I'm a full-time mummy

Product Review & Giveaway - Thea Skincare

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:11:00 +0800

I came across a Tweet message from Thea Skincare about reviewing opportunities for their products and decided to request for an opportunity to review their Mother and Baby range and Estelle from the awesome company replied saying they are fine with international bloggers reviewing their products (yippee!!) and asked me to choose one of the 3 products for my review.

Anyway long story short, I opted for the "Organic Coconut & Lavender Soothing Top to Toe Baby Lotion (85% organic, 100% natural)" for my review! Here goes my review after trying the product for over a month:

Every Thea Skincare product range is designed to target an individual skin type. When used regularly as part of daily skin care routines, Thea's natural skin care products can dramatically improve the texture and appearance of skin on the face and body - such as wrinkles & fine lines, oily complexions, dry skin, sensitive skins, sun-damaged or prematurely aging skins, acne, eczema and everything in between.

Thea also offers natural and organic Mother & Baby skincare, natural skin care products, such as highly effective organic moisturisers and body creams for teenagers and a Men’s natural skin care range. Thea Skin care natural products make it possible for us all to enjoy beautifully smooth, hydrated, nourished and radiant skin from head to toe – the natural way.

About Organic Coconut & Lavender Soothing Top to Toe Baby Lotion:

Nourish & protect even the most sensitive skins with this beautifully scented, nutrient-rich and hydrating baby moisturiser. Blended using the most gentle, organic ingredients that nature has to offer, including deeply nutritious Sweet Almond Oil and refreshing Orange Blossom.

Key ingredients: 78% organic, 100% natural, Sulphate and Paraben Free.
* Organic Aloe Juice – mild and soothing, attracts & seals in moisture.
* Organic Lavender, Organic Chamomile Distillates – soothe & hydrate sensitive skins.
* Orange Blossom Distillate – antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and refreshing.
* Shea Butter - the most effective natural moisturiser. Protects, repairs & draws in moisture.
* Sweet Almond Oil – nutritious & hydrating, kind to sensitive skins.
* Vitamin E –the best pregnancy skin care vitamin. Repairs, soothes & nourishes. Also perfect for healing nappy rash.

The reason I requested to review the "Organic Coconut & Lavender Soothing Top to Toe Baby Lotion" is because I like a product that covers head to toe and the idea of one simple product that handles everything top to bottom!

* Appearance: The bottle is just about the right size and easy to hold. The nozzle is protected with a transparent cover which is good. However, I do not like the nozzle as sometimes too much/too little lotion got sprayed out, well maybe it's because of my hand pressure when trying to squeeze out the lotion. For me, organic = must cherish and use moderately!

* Smell: The lotion has a nice herb smell and it is not too overpowering, can't quite explain in details but just want to note down my sister in law's reaction when I used the lotion on Alyson few weeks ago. My sister in law was visiting with her son and she immediately went "Hey, what nice smell is that?" and sniffed around looking for its source. When I told her that I'm applying lotion on Alyson and my sister in law said 'That's a very nice lotion smell! Where to get it?'

* Feel: The lotion is neither too thick nor too watery and it leaves a very mild oily feel after application which lasted for a few seconds.

* Effectiveness: I noticed Alyson's skin is smoother and moist when I applied the lotion on her body and face. We recently went for our family trip for 3 days 2 nights and I forgot to bring along the lotion, as a result, I noticed there are dry skin on Alyson's knees (she is learning to flip on her front now). I immediately applied more portion of the lotion when we got home and good to report that her skin is back to being moist and smooth now! Pheww...

Verdict: A nice smelling organic lotion that moisturise my baby's skin! Love it!

You can get more info on where to buy it at:

http://www.theaskincare.com/mother-baby-skincare-products/organic-coconut-lavender-soothing-top-toe-lotion-200ml

Yes, yes, we are all waiting for this glorious moment!

Now, Estelle has also sent another set of the exact lotion for me to giveaway on my blog. So yes, if you are the winner, you get to win this same set I reviewed!

Again, if you're thinking what I gain from this, well, absolutely nothing!! Since the giveaway set is with me, I am actually forking out my own money to ship it to the winner. So I am not gaining anything from you guys!

OK then, just read below for the giveaway terms and entry form, OK?

To enter the giveaway, kindly read and follow the instructions as stated in the Rafflecopter form below.

You can enter either via login through your Facebook account OR just key in your name and your valid email address.
Please also leave your valid email address in the post comment so that I can contact you if you win this giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So what are you waiting for?!! Hurry up! You have 1 month time from now to join in the fun and try your luck!

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the product by Thea Skincare in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

Finger Signs?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:56:00 +0800

iPad App Review - Memory Train

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:12:00 +0800

After conducting a review and then hosting a giveaway for "Interactive Alphabet" app, I have been given the opportunities to review 2 more apps from this awesome company. Anyway, my review as below...

* Title: Memory Train
* Price: $1.99
* Category: Education
* Updated: Dec 12, 2011
* Current Version: 1.12
* Size: 36.0 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Pi'ikea St. LLC
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Description from the product page:

"An outstanding memory game of concentration and focus from Pi’ikea Street (the award winning developers of ‘Interactive Alphabet’). Hop on the train with Spacey the elephant and help him focus his memory while on the way to the circus. Memorize the characteristics of objects passing by and recall them to earn stars, badges, and peanuts. Along the way, kids may find a few surprises!

Kids will be challenged to remember things like:
“What color was the shape?”, “Which one was green?”, “What number just passed by?”, “What 3 things just passed by?”

Features:
* Choose from 9 player avatars
* 4 player slots so brother,sister,mom and dad can play independently.
* 10 different types of levels
* Adaptive Difficulty
* Earn stars, badges and peanut trophies.

This app is language neutral with no spoken language so that children from anywhere can play! "

What's good?

* It is engaging and interactive!

I was so excited when Ben got the answers right!

* This game is quite tough even to me! Just when I thought Ben had aced the challenges in the particular level, it speeds up and the challenges change! Whoaaa! Fun, fun, fun!

* This app challenges your memory and at the same time, teaches my child about shapes, colours, numbers and I think it is good for my child!

What's not so good?

* Is it possible to have a 'Hint' option or message prompted before the new challenges start so that I could be prepared on what to expect?

You can purchase the "Memory Train" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code by the sponsor to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

iPad App Review - Counting Bees

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:15:00 +0800

* Title: Counting Bees
* Price: $0.99
* Category: Education
* Released: Dec 09, 2011
* Current Version: 1.0
* Size: 19.3 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Pi'ikea St. LLC
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 3.1 or later.

Description from the product page:

"Kids will learn counting to 20 by guiding bees to the flowers! As they learn to count, they will fill four big honey bears. Learn to count in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, and Japanese! This game is relaxing and non-violent and provides a safe and fun environment for kids to learn to count. Features:
- Kids choose the path the bees fly to the flower by drawing it with their finger
- Counting ranges included: 1-5, 1-10, 1-15, 1-20
- Encouraging, non-violent environment
- Relaxing Ukulele music plays as your child is encouraged to help and learn.
- Completely optimized for kids: No way to 'lose' this game
- Special configuration option for parents to enable the languages they are most interested in their kids learning. Parents: Just touch the settings bubble in the top of the screen and then touch the flags of the languages you want to be available. Kids: Switch languages just by touching the flag that the bee is holding."

What's good?

* It is engaging and interactive!

* This game is very cute as you get to direct the bees to the flowers and try to reach the number of bees required at the same time! You will then get to see how much honey gets poured out into a bear bottle.

* This is a relaxing game where you get to have fun and learn at the same time!

What's not so good?

* There are a few occassions when I feel that the bees are not receptive to our touch. I had to keep pointing and dragging the bees to the flower when I realised Ben starts getting annoyed that the bee is not following the touch of his finger.

You can purchase the "Counting Bees" app from the iTunes App Store.

iPad App Review - Ann Can't Sleep

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:49:00 +0800

I received an email from April who is with the company who developed Koto Go Silence, an iPad app I reviewed last month (and Ben loves it still!) In my mind, I was thinking "What? Are you kidding me? You created an app which my boy still enjoys watching and you are now asking whether I want to review another app of your company?!" Of course YES!!!!

Anyway, my review as below...

* Title: Ann Can't Sleep
* Price: $2.99
* Category: Books
* Released: Nov 11, 2011
* Current Version: 1.0
* Size: 52.3 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: April Peter
* Rated: 4+
* Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 3.2 or later

Description from the product page:

"“Ann Can’t Sleep” is an animated book about companionship, friends, and a little girl who just can’t fall asleep. Which of her toys will help her get to slumberland? Have fun reading this book, at playtime or bedtime. Tap on the sentences to hear them read out loud, and then enjoy the colorful and funny animations.

This App has been carefully designed, so that children of all ages can easily navigate through it and have a great experience on both iPhone and iPad."

This app book is about Ann, a little girl who tries to choose the right toy that can accompanies her to sleep.

What's good?

* Look at the picture below and tell me if you don't think it's cute! I totally love the illustrations on this book! So adorable and cute!

* I like how the words rhyme along as you read the story.

* There are some pages which got Ben's attention such as when Ann dreams and flies off in an airplane or when she gallops away on a horse.

* With this app, I get to explain to Ben the concept of dream as I realised Ben's curious and questioning look when he saw Ann picking up the ballerina doll and then trying to sleep and wonders why Ann suddenly dances with the doll! The moment he grasps the concept and realised it, his face goes 'Ahhhh... I see!' and from then on, he pays more attention to what happens to Ann in her dream! Cute!

Room for Improvement?

* I would love to see a longer storyline - somehow I felt the story is a bit short.

* Would it be too much if I ask for an option to select a boy or girl character at the beginning of the app?

You can purchase the "Ann Can't Sleep" app from the iTunes App Store.

My Recent Dental Check-Up...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:25:00 +0800

I am not a fan of going for dental check-up. Throughout my childhood years, I live in fear of dentist pulling each and every one of my tooth out. I only started to slowly overcome my fears over getting my dental check-ups when I started working.

Image credit: Google search

Anyway, long story short, I just had my dental check-up last week - a long overdue check-up. And being a SAHM with 2 kids now, when mummy goes out, the whole family goes out. A high school friend of mine referred me to her dentist as I was also planning to slowly get Ben to go for his dental check up as well and wanted to find a child-friendly dentist and one that has experienced handling young patients.

We arrived at the clinic on time but I had to let another patient go first as my hubby had trouble finding car park! Yes, the clinic is located in a very busy area with little chance of good parking spots unless you park real far and walked all the way to the clinic - which is what my hubby did.

My impression of the clinic? Nice environment, cosy, they play those nice soothing music to calm you down, there's a mini garden outside where the washroom is and I like that there are some children books around and some cuddly pillows on the sofa too (I didn't use it though as I'm not sure how clean they are...)

Only found out what happened to my kids while I was in the room with the dentist getting my scaling and polishing. Whoaaa... hubby said our kids hogged the whole sofa - but anyway, there's only 1 more patient after me and there's like 2 more sofas around.

The dentist is gentle and soft-spoken, clearly explaining to me what causes my bleeding gums and taught me how to take care of my gums and teeth properly. Price wise, a bit on the high side, but then again, I did mentioned this check-up was long overdue and I don't know whether there has been any increase in this.

After we were done, I explained to the demtist that I wanted to get Ben warm up to the idea of dental check-up and try as we might, he refused to open his mouth and show his teeth to the dentist. She even make an Angry Bird balloon out of her spare dentist glove to cheer Ben up! Ben stopped to get the balloon (he likes balloon but have no idea what Angry Bird is - anyway we are not a fan of Angry Bird at all) but continued crying when we asked him to open his mouth.

Sigh, maybe next time then...

Question: At what age do you bring your child to his/her 1st dental check-up and how do you get them to be calm about the whole thing?

Music Review - Good Night Lullabies (Patrice Cosier)

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 07:55:00 +0800

I received an email from Patrice Cosier with regards to her music album and decided to review it. I mean, lullabies for my babies? Oh sure!! Here goes my review...

* Title: Good Night Lullabies
* Price: $9.99 (Digital Album), $14.95 (audio CD)
* ASIN: B000R7I5LW
* Label: Lily Pond Lane Music

More info:

"A blend of classical and traditional styles, these lullabies contain all the elements proven by research to help bring peaceful sleep to children of all ages.
* 15 beautiful piano compositions styled in the "cradle form"
* Matches the child's own natural heartbeat's rhythm
* More effective, less distracting than vocal lullabies
* Instrumental elements help to gradually slow and relax"

What's good?

* The songs are really soothing and I even found myself closing my eyes and relaxing as I listened to the album.

* In song #5 (Gentle Night), it feels like you are sitting alone enjoying the brisk air in the night... really nice!!!

* In song #15 (Starlight), it feels like the chirpier version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! What a refreshing song!

* In general, a beautiful album to sooth and calm your child to sleep.

Room for Improvement?

* Nothing that I can think of!

You can purchase it from http://www.goodnightlullabies.com/purchase.html, cdbaby website or Amazon.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the 15-track album in MP3 format to assist my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine.

Very Unique Bolster - Not for Sale

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 08:45:00 +0800

How Your $1 Can Save Lives

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:01:00 +0800

Greetings from Malaysia!

Today I'd like you to join me in partnering with Dionna of Code Name: Mama, BirthSwell and Circle of Health International to improve maternity and newborn care in Haiti. Today I'm asking for your help. The help I'm asking you to give is very simple: you can donate $1.00. One little dollar. What can one dollar buy these days?

A couple of postage stamps
A bottle of water (maybe)
Less than a third of a gallon of gas
For Malaysians: The Star newspaper for the weekend
For Malaysians: One of those kiddy-rides you pay for your child to enjoy a few minutes of ride

But if every person who subscribes to this blog gives one dollar, you can send an experienced midwife to HCM Maternity Clinic in Fond Parisien, Haiti, an earthquake-affected region. Your dollar can provide education and mentoring for the two Haitian midwives who work at the clinic. Your dollar can improve the maternity care for the 2,000 women seen at that clinic every year. Your dollar can improve outcomes for mothers and babies. Your dollar can save lives.

To read more about how your donations can help, please visit the full post at Code Name: Mama. I am helping Dionna of Code Name: Mama raise donations to Get Karen to Haiti. Click on the picture below to donate - please give at least $1 today!

Please visit the Get Karen to Haiti page to donate your dollar today!

** P.S: Just in case you're wondering, I donated too and although I'm from Malaysia, I don't think which country we are located at, matters or differs. If you are a mother, you will understand and appreciate good maternity care and want the best for your child.

Tealicious?

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:50:00 +0800

Tried this yummylicious iced drink the other day while we were out for grocery shopping!

I ordered the Mango Yogurt QQ (don't ask me the QQ stands for what...!)

There are lots of other shops that makes bubble tea drinks like this, I think including this one, I've only tried 3 of such shops. The other was ChaTime Bubble Tea which I do not like at all. This drink is much much better, I enjoyed the bubble tea jelly and the jelly strips that came along with the drink.

Delicious? Nope... it's tealicious!