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Showing posts from 2014

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY OF The First Hippo On The Moon

A couple of weeks ago I was kindly sent a copy of The First Hippo On The Moon by David Williams. Me and my children had yet to read any of his books so we were really looking forward to receiving it. It is a lovely story about you guessed it two hippos and their quest to get to the moon. I dont want to ruin it by telling you the story as what would be the fun in that. The book itself comes in a hard cover which I love for childrens books it makes them easier to hold and read together. It is a great big book size too. The illustrations by Tony Ross are amazing so bright and colourful with easy to read stand out writing. My two middle daughters who are 4 and 5 have been really enjoying reading this with me.  They love the fact its a new and creative story something they have never read before. I am definately going to be looking at the rest of David Walliams books for children. This book is available to buy from amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0007494009?tag=au

Review: The Christmas Boutique

 Halloween is gone, bonfire night is over and now it's all about the run up to Christmas. If your looking for some new decorations then head on over to the Christmas Boutique where they have everything you will need to make your house sparkle this Christmas. I was recently sent a box of goodies to review from The Christmas Boutique I have to be honest I haven't bought any new decorations for years however I knew I would have to this year as we somehow lost all our decorations and tree when we moved.  So I was really pleased to have been giving the opportunity to review for them. So inside my box I had A huge Santa sack, no Christmas is complete without one of these right? It's lovely and very well made. Next from my box was Mr & Mrs holiday Frog bauble tree decorations. These are so adorable and unusual I've never seen anything like these before but I love them and so do the kids. Next out was These hanging glass pine cones, very shi

win a £10 Amazon voucher

As I have only had two giveaways since I started my blog I thought I would run this giveaway, hopfully will give someone a nice treat before christmas, good luck everyone! a Rafflecopter giveaway PLEASE NOTE THE FIRST 2 ENTRIES ARE MANDATORY YOU MUST FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AND COMMENT ON ONE OF MY OTHER BLOG POSTS OR YOU WILL NOT BE ENTERED. Thanks Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Review of Easy Indian SuperMeals

I recently received a copy of Easy Indian SuperMeals by Zainab Jagot Ahmed. I was really looking forward to receiving this as I am currently weaning bump and wanted new ideas.  As I mentioned in my weaning post I've stuck to the convenience  of jars of baby food and rusks to wean the girls, I really wanted to try different stuff with bump, and I did buy a blender which I have hardly used except for a few puréed veg. I was pleasantly surprised when the book arrived as I hadn't been expecting much just a book of purée recipes but it is so much more than that.    The book is for stage 2 weaning (7 months plus)  threw to 5+. There is lots of detail about super foods and super spices plus a handy table of super spices which are suitable for babies. It Also contains  lots of information on fruit and vegetable super foods. A getting starting guide is included as well as a list of foods to avoid. The recipes are separated into different sections starting w

BARGAINS & DISCOUNT CODES

I have seen some great bargains and discounts around this week so I thought I would share them with you all. great if your buying christmas presents. All listed below but will update the list if I find anymore so keep checking back. There is a great sale over at The Body Shop website at the moment plusvif you use the code EXTRA you can get an extra 40% off this includes sale items. Plus free delivery when you spend £20 or over. www.thebodyshop.co.uk Tesco have all their beauty gifts half price plus they have their up to half price toy offer on at the moment, i got barbie and Animagic toys half price. www.tesco.com Asda also have up to half price toy sale on and they also have a sale on clothing. Prices seem to be varying between online and instore.  www.asda.com If your off food shopping theres a £5 off a £40 Spend in Aldi coupon in The Daily Mirror today. ()I dont usually buy newspapers I think they are full of crap but on this occassion I will be as off to Aldi later and ev

Introducing Appleby Designs & gorgeous dress review

I recently discovered Appleby Designs an amazing website selling handmade children's clothing. Their dresses are stunning, unique and fit for any princess. Great for parties and special occasions and totally different to the usual dresses sold in stores plus handmade to order. You can view there website here and see the gorgeous dresses for yourself  www.applebydesigns.net The lovely Andrea from Appleby Designs kindly sent me a Christmas party dress for my 5 year old moo.  As soon as I opened the package I thought wow what a gorgeous dress.  The material design is fab so lovely for christmas time and party's. Complete with it's very own sash. It is made from 100% cotton so will be comfortable and light to wear plus machine washable which is always a bonus. The stitching is perfect and just knowing its been handmade makes it extra special. I know when moo wears it out everyone will be asking where I got it from.  Her little sister has already asked me where hers is, I

Is it time for the C word already

Is it that time already? yes I think it might be, the dreaded C word has been posted a lot lately and it seems Christmas is not that far away thanks facebook friends for reminding exzactly how many Fridays etc there are left until Christmas. All this Christmas talk has given me a kick up the bum, Im normally so organised with present buying and have usually already started by the school summer holidays.  Not this year though with bump arriving, moving house, sorting out new schools and my eldest daughters sixteenth birthday this month I havent even started. Now Im starting to worry, when you havent got much money coming in it can be a real struggle and with one more to buy for this year too its going to be tough so Im on the look out for bargains, if you see any please let me know. My girls love my little pony, moxi girlz, play dough and have hinted they would like some shopkins. As bump is my first boy im a bit clueless and dont know what to get him ( he will be almost 9 months by

Weaning

I can't believe bump is 4 months already it has gone so quickly but in a weird way it feels like he's always been here, I'm sure every parent knows what I mean by that? So as some of you may know I have 4 children bump being the youngest and my eldest is almost 16 now.  When it comes to weaning I have done it exactly the same starting at 4 months using packets/jars ( I feel I may be hearing tuts and sighs now ) until I feel they are ready enough to eat 'proper' food. Bump has been taking a real interested for about a month now to the point of crying when everyone else has dinner and he can't have any, so now he's 4 months I have been trying him with some baby rice and I've been surprised that he hasn't taking too eating as well as the girls did.  He hasn't been to keen on it, I guess maybe he needs to get used to it and it's only been a few days. I had considered the thought of not using jars/packets etc and cooking for him too but I wouldn&#

Taggies soft n snug bouncer review.

I was recently sent a taggies soft n snug bouncer to review from kids ii. I was really looking forward to reviewing this as my son was not keen on the basic bouncer we had bought for him and cried most of the time he was in it. So far me and bump are loving the taggies bouncer. It has lots of lovely features including removable hood, head rest and toy bar. It also has gentle vibration and melodies which is nice not too loud and annoying like some can be. The chair is suitable from birth up to 11kg and is reclinable which is great as bump often falls asleep while he is sitting in it and you can easily recline it back without waking him by pressing the buttons on either side of the chair. It also comes with a detachable cuddle toy that which you can Velcro into the harness pocket. Bump loves this and spends a lot of time practising his gripping and biting skills with it. He loves all the little colourful taggies down the side and will spend ages trying to grab the

Where have I been?

Well it's been a long time since I have posted on my blog and I have been missing blogging so much.  Bump is nearly four months old now and I have been so busy since he was born. You forget how much your little bundle of joy takes over your life plus already having three other children it's been hectic.  We have also moved house and said goodbye to London and our pokey flat and we are now in West Yorkshire in a lovely big house, we've not been here long but so far everyone is loving it.  It's good to be back and looking forward to catching up with everyone else's blogs too.  I also have a review for you from taggies too which will be up later, hope you enjoy it and have a lovely weekend.

Megabloks review

I'm sure every parent has heard of megabloks, those great building blocks that give your children hours of fun. I was recently given the opportunity to review a bag of megabloks which you can view here http://www.megabloks.com/en-gb/shop/construction-toys/first-builders/big-building-bag-pink-60-pieces Such a lovely girly colour any little girl will love.  Our bag arrived yesterday and the girls were delighted and started playing with them straight away. My 4 year old built a house and my 3 year old who loves dinosaurs made a lovely collection of dinosaurs and some stairs for her little toys to climb up. I noticed they have a new design bag which is great it's also pvc free and eco friendly. We have an original style bag of mega bloks that I bought 4 Years and they are still played with now. They are a great investment as they last until the children out grow them, definitely good value for money. The size of them is perfect for little hands and all the different sized pei

Bumps Arrival

Hes here!! The day after my last post (39 weeks) bump arrived. Apologies for taking  so long to post but when that little bundle of joy arrives there's not much time for anything else. Here he is now 24 days old. He is just adorable, it felt I he would never arrive but when he did  it all happened so quickly and he was born in my bedroom me on all fours with 5 paramedics and a midwife ha ha not quite what I was expecting. You would think being my fourth baby i would know when i was in labour but ecpect the unexpected as they say. I woke up with cramping as i had done for weeks but then started having little contractions but didnt take much notice as with the others i expected my waters to go first. They kept coming so decided to time them and they were 7 minutes apart I thought shit this is really happening.  I phoned the hospital and they said if i went in i would probably be sent home so I decided to stay put for a while, however my contractions speeded up and we phoned an am

39 weeks pregnant...

Here I am still waiting for bump to arrive only 1 week till due date, I am full of nervousness and excitement.  I had been kind of expecting him to be here by now but I guess he will arrive when he's ready, the girls have all arrived before their due date they were 3 days, 4 days and 7 days early. I saw the midwife Monday and everything seems ok, I am measuring 36 weeks but she said that she thinks he will be a bit bigger than my last daughter who was 6lbs 14oz (others were 6lb 8 & 6lb 1). I see her again on Monday when I will be 39+4 she didn't want to leave it till the Monday after. I've no had a show or anything but never did with the girls either, had lots of painful braxton hicks but nothing else. I've been feeling pretty peed off and not sleeping much but Ive bought myself a little treat for after he's born, not done my hair or anything in ages so looking forward to feeling a bit more me again. Hopefully this will be my last

37 WEEK PREGNANCY UPDATE

Firstly apologies for my lack of posts and twitter activity I have just been feeling so crap, uncomfortable, tired, etc etc. Have also had a headache for 2 days now, oh Im feeling sorry for myself ha ha, it's my birthday tomorrow as well and the thought of being another year older (36) is not cheering me up in the slightest, once you turn 30 the years just fly by but it would be a nice Birthday present if bump decided to arrive early.   On the plus side not long to go now and the iron tablets have started to make me feel better than i was before so that is good and I look a lot less pale too.  I had my 36 week check with my gp on Tuesday didn't really see the point of it to be honest as she did the exact same as midwife does except she didn't measure my tummy.  Everything seems fine and she said to keep taking iron tabs as my count was very low.  Bump is also engaged so explains why I can hardly walk now my 3 year old walks faster than me she was actually dragging me t

Kadria Balancing Face Oil Review

Kadria make ethical skin care range for pregnant women, none of their products are tested on animals and they use natural organic ingredients. It always nice to have a bit of pampering when your pregnant, they have some lovely products and sets which  you can view all their products here http://kadriaskincare.com/shop/  A little while ago I was sent some Balancing Face oil from Kadria to try and review . Our balancing face oil will help if you are experiencing hormonal skin changes in pregnancy or at other times.  This complex blend contains rare and powerful oils which contain compounds known to  help calm the most erratic skin.  Whether you have overly dry, break outs or blemishes, dull and lacklustre skin, this will be sure to help. Directions:  Apply a few drops to cleansed skin before applying your usual moisturiser.  Alternatively use as a night treatment oil. Blackseed contains over 100 different compounds, many of which are unknown. 

Canvas Design UK Review & Giveaway

I was made and sent a Canvas print of my choice by Canvas Designs uk to review.  You can view their site here http://www.canvasdesign.co.uk/ I was so excited to be reviewing Canvas Design UK as I love Canvas pictures but didn't actually own one before with personal photos on, I have always wanted to get one done but just not got around to it and actually thought that they were very expensive.  However I discovered at Canvas Designs UK their prices start from just £5.99 with free 48 hour delivery  and if you use the code BLOG15 at the check out you can get a 15% discount too. I originally chose a picture of my 3 girls playing football in the park but they had said as they were moving in the picture that it would come out blurry, I just couldn't decide on another picture as I have so many photos the lovely Loren at Canvas Designs suggested I send here a variety of photos and she would make a montage, she then sent me 5 different montage designs of my photos to choose

Benefits Of Using a Birthing Ball In Pregnancy

At 35+ weeks pregnant with my 4th baby I decided to try a Birthing Ball as I have been in a lot of discomfort down below with pain and crazy amounts of pressure I hadn't experienced with my previous pregnancy's and had read that it can help if you sit on the ball. There seems to be a lot of benefits to using one that I never knew about I actually thought they were only used while in actual labour from what I had seen of them on tele but apparently not as I found out some really useful information  about using it in the later stages of pregnancy. A birth ball is great for the last weeks of pregnancy just for sitting on to relax, watch tele or at the computer and will be easier to get up than from the sofa for example.  It can also give you a little workout for your tummy and back muscles if you sit and gently bounce or rock on it, it will also improve your posture and balance.  you can also try doing your pelvic floor exercises whilst sitting on it.  If your baby is bac

Kentish Hop & Lavender Sleep Sent Review

A unique, soothing, relaxing blend of essential oils (including hops and lavender). Put a couple of drops of this calming scent on a handkerchief by your pillow to inhale as you drift off to sleep. I have been having trouble sleeping for a little while and even totally knackered was taking me ages to drift off.  I had read on line that Lavender is helpful for this and had been looking for a Lavender  pillow/cushion.  Whilst searching I came across the Hop Shop at Castle Farm website  http://www.hopshop.co.uk/index.php They sell lots of lovely things such as oils, toiletries, gifts, food, dried flowers and sleep aids, I contacted them to find out about their pillows and they kindly offered to send me a bottle of their Sleepy Scent to try.   I used it the same day I received it putting a few drops on the cushion I have next to my pillow at night, now I am not in general a fan of the smell of Lavender but I have to say I was surprised at how relaxed it made me feel and I did

Wrappz phone skin review and Free Reader Offer

     Wrappz.com is a website that makes cases and skins that you can also personalize for phones, tablets, laptops, kindles and game consoles. I was recently contacted by Wrappz and asked if I would like to do a review of one of their products.  I have lots of different phone cases so I chose a phone skin instead which is basically a sticker that fits on the front and back of your phone. They have lots of different designs that you can choose from and you can also create your own, once you select your phone type your template comes up for the front and back of the phone you can then choose from designs, backgrounds or upload photos which you then drag onto the template, move them around, change size etc I chose a lovely butterfly background and also uploaded a photo which I put onto the back of the skin.  The whole process was really quick and simple to do, which was great I mean who wants to spend forever messing around to get the final result. My skin arri

34 week pregnancy update...

Hi Im a bit late with my update as was officially 34 weeks last Thursday but I wanted to wait until after my midwife appointment today. The time is getting nearer to bump arriving and I cant wait for him to be here, I have not been feeling well at all really and finding the tiredness so hard to cope with as I didn't feel like this with my last 3, obviously I got tired but nothing like this I feel exhausted from making a drink its crazy.  The last few days I have spent most of my time in bed as well because i have had a headache constantly and had been getting dizzy spells.  I have been finding bumps movements quite painful sometimes as well. So I had my midwife appointment today and told her all of this she just put it down to tiredness and the fact I have already had 3 children and said make this your last ( wasnt planning on anymore anyway but nice of her to say ha ha ) My blood pressure, urine etc all checked out ok and she felt baby, he's head down which I had gues

Hot Stuff W/E 23/02/14

  This weeks Hot Stuff, first up two hot offers that you need to get quick as they expire tomorrow... Firstly My fave Tan Laurens way has 20% off everything on their website until tomorrow, so be quick  http://www.laurensway.com/ enter code SAVEME20 at the check out. Over on the Bodyshops website www.thebodyshop.co.uk you can get the following offers valid until tomorrow using the code CATWALK, save £10 when you spend £25, save £25 when you spend £50 and save £5 when you spend £15.  If you spend over £18 on make up and skincare you can also get an Essential Beauty collection worth £22.50 by entering the code COLLECTION at the checkout.   I found a great freebie for you all this week which is either a Salmon or Tuna Recipe book from John West, you can choose which one you want and it's totally free including postage just go to the website here http://www.john-west.co.uk/trawler-fun/free-recipe-book/ and fill in your details.  Im looking forward to re

Introducing Clothies - A Modern Mums Essential

I would love to tell you all about Clothies  Sarah adores fabric and fleece! She is the inventor of the brand new range of baby burp cloths Clothies , A modern mums essential! These are the new sets of burp cloths made with fab fabric in beautiful designs on the front, backed with a super absorbent so soft microfleece to mop up baby's milky dribbles. She also make a range of double sided fleece pram blankets which are completely unique in design and great to bring a splash of colour to your baby's pram, moses basket or car seat!   The idea for Clothies hit me when I wanted to find an accessory to the fleece blankets, something affordable but lovely that I could make using matching fabrics , that if customers wanted a blanket they could also order matching burp cloths. There are lots of talented people making the very popular bibs but I couldn't find anyone making burp cloths. I have to say I purchased a pack of 2 burp cloths before I had my eldest