update (and introducing Ecover review)

First of all, I'm working at getting the blogs back on line. Hopefully thelittlepip.com will be back up and running by the end of the week, but, in the meantime, the majority of my posts can be found at the old wordpress site.

We've spent most of the last week preparing for, planning and then executing Pip's naming party, which took place this Sunday. My apologies if you've emailed or texted since Friday. I certainly read your message but it is very likely that I haven't yet managed to respond. I will, soon. I promise. (photos and write up coming soon - sneak preview over on Instragram)

I have also taken up a new hobby - knitting and crocheting. In an effort to overcome my baby brain and my general blues I thought taking up a relaxing but also thought requiring but repetitive hobby might be just the ticket. So far, I have already crocheted a snood/cowl from big fat wool - warm and also no ends for the baby to pull and strangle me with. Win win.

And lastly, an introduction to my Ecover review, which I wrote a week or two ago but never managed to post. I'll be back soon with the conclusion, but so far, I like it. Apparently, according to some of my more single friends, we totally give away the area we live by our choice of washing up liquid...

I was thrilled therefore to be asked to review Ecover's new range of products called Ecover Zero, which are their new fragrance-free range, specially crafted to give great washing results while being suitable for sensitive skin. I've been sent the washing up liquid, the washing liquid and fabric conditioner as well as a tea towel and two cloths. We ran out of our last bottle of lemon and aloe vera the morning I started the reviewing, so it seemed a perfect time to start the trial. Our washing machine is also newly mended, so as I write, a load of towels are testing the washing liquid and fabric conditioner. Such is my dedication to this trial, I had to use a syringe left over from the baby's antibiotics to get the fabric conditioner into the machine, as our toploader will not open fully in the space it has been squashed into, meaning that without the precision of syringe loading the liquid runs out rather than into the machine. Anyway, I will be back in a week or two with a follow up post with my thoughts.

I received the products from Ecover. You can find further details regarding my sponsorship policy here.

The weekly

i love autumn. The colour of the air and the leaves are beautiful. on saturday we walked across hampstead heath to hampstead village in the late afternoon sunshine. the baby slept in her pram, the wheels encased in mud & then we joined our good friends for hot mulled wine and beer, sitting at a table outside in the gathering dusk.

the baby has been driving me a little mad recently, and my little pip blog has been hacked for the third time, which is why it's offline again. i've been feeling a bit rubbish really, so the walk across the heath really helped. sadly, it was raining again this morning and my migraine still wouldn't shift. i tried to dose it with a strong monmouth coffee at my favourite scandinavian cafe followed by our weekly sing and sign class. no luck. i thought waiting in the rain for a taxi, accompanied by a baby in a carseat, shouting, and a cat in a basket, might do the trick. not even the taxi never arriving and having to hail a black cab for a trip to the vets to check on delilah's bloods helped. never mind, there's always tomorrow ...

The weekly

It's been quite the week, this past week. Delilah (our cat) went missing for 24 hours and thankfully returned without life threatening injuries, although instead of handing out clementines to trick or treaters we were sitting anxiously in pet A & E (with the baby in tow) waiting for Delilah's X-ray results to be analysed. She ended up spending the night being monitored and being given fluids. Her injuries, including all her nails being shredded and broken, were consistent with being hit by a car. Obviously we will never know what did happen but the worry when she was missing was terrible and the relief when she appeared home was enormous.

The baby has been ill with a cold, as has Marto. We have all been sleeping terribly. We did manage a few museums last week, including the Hollywood Costumes at the V and A and a quick whizz round the British Musuem on Saturday. Trying very hard to balance my tiredness and frustration of parenting with making the most of all London has to offer. The Hollywood Costumes exhibition is well worth the trip, personally. Another post on that to come I think.

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Photos by me: ice rink at the natural history museum/ late night at the V and A courtyard/ gathering dusk at the British museum

Sponsored Post: Ecover Direct

I clearly remember the first time I encountered Ecover. It was the summer of 2003 and I was staying with a dear university friend's parents in Rock, Cornwall, with our friend, Miss L (his then girlfriend), Marto and another mutual friend. It was the first of a recurring annual visit and the start of my love affair with that specific peninsula of Cornwall. Anyway, our friend's parents had Ecover products galore, although I mainly remember the washing up liquid. Fresh from being an impoverished student, I'd only ever bought washing up liquid on basis of cost, never environmental concerns. But from then on, I only ever bought Ecover washing up liquid.

I guess, not just for the environmental good, although that was the first reason. I think as a new graduate and adult, there was something pretty smug about using products such as Ecover. Remember, this was in the early 00s at the very start of the boom and explosion of it being socially acceptable in a mainstream way to be seen caring about such things as the impact of your products, both on the body and on the world once they left the drain.

As the years have come and gone, I've tried pretty much every Ecover product. Not all of them have fitted into my life so seamlessly as the Ecover washing up liquid did, but they've always drawn me in for a trial and I've been a huge advocate of their products.

This is a sponsored post. You can find further details regarding my sponsorship policy here.

Triathlon: Completed

Just in case any of you were waiting with baited breath to hear how the triathlon went, well, yesterday was the day and I finished it.

I was last. 2 hours 16 minutes. Our whole family took part and we bookended the results with my brother-in-law winning in a time of just about an hour faster than me. But I finished.

And in case anyone is interested, here are some more thoughts...

{wearing/equipment}

adidas trainers | nike running socks | running shorts | old nike 'run London' dri-fit tshirt | panache sports bra | reebok running jacket | woolly gloves | Sweaty Betty swim suit & hat | speedo goggles 

I borrowed a 'specialized' brand mountain bike from a friend, with fat knobbly tyres. It was excellent and I felt really safe on it, aside from my woeful lack of cycling ability combined with inability to remember which gear lever did what, meaning I lost the chain on one steep ascent. I would also prefer a comfier saddle, but that wasn't any criticism of the bike. Thank you so much to my friend for stepping in to lend it me (and for my Dad for cleaning it this morning before it is returned).

If I were to do another triathlon, or actually, any cycling again, I think some padded bottom shorts (what I would call baboon pants) would really assist. Also, I think cycling shoes, not running shoes on the bike would be better. It was quite muddy and several times my trainers slipped on the pedals.

The sports bra was excellent and really helped. It was also perhaps a size larger than I needed, meaning that as my boobs expanded due to proximity to usual feeding time for the baby, there was room for them in the bra. It felt secure - a bit like a plate of armour. If I'd been shot, I think it would have been bullet proof.

The running jacket was also excellent. Light, windproof, breathable, with pockets for my map and jelly babies. I highly recommend.

{training}

as you might have expected, I didn't really manage to do any proper training. The one thing I did manage was a trial run of the swimming earlier in the week, which I found very helpful. Knowing that I could manage it, and what to expect, really boosted the start. I just wish I'd managed to do the same with the cycling. 

if you'd done a run and a cycle a week, then I think this event would have been pretty ok. the cycling part was quite track and mud heavy though, but just a little practice would have helped.

{improvement}

aside from training, I could have cut down the time on not getting dry/dressed after the swimming (although I am pretty sure that the few minutes I spent there, I saved by not being so uncomfortable on the cycle) and I could have for sure gone faster on the cycling by being less wimpy. aside from that, some training, no peeing by a tree half way round, not stopping to put the chain back on the bike and so on, and I think next time I can safely aim for sub two hours.

and that, I think, concludes the triathlon posts, unless there are any questions. until the next race, that is!

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I was sent the sports bra by Panache but if I didn't like it I would say so. In the interests of full disclosure, I was also sent the Reebok running jacket by Reebok back in 2009 but I wasn't overly impressed by the kit at the time, especially the PR organisation, who wouldn't swap the shoes that they sent which didn't fit, which is why I didn't write about it at the time. Having worn the jacket more now, it's the only part of the Reebok kit I would recommend. The Nike run london shirt was provided to me by Nike when I entered the Nike run London event in 2005 (? date). It is good quality, if a little small, post pregnancy.

You can find further details regarding my sponsorship policy here

Sponsored post: Woolacombe

Remember when we used to live in Somerset, back before we had a baby and moved back to London? Well, one of our favourite places to go for a day out at the beach was Woolacombe. It's actually in North Devon, just over the border, and a beautiful peaceful beach. We used to take our surf boards and spend the day messing around in the water before dining on fish and chips as the sun set.

If you are looking for somewhere to have a North Devon holiday, I would highly recommend Woolacombe. It's also just around the corner from Croyde, which is another lovely destination and surfing beach.

I was always really jealous that one of my fellow scout leader had a caravan at Woolacombe. In fact, down the other end of the same beach, there is a village called Putsborough where there is a campsite and carpark and place to park campervans. I used to dream of having a baby, buying a campervan and staying there for the weekend, surfing. If self catering is more your thing though, I understand that you can look for self catering in North Devon by following the link.

This is a sponsored post. You can find further details regarding my sponsorship policy here.

pinteresting

i read on ESB's blog the other day that it is possible to see which images from your blog are pinned to pinterest. makes fascinating viewing. who'd have thought (aside from a study of my blog stats) that my most pinned photographs are still related to planning my wedding, and, in particular, the search for a peacock themed or coloured bridesmaid dress. i must have spent hours, nay days, searching for peacock bridesmaids dresses... (and don't tell my sisters, but their b.oobs have made it onto pinterest too!)

{bridesmaid dress ideas}

{wedding photography ideas/ photo by Kelli Nicole Photography}