Product Review: Lisca Smart Memory Bra

I had a pretty good Valentine's Day this year - I got spoiled with a lovely present from my husband, who gets extra points because he was really sick on Valentine's Day and still managed to wrap up a beautiful little something for me and leave it on my bedside table. I know, he's a keeper :)

I was also very lucky to receive another gorgeous present a couple of days later in the mail - in the form of a product to trial and review for you, my lovely readers!

This little present is the Smart Memory Bra from Lisca.

I received a black one, just like in the picture above. No, that's not me in the picture. I'm curently heavily pregnant so it looks a bit different on me! That said, I am very impressed with how it looks and feels. Here's what I like about it:

• It's pretty, girly and functional all at the same time. I've worn it under dressy clothes and everyday clothes and it works well with both - I don't have another bra that does that. You can also change the straps around to suit whatever top you are wearing.


• It's comfy enough to wear often (and I have worn it a lot over the past week to test it out). I had no issues with the fit, and I could wear it all day without any straps or wires digging into my body. It really does feel nice to wear.


• It features intelligent memory foam: This is cool - when your body temp rises you get a bit of a boost to your cleavage - and I need all the help I can get so I was very happy..


• It comes in red or black so you have no choice but to feel a bit sexy when you wear it. Great for me when I don't have time to wear proper (or any) make up - I still feel really pretty with no effort. Update: the website says you can also get it in Nude now so you can wear it with light clothes too!


• While it doesn't cover every size, it has a pretty decent range: from 10 - 18 and cup size from A - D. I'm right in the middle of this, so it suited me really well.

My favourite thing out of all of those is that I am comfortable but still feel glamorous and girly when I wear it, even while pregnant. That's a huge win in my book!

You can buy these bras from the Lisca website at http://www.smartmemorybra.com.au/ . The site also has some background on the company and a FAQ section if you want to know more about sizing, care, shipping costs, etc.

**I received a complimentary Smart Memory Bra courtesy of Lisca. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

5 easy ways to avoid Toddler Tantrums

photo by Maggie Smith via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do you have tantrums in your house?

Sometimes we do. My baby is now a toddler. She's beautiful, but she still tests boundaries sometimes and disagreements can turn into tantrums.

I know I can't avoid them all, and I don't think it would fair to try to. After all, it's my job to parent and that includes teaching her right and wrong & protecting her from harm. Even if it means risking a fight or tantrum. But it's never fun to argue with your child, so if I can find a way around it while still maintaining the role of the parent, I will.

Here are 5 things I do to shorten or prevent tantrums in my house:

1. Don't take part: Tantrums with Sophie are very short lived if the other person isn't actively fighting with her. So if things are beginning to get out of control, I keep my tone of voice light and just say "Mummy doesn't fight, Mummy just (insert activity here - reads the book, packs the bag, etc). And I go ahead and do it, get really invloved in it, and she tends to calm down, wander over and check it out. We end up doing the task together and everyone's calm again.

2. Stay firm, but not aggressive: Let's say I need Sophie to pack her blocks away and she really doesn't want to - she'll usually run away with a bit of a yell. If so, I now go over to her, take her hand and explain "It's time for blocks away, let's do it together". I lead her to the blocks, get down to her level and we start to put them away ("Can you put a red one in? Which one is red? Very good"). It becomes a bit of a game and turns into a great opportunity for a bit of praise and a cuddle afterwards.

3. Use a statement, not a question: This is great when the task is a necessary one. For example, at bath time, I try not to say "Do you want to have a bath?". Regardless of her answer, she has to have a bath anyway, so it's not fair for me to imply that she gets to choose. Instead I try to say "It's bath time. Let's run the bath together".

4. Give plenty of notice: If it's time to go in 5 minutes, I go to Sophie and tell her "five minutes till we hop in the car", "one minute till it's time to go" so she is aware that soon we'll be doing something else. Much easier than surprising her with something she wasn't expecting and isn't ready for. I do sound like a speaking clock, but I notice it has cut out a lot of disagreements.

5. Be careful with meals and sleep times: The most likely time for Soph to be a bit crabby is when she's hungry or when she's tired. If we are going to be out and about at meal or snack times, I pack her food and give it to her right on time. I don't want to spend 10 mins looking around for something to buy her and give her to eat, it's a long 10 minutes with a hungry, cranky toddler. Plus then I know I won't be just giving her the first thing I come across, it will be a proper snack or meal. If I need to schedule going out around her nap time, I will. If it means missing out on something social sometimes or juggling our schedule, it's worth it. It would have been a bad trip anyway if I took a tired girl out with me.

So those are the 5 that work best for us. I'd love to know more ideas! I have a feeling I'll need new ones as Sophie gets older :)

What do you do to reduce tantrums in your house?

Valentine's Day on a budget

pic by hinnamsaisuy from FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow!

Whether you're in a relationship or not, Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion to show someone you care about them :)

A nice dinner out, bit of a pamper treatment, beautiful flowers or a thoughtful gift are all great ways to show someone how much they mean to you.

But what if you can't afford any of these things? Do you pretend it's just another day? Avoid all things red and tell everyone you're allergic to flowers?

No! Being short on $$ doesn't mean you can't have a great Valentine's Day, it just means you get to be a bit more creative. Here are a few ideas on how to make the most of the day on a budget:

1. Make your card or gift: Even cards these days can cost upwards to $8! Go back to the days where it was the thought that counted, and set yourself a challenge to make a beautiful card, a mixed cd of romantic songs, a video of you telling someone how much they mean to you, or anything else you can come up with.


2. Don't be afraid to get cheesy: Half the fun of this day is to do things you would normally cringe at! Grab a sheet of red cardboard, cut out 2 big hearts and use them as placemats at dinner :) Or look around you - what else can you add a bit of 'love' to?


3. Add something red to your day: lipstick, shoes, a bracelet or necklace, coffee cup, change your screen saver to a big red heart, or even pop a little red into your email signature for 24 hrs.


4. Take something that's boring and 'sexy it up' a little: Wear something that makes you feel fabulous. Do the dishes in red high heels with your pink rubber gloves on (and little else) if you want to.


5. Do a loved one a favour: Take one of their boring everyday jobs and surprise them by doing it or having it done for them - make breakfast, put the bins out, iron clothes for tomorrow, mow the lawn (or call Jim's to mow for you..). Be a bit sneaky if you can so they don't notice until they go to do it, and make their day :)

To me Valentine's Day is really about showing somebody you appreciate them. There are thousands of ways you can do this without spending a fortune.

What will you be doing?

Top 5: Things I'd like invented in the future

picture found here

I couldn't sleep the other night, so I turned on the TV and noticed the movie 'The 6th Day' was on. I fell asleep again pretty quickly, but not before noticing a few cool futuristic inventions going on (e.g. When Arnie's character runs out of milk he orders a replacement by pressing a button on his fridge door).

It got me thinking about what I would like to see invented in the future. All to make my life easier, of course:

1. A dry shower: looks like a normal shower, but when you step in and turn it on, it washes and dries you in one go. You're in and out in under 30 seconds. Hair washed and dried, and the rest of you clean and polished. It would save me at least 40 mins (Fine. It would save me at least an hour). And I would never have to go out / to bed with wet hair again :)

2. A teleporter: Clearly I am not the first person to come up with the idea, but I truly support the concept. I'd like to see it big enough to teleport my whole car (and everything in it), giving me plenty of packing space and the ability to still drive the car should there be any temporary teleportation issues.

3. Online Voting: If I can do my banking securely online, why can't I vote in elections online too? Save me heaps of time lining up at a primary school, and I'm sure the votes could be calculated faster. Yes, there may be a possibility of system problems / hacking, but at the moment there is just as much trouble with miscounts and fakers (people posing as a friend and voting for them).

4. Fingerprint Banking / Payments: No more cash / Eftpos cards. No way would I leave the house and forget my finger ;) Pay for taxis, groceries, services etc with ease! And robbers - if you're reading this - I'd like a built in sensor for each fingerprint reader that checks for body temperature, so you can kiss the i'll-just-chop-off-their-finger-to-steal-their-money idea.

5. Healthy Automatic Food / Meal dispenser: Just like in the Jetsons. That won't open unless it's snack or dinner time, and can take instructions such as 'only release 2 Tim Tams per day for Marissa'


What would you like to see invented?