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Philips Avent single electronic breast pump review and giveaway (RRP: $249.95)
NOTE: This model is no longer available. However, you can get the Philips AVENT Single Breast Pump here and Philips AVENT Microwave Natural Steam Baby Bottle Steriliser here.

As most of you know by now, this week I hung the two girls out to dry. Girls, meaning “milk tankers’’. Li’l Holly, at 16 months, was ready to wean herself from breastfeeding. She no longer had interest in my bazookas. Unlike The Bloke in The Shed.

My two favourite items during breastfeeding both girls were my:
- Avent ISIS iQ UNO handheld electronic breast pump
- Avent Express II steriliser.
They enabled me to continue feeding Ella once I headed back to the office after 12 months of maternity leave and, more recently, assisted me in getting some much needed rest when Holly’s sleep issues left me spent. Dad may not have boobs, but he can still feed the baby.

The breast pump was incredibly easy to use and meant lots of trashy daytime TV viewing while the girls were backed into the milking shed. The cushioning inside the suction cup and the gentleness of the vacuum also meant I never had to deal with red mountains after milking time was over. I fully understand the tagline “inspired by nature’’. Even better, the breast pump doesn’t have teeth.

It was also much easier to use than I ever imagined a breast pump would be. Maybe I didn’t spend enough time in Dad’s dairy shed growing up. There’s also the benefit of being able to use it manually if you prefer. And when it comes to cleaning, a bit of soapy water in the sink was all that is needed.

Along the way, I learnt a few tricks to help make the expressing easier:
- Lie down and do nothing for five minutes before expressing to help you relax.
- Have a hot drink before and during pumping, as it seems to help that initial letdown. For me, it was a Milo.
- Do some breathing exercises. I breathe in for four seconds, hold for four seconds and breathe out for four seconds. Repeat only a couple of times, or you’ll pass out!
- Some people swear by having a photo of their baby in view. This didn’t seem to have much effect on me, but is worth trying.
- Sometimes even having baby in front of you works. Although, it also prompts them to want to have a feed.
- Make the pump action slow and steady. Fast pumping can result in sore boobs.
- Relax!
You can learn more about the Avent Single Electronic Breast Pump on the Avent website.

COMPETITION IS CLOSED! To mark the end of the milk train, Three Li’l Princesses and Avent are giving away an Avent single electronic breast pump valued at $249.95 to one lucky reader. All you need to do is fill out the below form telling us: Why you decided (or why you’re planning) to breastfeed your baby? The most creative and original answer wins on Sunday, March 18 at 7.30pm.

Terms and conditions: The Avent Single Electronic Breast Pump competition will be judged on creativity and originality. The total prize value is $249.95. The competition opens Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 7pm AEST and closes on Saturday, March 18, 2012 at 7.30pm AEST. One entry per person. Australian entries only. There is one prize to be won. The winner will be notified via email and name published here. Entries remain the property of Three Li’l Princesses and may be republished. Please note: Some links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you choose to do business with them in the future, I may receive a commission. This won’t affect what you’re charged.

WIN – Find the best Online Competitions brought together all in one spot. It’s free and updated daily!
February 18, 2012
Kisses from daddy. Well, Kiss Biscuits, at least.

By The Bloke in The Shed

Li’l Holly has had to play second fiddle in a number of ways. For me as a dad, brutally honestly, I simply have not had the chance to bond with her as I did with our first born, Princess Ella. It’s second-child syndrome.

Ella and I spent a vast amount of days alone giving mum a break. It was fantastic. Hence, we know each other completely (which can also be a negative because we also know how to push each other’s buttons).

Li’l Holly’s arrival in the world coincided with mum stopping work, an increase in my work-life responsibilities and throw in a big sister for good measure.

Normally, when Holly and I are together and mum is having some “mum time”, the baby of the family also has to compete with Ella for my attention …. let me tell you, not many successfully compete with Ella in the attention stakes.

Yet this month saw Holly and I spent our first true day together. Ella was in care, I was on holidays and mum needed some time to do PR and blogger stuff, so Holly and I got the chance to spend the day alone. It was nothing short of fantastic.

Li'l Holly showing how to make a Vita Wheat magically disappear – if the seagull doesn't get it first

It’s not to say we weren’t close before, but we haven’t had a chance to forge the incredible bond Holly has with her mother. Whether by nature or nurture, Holly is one strong-willed individual. Where Ella warms to people and people warm to her instantly, Holly almost looks at people as if assessing their entire life history. It takes a lot to earn her trust.

While I love her with all my life and every breath she takes, that day alone I know helped us grow our relationship as father and daughter immeasurably. Or, it could have been the awesome Kiss Biscuit we shared at the local bakery? Whatever. Long may it continue.

Do your children get dad and daughter/son time regularly?

February 16, 2012
WIN: Aussie Giveaway Linkup #36: Breastfeeding edition
EVERY night this week, Li’l Holly has been playing with her food – also known as my boobs. She’s lost interest in breastfeeding, which means we’re nearing the end of what has been one of my great joys of the baby years.

I’ve said before how incredibly fortunate I’ve been that my four girls (bazookas and children) have made breastfeeding a pretty easy task. I also might add that it’s been an immense help in decreasing my waistline. Sadly, it looks like I’ll finally have to start exercising again.

There has been a slight issue with breastfeeding though, especially having done it for a combined 30 months. This is it – shrinking violets:

Seriously, Ella and Holly have sucked the life out of me. Well, my boobs at least.

On the win front, I can finally enjoy a wine with dinner again, get my tea-stained teeth whitened and slather anti-wrinkle cream into the deep ravines around my eyes. Vain? Yes!

Talking of winning, it’s that time of the week again. Get clicking and see what fabulous things you can win for you and your family.

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:
1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents.
3. Grab the button to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.
Hosted by Three Lil Princesses

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February 12, 2012
What the heck are stage presents?

Princess Ella and I are very similar – apart from the fact I have great hair. We bond over singing, dancing, drawing, music, craft and preening my great hair.

Only yesterday we spent the afternoon making special letters for each of the kids at childcare she won’t see again after this week. Tomorrow marks the last day of childcare before she graduates to “big girl school’’.

However, there’s one little thing that is fast becoming “our special bonding moment’’. The one hour-long block that is just for us to talk about the things that connect us most. It’s Young Talent Time and the singing and dancing.

Ella is a 7pm to bed person, but on Sundays I’ve been allowing her to stay up until 7.30pm. We talk about what performances we liked best, who we thought should have won, how good (or bad) the singing was and why the dancing worked (or didn’t). I try to encourage her to look at the negatives of a performance constructively – rather than just “that was terrible, Mum’’.

It’s also been a chance to share some of my (limited) singing and dancing knowledge from years of lessons. Like when the rock guitarist performed on Sunday, I was trying to explain to her about “stage presence’’. “But where are the presents, Mum?’’ Failed on that one.

Then, when we were marvelling at the YTT team’s performance of Beyonce’s Halo, her only reaction at the end was: “The sky is green? And the ground is blue? What? That’s like Upsey Down Town, Mum. That’s silly.’’ Upsey Down Town being a popular Play School song.

The last was again during the rock guitar performance, where host Rob Mills introduces her performance by saying “she’ll rock your socks off’’. Ella’s response: “But where is she going to put them?’’ After a long and detailed explanation of what “rock your socks off’’ means, she asked: “Can I rock my socks off with my recorder?’’ Eat your heart, darling.

What’s your special bonding moment with your children?

February 6, 2012
When a princess loses her fairytale ending

Family bedtime reading is starting to become a little lacklustre for Princess Ella. The stories that are fully engaging Li’l Holly – Where is the Green Sheep? and Spot Goes to the Farm – are leaving Ella wanting more. So, to help with her development, we’ve begun reading a “big girl book’’ after Holly is asleep. For the moment, it’s this book:

My Treasury of Fairytales. It’s full of longer fairytale reads, which are more focused on the story and less on the images. Although, the illustrations are quite incredible. We first cottoned onto these books with the My Nursery Rhymes Book.

Her favourite from the fairytale book is Jack and the Beanstalk, which I’ve now read about 738,469 times. I think it has something to do with the “Fe Fi Fo Fum’’ rhyme, despite the fact it’s about grinding bones to make bread. She probably now believes that’s how you make bread, just like she believes breastfeeding mums provide us with cartons of boobie juice for our Sultana Buds.

I tend to try and push her towards the more harmless Cinderella, The Ugly Ducking and Sleeping Beauty. Although, the latter has garnered questions about whether Sleeping Beauty would die if a prince didn’t kiss her.

Then there’s Hansel and Gretel. As we were reading it the other night, an alarm bell went off in my head: “stop reading. This is going to give her nightmares’’. But for some ridiculously stupid reason, I continued. I have no idea what that reason was, by the way.

In the car the next day, Ella piped up with: “Do you know what I’m thinking, Mum?’’. I could have answered with “why does Superman stop bullets with his chest but duck when the gun is thrown at him?’’, but I didn’t. Prompting her to continue, she said: “I was thinking how you went away and left me and I was really sad and I cried. And I was scared you weren’t going to come back.’’

Part of this story stems from taking her li’l sister away to Adelaide for a night for a bloggers brunch months earlier. But I think it was mainly prompted by Hansel and Gretel’s awful stepmother.

The clincher though came that night, when she woke at 1am crying. She was scared and didn’t want to be left alone. Five minutes later I was squished into a single bed with someone more akin to the main character out of the Princess and the Pea for all the wriggling that was going on.

We now no longer read Hansel and Gretel around here.

Are there fairytales you avoid with your children? Has your child been affected by a so-called child friendly story?

January 27, 2012
WIN: Stylish Little Me Stroller Bag review and giveaway

SOMEHOW I’ve managed to trial a few nappy bags of late. If only I had more children. Actually, no, I take that back. The Stylish Little Me Stroller Bag passed through my doors two months ago. In that time we’ve taken it to everything from the Melbourne Zoo to the pool. Not to mention filling it with a laptop (among other things) for a plane flight.

What appeals about this one is the ability to place it on the back of the stroller thanks to eyelets at the top of the bag.

I don’t have to worry about it dragging on the wheels or swinging from side to side and swiping out little ol’ ladies. Although, a word of warning: it’s best to take the bag off the pram BEFORE you take the child out of the stroller or the whole thing will tip up. Not good when the earlier mentioned laptop was in it.

The bag is designed by two Sydney mums, Renee Tanner and Megan Boross, who wanted a bag that was stylish and functional. Weighing a meagre 1.2 kgs, it comes in two colours – midnight blue and platinum grey. The blue is quite classy, I might add. There are plenty of spacious pockets on the exterior and interior, including a zip pocket at the front for easy access when it’s on the pram or stroller.

There’s also a detachable change mat with compartment for wipes, nappies and tiny bot creams. Being detachable makes it ideal for those who are long past the nappy stage. And if that’s the case, lucky you.

Along with the eyelets for the stroller handles, it has a long and short handle to suit different prams, including single bar prams. This would have been an issue for us if Li’l Holly were still in her pram. With the exterior easily wiped down, it is this shiny effect that is my only small criticism – but that’s a personal thing.

The Stylish Little Me Stroller Bag retails for $199 and is available for purchase from www.stylishlittleme.com.au. The two mums have other product releases in the pipeline. You can also connect with them via Facebook.

So, would you like one for yourself? Then listen up , because things have changed a little around here. Due to the rules surrounding “games of chance” verses “games of skill”, I’ve now turned giveaways into games of skill.

So, what you need to do is tell us in 25 words or less: where would you take the Stylish Little Me Stroller Bag if you owned one? The most creative and original answer wins. You’re also more than welcome to keep sharing the giveaways with your social media networks. Excuse the title of the form too – amateur hour here!

<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://threelil.wufoo.com/forms/z7x3k1/">Fill out my Wufoo form!</a>Terms and conditions: The Stylish Little Me Stroller Bag competition will be judged on creativity and originality. The total prize value is $199. The competition opens Friday January 6, 2012 at 7am AEST and closes on Friday, January 27, 2012 at 7.30pm AEST. One entry per person. Australian entries only. There is one prize to be won. The winner will be notified via email and name published here. Entries remain the property of Three Li’l Princesses and may be republished.

WIN – Find the best Online Competitions brought together all in one spot. It’s free and updated daily!

January 6, 2012