December favourites - baby centred

This month it feels like Harry's moving away from a newborn - he's nearly 5 months corrected now, and we're fully embroiled in baby led weaning, sensory play and random bouts of giggling for no real reason. If I ignore the teething it's lovely

Survival blanket from Amazon - we use one of these as our 'moon' at Hartbeeps, and Harry loves it. A good friend mentioned you could get them in Poundland, but sadly ours didn't ever stock them so I turned to Amazon. I cut it into quarters as it's massive, but at just over £1 I'm happy for Harry to scrunch, chomp, dribble and wriggle on it as much as he likes

Sock-ons - recommended by one of my NCT friends, these really do work. And without them Harry permanently has one sock on and one sock off. If he's anything like me cold feet will only make him grumpy.

Touchnote - having family fairly spread out, this is a great way to send thank you notes and postcards almost immediately on taking that 'perfect' shot. It's ideal for use with Grandparents who don't have smartphones, and for when you need to immortalise that carrot smeared grin.

Moby wrap - I've been using a sling with Harry pretty much since we came home from hospital. When he was tiny it was a surefire way of gettong him to sleep - and now it's a convenient and cosy way for us to get around. I love it because of the closeness, and I like to think that he loves it for the same reason. I suspect it's because he can see more than when he's in the pram though.

December favourites

This post is a bit late owing to my inability to remember that a monthly favourites post needs writing up, well - monthly. 

December was a busy month work wise, and with Christmas as well it seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. But, there was still time for favourites - some old, some new and some... somewhere in between. 

Tea - I drink a lot of tea. More than I care to admit, especially if I'm working from home. My sister and her husband got M and I drinking Yorkshire Tea for hard water, it really does seem to work with the horridly hard water we have in London. 

Russett apples - I love Russetts, as soon as I see them in the shops I put them in my basket. One of the most oft heard complaints from me as we go around the supermarket is that there are no good apples. I hate the imported, pappy, flavourless apples that seem to be so popular these days. Most of the year I eat Cox's but can't wait for the crispy balance of sweet and tart that is a russett. To me, they're real apples. And no, I can't believe I've written a paragraph praising an apple either. What was even better was that these were from Sainsbury's Basics range - proof again that this range is such good value. 

Amaretto - last month I talked about spiking my hot chocolate with this liquer and this month I've been mixing it up with Gluwhein (from Aldi - I love their German Christmas treats) as a festive treat. 

My mum (not photographed) - while I was doing my "Don't panic it's just a roast" Christmas posts, she was there reminding me of things that I'd forgotten over the course of year, and giving me hints and tips to include - she really was a favourite last month! 

Pulses - split peas, cannellini beans, lentils... you name it. In the name of making sure that Christmas wasn't too costly I've been bulking our meals out so that I can use less meat and more vegetables without M feeling deprived of protein. 

So that's it. December favourites from the pantry. An oddly unfestive round up from me. Was there anything you enjoyed cooking or cooking with last month?