Spongebob Squarepants Cake

I think my son has to be one of the biggest fans of SpongeBob SquarePants and when it came to his birthday I thought I'd fuel his obsession even more with a Spongebob Squarepants cake. 

It was actually dead easy to make (trust me I always look for the easy option not to complicate life). 

I made the cake using a square cake tin and once baked trimmed off one side to make the cake a rectangular shape. Then the cake was sliced in half and filled with butter cream and jam and sandwiched together.

Then came the fun part - decorating the cake. Melt some apricot jam (try and get the smooth jam without bits in) in a bowl over heated water. Once the jam is runny brush it all over the cake to make the icing stick.

I tend to get my icing pre-coloured from the shops. I'm a bit of an eBay fan and  you can pretty much get any colour you're after on eBay, but loads of supermarkets have now started selling ready made coloured icing too (probably sparked by all the celebrity baking TV shows - Great British Bake Off springs to mind here). Buying ready coloured icing saves on having to colour it yourself and I've generally found if you colour it yourself the colours aren't nearly as vibrant as ones you can buy ready made. 

The colours I bought for this Spongebob Cake were yellow, red, black, brown (which has a chocolate flavour yum)  and white. As I didn't need much for the green spots, pink tongue and blue eyes and the colours didn't need to be as strong I just made these up by mixing some colouring with the white icing. 

After the yellow was rolled out, I cut a straight line across the bottom if the icing and placed it over the top half of the cake - covering about 3/4 of the cake. The chocolate brown was then rolled out - one side cut with a straight line again and then placed over the other bottom quarter of the cake butting up to the yellow. A band of white was cut to cover the join. (as you can see I'm still very much an amateur here). The main tool I needed were my circle cutters which came in 3 sizes. All you need is to cut out the relevant colours and stick them onto the yellow base (teeny brush of water helps to stick them on). 

Then all the other shapes were cut out black stitching  a rolled yellow nose, black mouth, pink tongue  black eyelashes, yellow arms and little white triangles for the shirt collar.

Yes, before anyone mentions it I didn't include legs, but you know what I don't think my three year old even noticed - detail again which I felt not needed (easy life moto).

Really enjoyed making this cake and the all important little man loved it too. 

I've got loads more cakes (not all mine) to add to my blog roll and will hopefully manage to list some more in-between all the blogging updates of new stock to my shop www.TumsToTots.com

If you've got any cake pics you'd like me to share please send them over. I'd be more than happy to add them on :-)

All Profits Today (Fri 15th March) to Red Nose Day

Red Nose Day today - as I watched my little ones trundle off to school with their hair all spiked up wearing their red tops, my son asked me what I'll be doing... which got me thinking.... how about I'll donate all the profit, not a penny less, from anything I sell today from my shop TumsToTots

I've already sold some of my bright coloured Wooden Alphabet Letters earlier this morning, so go on have a squiz at www.tumstotot.com, it's all for a great cause:-)

Happy Red Nose Day!

The Perfect Mother's Day Cake

Firstly "Happy Mother's Day" to all the lovely mums out there for this weekend... hope you get a chance to put your feet up! I thought I'd share with you all this lovely chocolate cake was made (sadly not by myself - my talents don't stretch to these high standards!) for my mother-in-law's birthday. If any children (aka dads) are looking for any inspiration for mothers day this is one stunning cake which will definitely go down well with mums out there - chocolate and flowers - need I say any more!!!

I've got loads more cakes (not all mine) to add to my blog roll and will hopefully manage to squeeze some more in-between all the blogging updates of the fab new items in my shop www.TumsToTots.com.

If you've got any cake pics you'd like me to share please send them over. I'd be more than happy to add them on.

Thanks to Nise (the cake queen) for sharing :-)

When Should I Buy My Maternity or Nursing Bra?

Your baby bump is expanding to enormous proportions, your nesting instincts are kicking in all guns blazing and you are in no doubt preparing for the imminent arrival for your little one. Busy stocking up on cute little baby outfits, testing out buggies, researching which nappies are the best, but don’t forget about you! Along with the ever changing bump don’t forget your breasts will also be changing in size and shape while they are getting prepared for feeding. This change starts early on in the first few weeks of pregnancy, and will continue to do so well after the baby has arrived. There are some schools of thought that you don’t even need any support and you can go bra-less, however personally without the risk of sounding crass, there is more risk of saggy boobs later on, as well as the exceedingly attractive odd milky wet patches adorning your lovely outfit.

One of the most common questions I get from expecting mums is when should I start shopping for my breastfeeding bras and what do I need to get?

The first question of when to get your nursing bra is relatively straight forward. The second (while there are a few essentials) is generally down to preference. So I’ll start with the first...When should buy my first nursing bra?

Whilst you want to get organised and make sure you have a nursing bra ready before your baby arrives, (and lets face it they can sometimes put in a surprised early appearance), the general advice is not to get your nursing bra before the 36^th week of pregnancy. 

What bras do you need to get?

Maternity Bras:

Emma-Jane Maternity Bra 311

It is important to look after your breasts right from the start of your pregnancy. Well before signs of a baby bump, you might even have experienced sore breasts during the early days of pregnancy, all signs that your breasts are changing and getting ready for feeding. There is no muscle in breast tissue, only ligaments, and as your breasts increase in size and weight the ligaments can get stretched – and once stretched there is no going back. Your breasts can grow up to 5cm bigger and weigh an additional 750 grams, so it is vital you look after your breasts from the onset to avoid this happening. A good fitting maternity bra will also make life more comfortable for you too.

As a rough guide line maternity bras should be bought around the 4^th month of pregnancy, however again depending on each individual you may need yours earlier/ later on. Maternity bras can be worn as soon as a regular bra starts to feel uncomfortable. Stay clear of regular under-wired bras – they are not only super uncomfortable during maternity, but as your milk comes in, can block your milk ducts and lead to problems such as mastitis.

Emma-Jane Maternity Bra 342

There are four key elements that you should look for when buying your maternity bra:

1. Maternity bras differ from standard bras in that their straps are wider and have less stretch in them to provide that much needed extra support.
2. There will be more material in the cups to provide more coverage, making it more comfortable when your breasts are sensitive.
3. There should be a minimum of 4 rows of clasps at the back to allow the bra to be adjusted as you grow.
4. Your skin tends to perspire more during pregnancy so your maternity bra should be made of a microfibre breathable fabric or have a high cotton content.

Nursing Bras:

Emma-Jane Maternity Bra 429

You should aim to get your nursing bras around 36th week of pregnancy (not before) and if you can hold on, the later the better - although you don't want to be caught short should your little one make and early appearance. During the last month of pregnancy your milk will be coming in so your breasts may be going through the biggest change now.

How many nursing bras do I need to get?

I would say you definitely need two to three nursing bras as a minimum. It is very likely that your breasts may leak so it’s always good to have spare clean bras while the others are being washed.  Talking about breasts leaking, don’t forget to stock up on the ever important breast pads too!!!

When looking for a nursing bra you want one which provides comfort and support whilst at the same time allows you to discreetly feed your little one. When you drop one side the other breast needs to be fully supported. In addition your breast should not be constricted in any way as this could block your milk ducts and lead to problems down the line such as mastitis.

Emma- Jane Nursing Bra 431

Whilst providing support there should also be additional space to allow for your breasts changing sizes as well as the ever important essential breast pads.

Avoid regular hard underwired bras as again they may cause problems with your milk ducts. There are some women who prefer the additional support underwired bras may provide, and there are some bras on the market which have replaced the standard hard underwires with Supa-Lite underwires (as supplied by Emma-Jane Maternity). These respond and adjust to changes in your breasts and therefore do not restrict your milk ducts.

It is imperative to get the right fit for your nursing bra. There are many excellent retailers who can offer a fitting service, however you may need to check your measurements regularly as your breasts will more than likely change from the first week to when baby gets older and starts dropping feeds.

This size chart will provide some guidelines on how to check your measurements.

Emma-Jane Maternity/ Nursing Bra 361

Key pointers when measuring for a nursing bra are:

1. After the birth of your baby, your rib cage may reduce in size, so when you take your measurement when still pregnant, use the loosest setting, so after the birth you can use the tighter settings if needed.
2. Move one chest size up and reduce your cup size by one if you are unable to fit your bra on the loosest setting.
3. The straps must be supportive without too much stretch; whilst at the same time must not be tight and dig in.
4. Your bra must not sit too high up on your back, and the centre seam should sit flat in line with your breast bone.
5. The cups of the bra should not be tight (not spilling out at the top), however the cups should smoothly cover most of the breasts
6. Move up a cup size if there are any bits of flesh sticking out around the cup.

Sleep Bras

Emma-Jane Sleep/ Nursing Bra 371

We all know how important sleep is when having a little one, and sleep bras are great providing soft comfortable support whilst you are asleep. Their cups have more stretch than the standard nursing bra, so are not as supportive, however perfectly adequate for bed time. They pull on over your head and don’t have any clasps at the back making them far more comfortable than regular nursing bras. In addition they are perfect for holding breast pads in place while you sleep, so you don’t wake up with damp milky sheets in the morning! You can start wearing sleep bras well before baby arrives, to give that extra support as your breasts are adjusting and increasing in size.

For further information on the bras listed in this blog as well as well as further styles provided by Emma-Jane Maternity, visit TumsToTots.com for a selection of award winning nursing bras.