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Saturday 31 December 2016

Happy New Year!

As the new year count down nears and 2017 is just hours away I wanted to wish all of my readers a

 Happy New Year!! 

I am sure for many of us this year like many others has had its up and downs but as the year comes to an end I have been focusing on the positive things I will be taking out of 2016. I chose not to really set any resolutions last year and just focus more on spending time with my family. This definitely gave me some perspective about what really matters. 

I am a worrier, I get anxious over the smallest of things that I seem to have the ability to make in to a huge issue in my mind. So in 2017 I will be really focusing on trying to to let these things get to me so much. 

I have joined a local gym and have been looking at joining up at a beginners yoga class which will be a big leap for me but one I have been thinking about for some time and this year I want to push myself to take that leap and do something new. My weight is something I have been unhappy about for some time and so I will be setting myself smaller monthly goals each month in the hope that by the end of the year I will be much happier with my weight. 

I also want to get outdoors more and have more "adventures". We have just purchased a WWT wetlands membership for the year to encourage us to get outdoors more. I will be writing up a "wish list" board with the kids of things they want to do this year, then we can tick them off throughout the year as we hopefully get through them. 

For me its not always about the big fancy moments or the huge achievements we may or may not have reached this year. For me its about those ordinary moments I am grateful to have been able to have. Its about the memories that we made and that I will treasure in my mind for a lifetime. Its about being grateful for the simple things, for life and enjoying it. 

Whatever you are hoping for in 2017 I hope its a happy, healthy and memorable year for you all, for all the right reasons! 


Do you have any hopes, wishes or resolutions for 2017?

Happy New Year and thank you for taking the time to read my blog! 


xXx

Friday 30 December 2016

Motherhood - A lonely journey.

There are many things our friends, family, health professionals etc tell us about and prepare us for during pregnancy and once we have a new baby. But for me the feeling of loneliness was one I was definitely not prepared for nor did anyone tell me about.


When my first baby arrived I would trap myself in the house, it was my safe place. A place where I didn't have to pretend to be happy and perfect, I didn't have to pretend to have it all under control. I could stay in my pyjamas and feel safe and un-judged. The days were long, really long and I would be counting down the minutes until my husband would walk through the door from work and I could speak to another adult and I was no longer "alone". It was like this wave of relief would hit me as soon as he walked in the door. Another person to talk to, to help, to understand how utterly daunting this journey is and to almost pass the reins on to each evening.

I felt ashamed that I often resented the life I had. I struggled to adapt and questioned whether parenting was really for me. I knew there are people out there who would give the world to have a baby and here I was wishing my days away until my husband would get home, struggling with something I had been led to believe would come naturally. I guess its hard when you just want to give this new baby everything and all the love you have, to find time to love yourself and give yourself a bit of TLC.

In the beginning just after my husband went back to work, adjusting was hard! I had suddenly gone from working 6 days a week surrounded by adults and having a role and an importance to being a mum in what felt like an isolating and lonely place. For a while being a mum felt like the most difficult job in the world and I was a complete novice, except unlike in a job where someone was there to guide you I was alone in a scary, new situation.

Whilst the daunting fear of looking after a new baby did go and it did get a little easier once we had found some sort of routine, the loneliness was still very much there and now a new feeling had crept in, I was jealous of my husband! Yep as crazy as that sounds I was jealous that he got to leave the house, alone! He got to have some Independence at work and talk to other adults, he got a break from the nappy changing, the feeding and the constant need to care for someone so dependent on you. I became resentful and at times it would feel like I had cut the raw deal out of this parenting malarkey.


Parenting is not always the easy journey so many programs and people make it out to be! For some people that love is instant but for others it takes a while. For some people they slip in to a routine and have it all under control. For others like myself it takes time, there are other feelings that seem to overwhelm us like the fear or the loneliness.

James is now 7 and Evelyn 2.5 years old and it has most definitely got easier. I still get a little jealous that my husband gets to get out of the house and have some time away but I certainly don't resent him anymore. The loneliness is much easier too, I definitely found with my second baby that I had more confidence to approach mums and just be me, I felt more confident in my parenting choices which certainly helped me doubt myself less too. I worried less about being the perfect mum and focused more on just being the mum I wanted to be and not what I thought I had to be.


Mums and Dads there is no right or wrongs to parenting, that's why there's no manual or guide (unfortunately!). Each journey is unique in its own way and we will all encounter a rocky path or mountain we need to navigate at some point. It doesn't mean we don't love our kids any more or less, it doesn't mean you are any less a parent or that you don't deserve it just as much as anyone else.

This is our journey as totally exhausting, lonely, emotional and magical it may be. Don't be afraid to speak out, ask for help or just shout from the roof tops just how your feeling! Those feeling of loneliness are totally normal and caring for a tiny new totally dependent little person is draining more mentally and physically then we can ever really prepare for.

Sometimes we just have to remember to cut ourselves a break and give ourselves a little bit of that love too!


xXx



Friday 23 December 2016

Vileda Windomatic **REVIEW**

Cleaning the windows is one of the jobs I really hate!! Our windows seem to get really wet from condensation too, especially in the winter when its cold outside and we have the heating on inside. Meaning they need wiping over on a daily basis, which in itself is a pretty tedious job and I never seem to be able to get the windows smear free when I do this.

So when we were recently offered the chance the give the Vileda Windomatic a try I was intrigued to see if it would really work and if it could help make clearing the windows a little quicker in the mornings!

The Vileda windomatic comes as one whole unit with a detachable container that collects the water. The windomatic charges via a cable (you need to charge it for 6 hours before the first use) and gives up to 20 minutes cleaning, meaning you don't have to worry about changing batteries etc.

The Vileda windomatic is lightweight and easy to hold and the wide vacuumed rubber blade makes quick and easy work of cleaning windows, it also tilts and flexes by up to 15 degrees to ensure you can get in to all those tricky to reach corners. But that is not all it can be used for!

As well as cleaning windows here are just some of the things the Vileda Windomatic can be used for -

- Clearing condensation on windows
- Cleaning up drink spills
- Clearing your car windscreen of moisture/condensation
- Cleaning mirrors

I can honestly say since using the windomatic clearing the windows in the morning now takes mintues and isn't a job I hate! Its quick, easy and leaves us with clear, dry and smear free windows every single time.

Here is our windows before and after and this took under 2 minutes!



As you can see they are totally clear and dry too. In the spring I will be getting my husband out on the ladder to clean the outside with this too, meaning it will save us money on having to hire a window cleaner too.

The Windomatic has been great having around for when the kids are eating too. Evelyn is currently moving from drinking out of a beaker to a cup and as I am sure you can imagine we are getting quite a few spills. The windomatic however makes light work of sucking up the spilt drink leaving the table clean and dry in seconds.

The Vileda Windomatic is priced at £49.99 and in my opinion is totally worth that! It has several uses and we are using it daily making it really worth while and a household gadget that now I have I don't want to be without.


I would give the windomatic a 4.5 out of 5. The only reason its not a 5 is because of the usage time. 20 Minutes is fine if your just using it to clear condensation of a morning. However if you wanted to tackle a bigger job like cleaning the windows I would be worried about running out of charge before the job was done.

Are there any cleaning jobs you really hate?

xXx



**I was not paid for this post, I did receive the windomatic free of charge for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thursday 1 December 2016

Christmas Traditions, Keeping traditions alive!

There is something so magical about Christmas that totally love, even more so now we have children to enjoy it with! 

When I was little, I always remember the little Christmas traditions we had as a family and how special and exciting they made Christmas. It was the little things such as every Christmas me and my sister would take it in turns 1 person chose things for Santa and the other for the Reindeer. For Santa my dad always used to take us to this little shop in the high street to choose a little miniature bottle of alcohol (my sister once picked the Tequila with the worm inside!) I bet my dad was thrilled!

Another tradition we had as kids was on Christmas morning. Once we had woken up my dad would go downstairs and "see if Santa had been", he would then bring our stockings upstairs and we would open them on mum and dads. Eating our obligatory piece of fruit found in the bottom of our sticking before heading downstairs to discover more presents! 

I adore thinking back to our little traditions and have really tried to carry these on with James and Evelyn now, along with making our own of course. 



Tuesday 29 November 2016

A Magical Christmas Experience at LaplandUK.

When the email landed in my inbox to tell me we had been invited along to review a day out at Lapland UK I could barely contain my excitement! I rang my husband and definitely struggled keeping it a secret from the kids.

If you haven't heard of LaplandUK its aimmersive family theatrical experience that replicates Father Christmas' arctic homeland of Lapland. Your visit will take you on a magical journey through a magical winter wonderland accompanied by elves as you help them out with jobs such as toy making and gingerbread decorating. Of course your trip wouldn't be complete without meeting Father Christmas who provides a personal meeting with your child complete with a beautiful present to take home. 


As part of the experience each child will receive a personalised invitation inviting them to LaplandUK which will be sent discretely along with your confirmation. You can choose when to give these to your child since their is no date on them, we chose the evening before so they would be all excited to go the next day!

Monday 28 November 2016

Puddle Adventures with my little explorer.

If there is one thing Evelyn loves most about the winter its the puddles!

So you can imagine our delight when out latest challenge as HiPP Explorers was to slip on our welly boots and go jumping in puddles.

We received these adorable welly boots and waterproof jacket in this very cute duck print from Frugi to help Evelyn keep dry on her puddle jumping adventures!. Evelyn could hardly contain her excitement to put them on and get outdoors and insisted on wearing them on the school run just moments after they arrived.


We have a membership to our local WWT wetlands centre which always has lots of puddle jumping opportunities so off we went to find some puddles, and puddles we found. Its not just great for puddle jumping though there are lots of birds to look at and places to explore!




Of course all this puddle jumping uses up lots of energy and so starting off the day with a good breakfast is vital!

HiPP have a wide range of breakfast products in their range which are made with the finest organic ingredients, providing toddlers with a healthy nutritious breakfast to start the day. 



Included in this range is the HiPP Organic Fruity Muesli with Crispy Ducks contains the finest organic cereal and have no added sugar. These were a big hit with Evelyn and great for slightly older ones who want to feed themselves as Evelyn found this really easy to scoop up with her own spoon. 

Also available in the breakfast range are The HiPP Organic range of tasty Porridge Pouches which are the only porridge in a pouch available in the UK.  These handy breakfast pouches are packed full of scrumptious 100% organic fruit and wholegrain cereal,  providing valuable nutrition for little ones and contain no added sugar, only natural occurring sugars.

I really liked the pouch idea and they were especially handy to take along with us on the school runs when Evelyn was being fussy about eating breakfast at home before we had to leave. These would also be perfect to take along with you on day trips or holidays etc as they can just be popped in the a change bag etc. 

Evelyn loved the whole HiPP range and there is such a variety of flavours available she certainly didn't get bored, which is somehing I do worry about. I felt much happier knowing she had a good breakfast to start the day too since she always seems to be on the go throughout the day! 

HiPP Organic has a great range of products perfect for breakfast. Visit the website for more details - www.hipp.co.uk.

Do your little ones have a favourite breakfast food? 


xXx


**We were not paid for this post. We are part of the HiPP Explorers team and received some of the items featured here to enable us to write our post. All thoughts, opnions and photo's are my own.**

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Something Special - Mr Tumble toys **REVIEW**

Something special is a program that is a firm favourite with Evelyn. She loves all of the different characters Justin portrays, especially Mr Tumble who always makes her giggle.
As a parent I really like the fact that throughout the program Evelyn started picking up some basic Makaton signs that she actually used day to day when she was smaller. 

So when we were recently asked if we would like to review some toys from the Something Special range from Golden Bear Toys we jumped at the chance, knowing just how much Evelyn would love them. 

The first toy we received is the Lights and Sounds Mr Tumble. 


He is a great size who really resembles the TV version of Mr Tumble, even coming with his own matching spotty bag which opens and closes! What makes this toy extra special though is that if you press his hand Mr Tumble says some common phrases and sounds along with a very funny laugh. That's not all though, when you press Mr Tumble hand as well as talking his bow tie lights up! 


Evelyn is besotted with the Lights and Sounds Mr Tumble and takes him everywhere with her, even storing little toys in the spotty bag. I really like the fact that his large non slip feet mean Mr Tumble can stand on his own. Mr Tumble has also become a firm favourite for nap time companion as she loves to stroke his super soft hair. 


We also received Mr Tumbles Spotty Bag and I don't Evelyn could contain her excitement when she realised she actually had her very own spotty bag to store all her favourite things. 


Evelyn is 2 and the bag was a great size for her, it does have an adjustable strap though if you need it slightly longer or shorter. The bag has lots of space inside and Evelyn loves using it to collect special things we find when out on our walks and the velcro fastening ensures everything stays inside. 


The bag itself is made with lovely bright fabric and has 4 different textured spots on the front - green satin, orange velvet, red plush and blue corduroy which Evelyn loves feeling. Mr Tumbles spotty bag also  comes with 5 brightly coloured cards featuring Makaton signs to help establish recognition of some common words. I loved this addition and we have been using them regularly and Evelyn loves having a go at using the signs. 


We have loved trying out some of the toys from the Mr Tumble range and they have a big thumbs up from us. They seem well made and sturdy and the bright colours and different textures are great for kids and really grab their attention. 

If you want to check out more toys from the Something Special range you can find the full range over on the Golden Bear Toys website. 

Do your little ones like Mr Tumble? 

xXx

**I received these products free of charge in order to write my review. All words, photos and opinions are my own.**

Monday 21 November 2016

Summer Infant - My Size Potty **REVIEW**

Since Evelyn turned 2 potty training has been at the front of my mind. I know its something that as parents we have all been through and its one of those stages most of us dread and hope is over quickly. However very often its not and it can be quite tricky to get children completely potty trained so I am a big fan of any product that might make the process a little easier!

When we were recently offered the chance to try out the Summer Infant my size potty I knew it had to be worth a try. 


Evelyn seems to be a bit hit and miss with potty training, some days she is happy to use the potty or at least try. However other days even the mention of removing her nappy sparks tears so I was hoping the my size potty might be a positive on our journey. 

The Summer Infant my size potty is a children's potty which as been designed to look just like a real full size toilet complete with its own  pretend flush with noises. 


Assembly of the potty is easy and the instructions are clear and simply. It really is a case of placing some screws in a few pre drilled holes and your toilet is ready to use. There is even a space on the top of the toilet for you to place some tissue or wipes which I thought was a lovely touch, also meaning you always had wipes to hand! 

Evelyn found the potty funny at first but actually showed lots of interest in using it unlike any other potty we have tried. I think she loved the fact it looks just like mummy and daddy's toilet and she felt grown up using it. She loves pushing the flush down but was a little unsure as to why it didn't actually flush away the wee. 

The splash guard was my only dislike on the my size potty. It comes up quite high over the seat of the potty making it quite difficult for little ones to position themselves on the toilet without catching the splash guard in the process. We opted to take it off in the end and we haven't had any splashes or leaks yet. 


Over all we give the Summer Infant my size potty a thumbs up. It has definitely given Evelyn more of an interest in using the potty which is a big bonus. From a parent perspective I really like the fact you can remove the main bowl from the toilet unit meaning it can easily be emptied and cleaned without having to haul around the whole toilet unit. I also found it really handy to have the space for the wipes so I had some to hand when needed. 

The my size potty is priced at £34.99 which is at the higher price range for a potty but I would still say it is worth the price tag if you have a child who may may prefer using a toilet over a traditional style potty. I feel that using this smaller version of a toilet may make our transition from potty to actual toilet much easier in the long run. 

So whilst Evelyn still isn't totally potty trained we are slowly getting their and the Summer Infant my size potty is certainly helping us along the way. 

Do you have any potty training tips to share? 

xXx

**I received this products free of charge in order to write my review. All words, photos and opinions are my own.**

Sunday 30 October 2016

International Wallpaper week with Graham & Brown.

Did you know that 3rd - 10th October was International Wallpaper week?

With this is mind we were recently contacted by the fabulous people over at Graham and Brown and asked if we would like to use their products to make over a room for international wallpaper week.

As it would happen we had recently stripped all the old wallpaper from James and Evelyns bedroom ready to decorate so we jumped at the chance to be able to decorate it with Graham and Brown.
After some time spent looking through the Graham and Brown website (there are so many lovely wallpapers and paints to choose from), I eventually decided on these.



Paint in the shade "Mermaid" and this funky monochrome "Superstar" black wallpaper. 

Since Evelyn and James share a bedroom I wanted something that wouldn't feel to gender specific and think these colour work really well.

The paint was lovely a thick and went on really well. It meant as we had white walls underneath we only needed one coat and it provided a really good coverage.



Next up we had the wallpaper to apply. Now neither myself or my husband are decorating experts and we were a little nervous about putting up wallpaper. However the Graham and Brown "paste the wall" wallpaper made it super easy to do. The wallpaper is a great quality meaning it makes it so much easier to put up and hard wearing when up.

The print itself is really bold and stands out against the teal colour of the walls and the white furnitue which I love.


Why not get inspired like us by International Wallpaper week and see if you can transform a room in your house with wallpaper. It could be a whole room for maximum impact or why not have a feature wall like us and make it a real wow factor. Its amazing how much difference having wallpaper in a room can make, giving it a real personality and focal point.

If you want to check our more of the paint or wallpaper available head over to the Graham and Brown website and prepare to want to decorate!


xXx

**I received these products free of charge in order to write my review. All words, photos and opinions are my own.**

Monday 24 October 2016

Hatchimals **REVIEW**

Its one of the most talked about toys in the run up to Christmas this year and has already begun topping the Christmas lists of children everywhere, of course its Hatchimals!


These cute interactive magical creatures live inside their egg until you interact and play with them, enabling them to hatch and you can meet your surprise creature being held within the egg.

We actually hatched our egg live over on our Facebook page so if you want to watch head over to our Facebook page and watch our live Hatchimal egg hatching video.


Hatching your Hatchimal is pretty simple and lots of fun. The whole process can take anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes and requires you to interact with your Hatchimal during this time. Whilst your Hatchimal is still in its egg you will see its eyes lighting up. These lights are an indicator to how your Hatchimal is feeling and how you can keep it happy. Inside the box you will find a booklet which will tell you what each colour means and how to react to keep this to hand when you are hatching your Hatchimal.


After a little time your Hatchimal will begin to start pecking at the egg, its important your Hatchimal is placed on the floor whilst it is pecking and this will be indicated by a white/rainbow light shining from inside your egg. Your Hatchimal will continue to peck around the middle of the egg until cracks have formed all around the outside. At this point you can give your Hatchimal a helping hand coming out of the egg by carefully peeling away the top section of the egg. Now you can finally discover which Hatchimal you have hatched!

Here is ours ....


Once your Hatchimal has emerged from its egg it will sing a HATCHY BIRTHDAY song!

I have to admit I was a little skeptical about how much the kids would play with our new little hatched friend once the excitement of the egg hatching was over but I didn't need to worry they love our new Penguala friend.

Once your Penguala or Draggle has hatched it will go through 3 stages baby, toddler and kid. As your new Hatchimal moves through the stages it will interact with you doing things such as walking, talking, dancing and even repeating back things you say in its own voice. Our Hatchimal has recently started dancing which the kids love to watch, its such a fun interactive toy which really appeals to the kids.


I know that since Hatchimals are so sought after this Christmas stock has been pretty limited but don't forget you can keep an eye on stock at your local Argos store where you can reserve online and check stock in all your local stores regularly with ease. To check Hatchimal stock at your local Argos visit the Argos website.

After hatching our very own Hatchimal I can confirm that this toy has been a big hit! It was so exciting watching our Hatchimal pecking its way out of its egg and building up all our suspense to meet our Hatchimal. Once it had hatched the kids loved nurturing and caring for their new Penguala and trying to keep her happy and meet her needs. The dancing and games you can also play with them are lots of fun too.

Has your little one asked for a Hatchimal this year? Which one are they hoping for a Pengualas or Draggles Egg?

xXx


** We received this toy free of charge for the purpose of this review. All words, opinions and thoughts are my own.**

Thursday 20 October 2016

Colours of the sea Ariel **REVIEW**

There aren't many people out wont have seen or heard of the film The Little Mermaid. Its a Disney classic and even as an adult its a film I still enjoy to watch. So you can imagine my delight when Evelyn showed an interest in watching Disney films and of all the films we have watched together The Little Mermaid has been one of her absolute favourites. So when we were given the chance to try out and review a Colours of the sea Ariel doll I knew it would be a big hit with Evelyn.


Colours of the sea Ariel toddler doll from the Disney film "The Little Mermaid" who is able to fully submerge in the water and say 14 enchanting, recognisable phrases. Ariel's tail also shines and sparkles creating a beautiful light show when she is submerged in water at bath time. Of course Ariel wouldn't be without her trusty friend flounder though, who also comes included with this doll as a fun bath water squirter.


Ariel isn't just confined to being a bath toy though, she is so much more! With her wide tail she is able to stand unaided which has been perfect for when my little girl has wanted to use Ariel to play tea parties with. Her tail also light sup outside of the water too.

Ariel is larger than other standard size dolls making her great for toddlers as she is easy to hold and move around.


I was a little worried how her hair would cope once it had gotten wet as lots of dolls hair seems to get knotted and matted when wet. Ariel's hair however stayed silky soft and smooth and was easy to brush out and dry once out of the bath with her hair returning to almost the same style as it was when she arrived.



Would we recommend Colours of the Ariel? Definitely! She has been a huge hit with Evelyn and whilst the phrases can become a little repetitive for us adults little ones will loves them. The light show her tails gives off at bath time has made for great bath time fun and the lights are actually quite bright even under the water, lighting up a good portion of the bath water. She comes complete with the batteries required and so as soon as Ariel is out of the box the fun can begin. The doll feels sturdy and fantastic quality and it by far Evelyn's new favourite toy, its come everywhere with her bath time or not!

Does your little one have a favourite Disney Character?

xXx


** We received a colours of the sea Ariel doll which we used to create this review. All words, opinions and photos are my own.**

The Grossery Gang - Mushy Slushy play set **REVIEW**

We were recently asked if James would like to review the new Grossery Gang Mushy Slushy play set from Flair and with the word Gross in its name I knew it would be a hit with James, we of course agreed!


If its gross, smelly or just looks funky its sure to be a hit with James and that is why I knew he would love this set so much.

The Grossery Gang are the craziest grossest collectibles around with attitude to match. There are over 150 characters to collect over 6 gangs, make sure you keep an eye out for ultra-rare and special edition characters too.

The Mushy Slushy play set lets you launch your figures into the slushy machine, pull the leaver and watch them fall into the slushy cup below. The Mushy Slushy play set includes 2 exclusive characters Rotten Raspberry and Grimey Lime too.

(Launching out Grossery Gang figure into the cup!)

We really like that the Mushy Slushy play set is ready to play with as soon as it is out of the box, it doesn't really require any assembly or stickers adding just un-box, remove your figure and play its really that simple! Perfect for when you have children at your ankles wanting to play immediately. The actions within the play set are easy to grasp too so no frustrated children trying to work out how to use it, just lots of gross fun to be had.

The Grossery Gang Mushy Slushy play set is priced at just £14.99 which I feel is great value. It has so far provided hours of fun for James and even Evelyn has enjoyed launching the figures. I love that the set can be added to with the addition of more characters and so never gets boring.

Have you heard of the Grossery Gang before?

xXx

Tuesday 18 October 2016

Unilever #BrightFuture Challenge!

Im ashamed to admit that the future and being "green" and economical is something that barely crossed my mind before I became a parent, however becoming a parent total changed my view on all this.

As a parent we of course want the best for our children but that doesn't just stop at home, it should extend to the world we live in and how we treat it too. I was recently invited to take part in the #brightfutures challenge with Unilever and it has definitely been an eye opener. Its made us as a family look at the things we already do, the choices and decisions we make and things we could improve on.

Unilever’s #BrightFuture initiative focuses on small changes that can make big differences and how we can build a world where everyone lives well and lives sustainably. Since the launch of the Sustainable Living Plan, Unilever has helped 482 million people to improve their health and hygiene, including through hand washing, improving self-esteem and oral hygiene.

What we are doing -

Recycling - This is a big one for everyone and something we should all be doing and its so simple to do too! We have separate large plastic containers for each thing such as plastic, glass, cardboard etc which the kids regularly help us to do. I think its so important to teach them about recycling and just how much of a difference it can make. We had for some reason put off recycling food waste but recently started and its been a real eye opener about just how much food waste we had!

Recycling doesn't have to stop at just boxing things up, we often use cardboard boxes, tubes, sheets etc as well as bits of wrapping paper, bubble wrap and old unused wall paper for crafting. The kids love creating pictures of cuts off from the wall paper when we are decorating.


Using less water - Using less water is something we make a conscious effort to do and its so simple to do. Turning off the tap whilst brushing our teeth saves water from just running down the drain and washing at 30 can make a huge difference.

As part of the campaign we received some Persil Non Bio washing detergent which is perfect for getting those clothes clean, especially the children's! Persil is encouraging our children to get outside and play, inspiring them to grow and learn and enjoy being outdoors. When washing clothes we could use less water and wash at lower temperatures, helping to educate our children about the little changes we can implement to make a difference. Furthermore, Persil has backed a global initiative ‘Learning for Tomorrow’ partnering with UNICEF to help give children in some of the world’s toughest areas the opportunity of a quality education.

Reusable Bags - With the 5p bag charge now in place reusable bags are becoming much more popular and that is great! I actually find reusable bags so much easier with less risk of breaking whilst I dash from the car to the house and they also seem to hold much more! We recently started using Trolley Bags which have been so easy to use and taking away our need to use plastic carriers completely.




What we are going to do -

Both myself and my husband have recently been discussing an allotment. I would absolutely love to have our own little space on an allotment where we can grow our own food and also teach the kids about growing how food is grown and where it comes from. I think this would definitely be a big step for us but one I am hoping we can take next year!


With lots of our children now learning about more environmentally friendly and more sustainable ways to live its no surprise that six out of ten parents saying that they have started to live in a ‘greener’ way at home at the suggestion of their children. I think its great that schools can encourage our children like this, teaching them from a young age just how important it is. 

We live in a country where we often take "little luxuries" like clean fresh running water and education for our children for granted and campaigns like this make me realise just how lucky we really are. I think the work Unilever and the #BrightFutures campaign is doing is amazing and something we could all take a look at to make those changes.

What steps do you, or would you like to take to create a brighter future for our children?

xXx

This post is an entry for BritMums #brightFuture Challenge, sponsored by Unilever.

Saturday 15 October 2016

Stretchy Scooby Doo **REVIEW**

The Scooby Doo cartoon is one that I am sure many will remember, and the fact is that generation to generation, it is still loved. I remember watching Scooby Doo when I was a child and whilst the picture on screen may have got a little clearer, I love the fact that the stories and characters are all still basically the same and that we get the chance to introduce our own kids to some of the characters we ourselves loved as kids. 

At age 7 James has recently got in to watching Scooby Doo so when we were given the opportunity to review a new Scooby Doo toy, I knew James would love it. The new Stretchy Scooby Doo is the same recognizable Scooby Doo character but with a twist, he can be stretched up to 3x his original size and still ping back to normal. It still features all of Scooby's classic features such as his blue collar and rather nervous facial expression.


From his neck down every part of stretchy Scooby doo can be stretched out of shape, he can even be tied up in knots and he still returns to his original shape and size! I have to admit I was apprehensive as to whether Scooby would actually return to his original shape without some signs of stretching or sagging from the stretching, but I was wrong! Scooby pinged back to shape within seconds of stretching with no signs of him being stretched at all.


Stretch Scooby Doo is aimed at children aged 5+ which I would say is fairly accurate. Whilst Evelyn (aged 2) enjoyed playing with Scooby it can be quite tough to get him to stretch and so this part wasn't suitable for her. James is almost 7 and was able to stretch Scooby himself though so it is definitely doable for a child. It may require an adults help though if you wanted to really stretch him out!


Overall, James loves the stretch Scooby Doo and thinks it's great fun trying to stretch him a little more each time he plays with him or twist, stretch and knot him in different ways! He is currently priced at £19.99, and you can find out more or purchase your own Stretchy Scooby via the Character Website.

Do your kids watch Scooby Doo or do you remember watching it growing up?

xXx



Sunday 9 October 2016

Sylvanian Families Hot Dog Van **REVIEW**

Sylvanian Families is a well known name is most house holds, whether it was you who played with them when you were little or its now your own children its something most of us have seen and played with.

Evelyn is just getting to that age where she wants to play with smaller toys and loves imaginative/ role play toys and so I thought now would be a great time to introduce her to her very first Sylvanian Families set!

We recently received the Sylvanian Families Hot Dog Van and it has been an immediate hit with Evelyn.


I love all the detail in this set right down to the little food items available from the van. Included in this set is the Hot Dog Van itself, a special shop manager uniform including a sun visor, a menu, a bottle of ketchup, a bottle of mustard, a cup of orange juice, a cup of tea, a serving tong, 8 dog wrappers, 6 snack wrappers, 3 sausages, 3 buns, 2 pretzels, 5 kinds of hot dogs, 2 waffles, a rabbit-shaped waffle and a squirrel-shaped waffle. 




As you can see there is so much included in the kit and the attention to detail is incredible. The pieces are quite small so it would definitely be worth have a safe place to keep these when not being played with as it would be such a shame for them to be lost as they really finish of this set. Even the inside of the van is full of cute little details! 



The Sylvanian Familes hot dog van feels strong and sturdy and has that same cute, quaint feel that flows through the whole Sylvanian families range. I really like that this toy doesn't require batteries and it really inspires kids to use their imagination and create play and stories with the set. 

There was only one thing I could think of that would improve this set and that would be if it included a little Sylvanian Families character in with the set. As this was Evelyn's first set we didn't have any characters and so this is next on our list to buy but it would have been lovely to have one included as you never know which Sylvanian Families set will be your first!

If you are looking for a toy that will be played with for years and years to come and that will never really lose its charm then the Sylvanian families range is for you. This timeless classic toy is one I know Evelyn will be playing with for some time and thanks to the great quality I know it will stand the test of time and hours of play.


Do you own any Sylvanian Families sets? Which one is your favourite?

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, We were given the opportunity to try out the sylvanian families hot dog van which I used to write this honest review. All thoughts and opinions within this post are my own**

Halloween Outfit Inspirations from Tickled Pink (and something for the grown ups too!)

I can't believe its October already and with that brings Halloween!

Both James and Evelyn love dressing up so for them Halloween is a great opportunity for them to dress up and get suitable spooky! We tend to take them along to a organised Halloween party rather than trick or treating and so that means they both get dressed up to join in.

So when the lovely people over at Tickled Pink Fancy dress offered us Halloween costumes for both James and Evelyn to review the kids were so excited! I let them choose their own outfits, James went for the Jolly Rotten Pirate Boy costume and Evelyn chose the Elegant Glitter Witch costume both of which I think were great choices. There were so many great costumes to choose from though!

                  Jolly Rotten Pirate Costume                                        Elegant Glitter Witch Costume

The Jolly Rotten Pirate Boy costume is made up of a gruesome printed top, printed trousers and hat. The detail on both the top and the trousers is very good and pretty detailed. James loved the bloody body parts and thought they were great. The quality of the print of the costume is good too, I have put this through the wash and the designed has not faded, peeled or cracked at all! This costume is available is size small (4-6 years), medium (7-9 years) and large ( 10-12 years). I would say this costume is true to size and as the trousers are elasticated they do seem to stay up pretty well. The only criticism I would have would be that the pirate hat this outfit comes with gets quite squashed in the packaging so will need some folding and adjusting before wearing.


To complete James look I used some gory scar and cut transfer tattoo's a pirate sword and some face paint for his eye patch!

The Elegant Glitter Witch costume came as a one piece dress plus a matching witches hat. The skirt of the dress is made up of 3 layers, a base layer which matches the top and 2 layers of tulle (1 black and 1 orange). The skirt is then covered is gold swirls and stars making it a very cute spooky outfit. I would recommend giving the dress some time hanging up as the skirt had become a little crumpled in the post but hanging for a day or so solved this! This costume is available in small (3-4 years) or medium (5-6 years). I would say the sizes are roughly true to size but if anything a little on the smaller side. Evelyn usually wears 2-3 years clothing so we ordered the small and it fit really well, there is definitely room left to grow though!


I paired Evelyn's costume with some spotty pink tights and a glittery broom (which can be seen in the photo below).


James and Evelyn absolutely love their Ticked Pink fancy dress Halloween outfits and can't wait to wear them to the Halloween party at the end of the month! Both costumes feel like good quality and are a great price too (both outfits were priced at £14.99 each).

If you want to check out these outfits or more of the great outfits Tickled Pink Fancy dress have to offer check out their fancy dress website.

Also if you are a grown up wanting to get dressed up and into the spirit why not try out a gothic or punk style with an outfit like the one below. It is cute, practical and looks great too so perfect for a special occasion or just to show off your style! 


Are you or your children dressing up for Halloween? If so what as?

xXx

**I was not paid for this post, We were given the opportunity to try out 2 costumes of our choice which I then used to write this review. All thoughts and opinions within this post are my own **