or anything during that time. The reality was that I just felt so dreadful I could barely move. I suppose the difference between then and now is that this time I have to move. In fact, if I don’t move for any prolonged period of time, my toddler will probably take the opportunity to body-slam me to get some attention.

So, it’s time to prioritise, focus on the essentials. Housework can take a back seat, cooking can take a back seat, in fact everything apart from going to work and making sure I don’t smell can take a back seat until the trimester of hell is over. Unfortunately, work is an essential which means that going to work on the train is an essential. I have struggled to get a seat the last few times I’ve caught my morning train and as I stood clinging to the nearest pole and trying not to vom, I have been very tempted to stick out my considerable gut and wail, “please someone give me a seat, I’m very heavily pregnant!” The only problem with that is that upon sitting down, anyone taking the time to examine my “bump” would notice it had metamorphosised into several tyre shaped rolls. Not good.

Well as I speak I am only 2 days away from being 12 weeks pregnant – officially the time when morning sickness ends and the “glowing” phase begins. Excellent, I’m ready to glow, let’s just hope that this time my morning sickness sticks to the schedule…

Posted in category: Mother M by Mother M | Email This Post |  Print This Post | 1 comment
Tags: Mother M

We are now officially 1 year old! Hurrah! Doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun!?

To mark this very special and perhaps credit crunch defying occasion, we are offering you all 25% discounts on purchases from Friday 5th to Sunday 7th December 2008 (excluding sale items).

Our second year promises to be incredibly exciting. We’ve got some very groovy website enhancements in development that should make your time online at Yellow Lolly even more fun than ever (all still hush hush but details will be along shortly after Christmas) along with a continuation of our expansion of our product range, including increasing our largest clothing size from 2-3 years to 3-4 years - we hope this will stop a number of you having to buy elsewhere once your children turn 3! Of course if there is anything specific you would like to recommend, please do let us know!

Right, we’re off for a glass of bubbly!

Posted in category: Announcements by yellowlolly | Email This Post |  Print This Post | Add comment
Tags: birthday

This month you could win a Wooden Farm Bead Set by French manufacturers Vilac. Little ones will spend much needed quiet time threading the little farm pieces on a string. The pieces are colourful and chunky in size so won’t present a choking hazard. Helps with fine motor skills, manual dexterity and assists with learning about a farm environment - moo moo!! This prize retails at £14.50.

About Vilac
Deep in the heart of the Jura surrounded by mountains, lakes and forests, between Champagnole and Saint-Claude, Vilac has been manufacturing wooden toys in Moirans-en-montagne for more than 80 years.

Vilac toys are unique, never go out of fashion and have lasting appeal for all generations.

Wood is a magical material: an alder branch can be made into a skipping rope; a piece of beech wood can be turned into a dog, a cat or a rabbit. Carved wood acquires life, as Roland Barthes summed up so well: "It’s a familiar yet poetic material that establishes in children a sense of continuity between a tree, a table or a floor. Wood is not damaging or unsettling. It doesn’t smash, it wears away. It is durable and remains so as a child grows."

Toy-making secrets: the wood is turned, smoothed, sanded and lacquered by skilled craftsmen at Moirans-en-montagne. The toy designers are veritable artists who give personality and character to the toys.

Enter to win now by signing up to our email newsletter!

Posted in category: Monthly prize draw by yellowlolly | Email This Post |  Print This Post | Add comment

Here at Yellow Lolly we’ve got a fantastic selection of goodies that would make perfect stocking fillers for Christmas! All of these products are priced at less than £20.

1. First up is the Plan Toys Mushroom Kaleidascope. This environmentally friendly toy is made from recycled rubber wood and it has been produced using no harmful dyes or glues. Let your growing toddler see the world from a different perspective! Available in 3 different colours.

2. Katvig Dark Bark Green and Petrol Blue Organic Cotton Socks. These are soft dark bark green and petrol blue striped socks from Katvig. They are made from from 75% organic cotton with a smidgen of elastane which gives them a lovely fit. What more can we say?!

3. Vilac Wooden Rally Car. Vroom Vroom! Vilac’s wooden cars are now classics and this little rally car is no exception. Manufactuered in France in the Vilac factory (going since 1911), it has been sprayed with hard lacquer to give a long life and a lovely shiny finish. Go faster checks and rubber wheels finish this little item off.

4. Cloud Cuckoo Designs Tea Rose Lollipop Bib Set. These beautifully contemporary printed bibs from Cloud Cuckoo come in a set of two. Consisting of two different prints with a contrast binding they are 100% cotton with velcro tab for easy use. They’re generously-sized with 100% towelling backing.

5. Vilac Wooden ‘House’ Puzzle. This adorable wooden 6 piece puzzle set from French manufacturer Vilac features 4 scenes from "la maison" - the house! A great introduction to ‘fit together’ puzzles which helps manual dexterity and the pictures assist with learning about the home environment. This set comes in a wooden box with a lid to keep the pieces together.

6. Katvig Green and Blue Striped Organic Cotton Baby Bib. This cute cotton bib from Katvig is fantastic for everyday wear when your baby is milk feeding, teething or for meal times. Made from a double layer of soft cotton it will protect clothes whilst keeping your little one looking cute as ever!

7. Vilac Wooden Mini Race Car. Similar to the Vilac Rally Car and manufactuered in France in the Vilac factory (going since 1911), it has been sprayed with green hard lacquer to give a long life and a lovely shiny finish. Cute shape and rubber wheels finish this little item off. Great for pushing along the floor or around Vilac wooden garage.

8. Mini A Ture Burnt Orange Flyver Long Sleeved Cotton T Shirt. This funky burnt orange cotton T from Mini A Ture sports a very cool aeroplane print to the front. Would look cool over Bror indigo lined pants or under Derry or Dilbert dungarees. Soft quality cotton from Mini A Ture and little boys will look great.

9. Katvig Pink and Cream Organic Cotton Hat. We love this winter’s scarfs and hats from Katvig. Not only are they 100% soft cotton and therefor great for young sensitive skin but they come in rich deep colours that will brighten up dull days and pale faces!

Posted in category: Products by yellowlolly | Email This Post |  Print This Post | Add comment
Tags: christmas, cloud cuckoo designs, Katvig, Mini a Ture, plantoys, vilac

The first thing I have to say before I begin is don’t be put off by the idea of homemade gnocchi – it’s incredibly quick and easy and tastes delicious. I came across the coriander pesto a few years ago in The Cranks Bible and it’s been a staple in our house ever since. I have altered it slightly as the original recipe states 6 cloves of garlic which I found a bit overpowering to say the least.

It’s the kind of recipe you can play around with though and alter to suit your taste. The only tedious part is removing the leaves from the coriander and you have to make sure that no stem gets into the pesto as it makes it really stringy. You can omit the chilli if you prefer and I usually forget to buy limes and so use lemon juice instead which works fine. Jude, my two year old, adores this dish.

Homemade Gnocchi with Coriander Pesto (serves 4)

Ingredients:

For the gnocchi:
500g potatoes
200g flour
Salt and pepper

For the pesto:
1 large much of coriander (about 6 ounces)
2 tbsp almonds
2 garlic cloves
4 tsp light olive oil
Juice of one lime
Dash of Tabasco
½ inch of red chilli chopped very small
Sea salt
Parmesan for serving

Method:

For the pesto simply pound the garlic and almonds with a pestle and mortar then add the chopped coriander leaves and all the other ingredients and pound until you have the desired texture.
For the gnocchi, peel and boil the potatoes until tender then mash well, adding the flour and seasoning.
Knead the mixture for a couple of minutes then roll it out into two long sausages, about ½ and inch thick. Cut the sausages into segments of about 1 inch long and plonk them all into boiling water until they rise to the top (about two minutes).
When draining the gnocchi save a little of the cooking water as this helps the pesto to spread over the gnocchi more easily.
Sprinkle with parmesan and eat.

Posted in category: Juli's Kitchen by Juli | Email This Post |  Print This Post | Add comment
Tags: cooking, gnocchi, pesto