Welcome to #mamasmondays… Jamie’s Italian, Little Chip & Joolz Essentials

Welcome to  #mamamondays.  Here I try to include anything that is making us happy – and hopefully you too – even though it’s a Monday. And, I have to say it really making me try to make the most of this often ‘depressing’ day

It has been anything from what we’re doing or planning to what we’re eating, watching or reading. I’ve even included items I’m lusting after or buying and anything else that has been inspiring me to make Mondays – and the rest of the week if need be – just a little more bearable.

I really hope that #mamamondays is inspiring you to make the most of this fresh start we get every week…


LUNCHING


Since I’ve been freelance and working from home I think my lunchtimes have somewhat disappeared.

Of course I eat – but I don’t take a lunch hour as such. I may stop at noon or 3 in the afternoon to eat depending on whether I’m on deadline, catching up with some house chores or even had a late breakfast – and I most definitely don’t eat for an hour.

When Jamie’s Italian got in touch to see if I wanted to try the new Super Lunch Deal – I organised to meet a friend I hadn’t seen in a while and figured it could be the opportunity to claim my ‘lunch hour back’.

As fans of Jamie’s Italian anyway I was excited to see what would be included in this special menu . The Super Lunch Deal is a fixed price menu  – £10.95 for two courses and £12.95 for 3 courses.

I mean you can spend that popping out for a sandwich, coffee and such in your local cafe or sandwich shop near work, am I right?

Of course the proof would be in the pudding…or the eating. Can you really have a 3-course meal, in an hour (or so), at a great price and without sacrificing on quality?

In a word – YES! The meal was upto the same excellent standard you expect from a Jamie Oliver restaurant. It was freshly prepared, beautifully presented and most importantly speedy.

We may not have eaten and finished in an hour – but that was because we had a lot of catching up to do and weren’t in any rush – and plus Miss Marnie was with us too.

Between us we managed to try Slow-Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Pate Bruschetta to start, Italian Steak & Fries (for a £2 supplement) and Super Food Salad as a main and some Orange Blossom Polenta Cake and coffees to finish.

It’s definitely somewhere to add to your lunch time stops – as the deal is available 12-6pm Monday to Friday – so perfect for working lunches, meetings or catching up with friends.

In fact I think the deal is so good that it was probably worth getting it for Miss M too – as the kids menu is from £6.50- £6.95 for one course!

DECORATING

That may be stretching the term but we have been giving Miss M’s room a little revamp with these cool wall stickers and prints form Little Chip.

If you haven’t heard of Little Chip it’s a cool online shop selling wall stickers and prints. The wall stickers are high quality matt vinyl that can be applied to flat walls, glass or furniture with ease.

Wall stickers are a fun way to instantly update a nursery, kids rooms or playroom as you can line them up to create a feature or even dot them around the room. Most of them work well together to create a larger scene too.

In various colours and sizes these wall sticker can also come personalised with your child’s name, numbers and letters. I also love the small selection of graphic prints for £15 – instant kids art for the walls.

Wall stickers and mini stickers start from £12

Bunny Print £15 Little Chip

NAPPING

I wish I could say it was me grabbing a few extra Z’s but its been the toddler. And, she’s been keeping snuggled under this gorgeously thick honeycomb pattern blanket from Joolz.

HoneyComb Blanket £50 Joolz

Joolz have literally just launched Joolz Essentials a collection of 5 products that perfectly go with its pushchairs collection as well as any babies (or toddlers) bedroom.

The range includes a swaddle, cover, sheet, nest and blanket – as mentioned – all made from organic cotton fibres and in a selection of muted shades. I particularly like the baby nest – for newborns to 6 months – which can be used in the carseat, cot and Joolz Day and Geo pushchairs.

Joolz Essentials Baby Nest in mint £65

V. I. BE HONEST: All items and experiences in this post were kindly offered in return for honest reviews. All opinions are of course my own