SusanKMann

Review - Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Frosting Fun Bakery

2013-05-24T08:00:00.001+01:00

I love toys, I loved toys as a child and I love even more buying them and playing with them with my children. I'm sure I'll still buy them for myself when my children are well into their 20's. What do you mean they grow out of toys before then? Anyway, for years I have loved The Toy Shop The Entertainer, so when we were sent the Play-Doh Sweet Shoppe Frosting Fun Bakery I thought we'd love it as much as we've loved all the other toys we've gotten from The Entertainer. Especially our recent Telescope for Tyler's birthday. We didn't love this quite as much.

I took the toy out of the box and built it up with a few minutes. It's bright colourful and and lots of little fun parts for the boys to try out with the play-doh. It comes with 4 little pots of coloured playdoh too. There is a pipping section for you to pipe play-doh frosting onto your little play-doh cupcakes, etc.

The boys and I both tried to get the pipping part to work with all the different design nozzles but they just kept coming off. We couldn't get it to squeeze out more than one small piece then it fell to bits. The boys got bored of this. I tried to soften some of the play-doh by kneading it and tried again, nope it feel to bits. This wasn't a good part of the toy. We made our own frosting by making little play-doh worms and winding them on, then adding the little sprinkles on top.

The rest of the parts were you can press the play-doh into the moulds to make little gingerbread men, houses, etc worked great and we can lots of fun making little pretend biscuits and pretending to eat them. There are 4 cake cutters in total so lots of options there. There is a small shelf for displaying them, enticing your mummy and daddy customers into buying them.

Tyler loved the display dome saying he was a real baker and the turntable. He said it was just like it was in the bakery shop. There is a plastic knife and fork and a plate for eating your pretend goods on.

I find play-doh gets everywhere, it breaks up unless kneaded well. But it doesn't stick to clothes, washes out easily and doesn't stick to my floor so can't complain too much and kids adore it. It's easy to use, versatile, they can mould into whatever they want and more importantly have fun.

The playset is suitable for ages 3 and up, just make sure they know it's pretend cupcakes they are making. At £18 from the Entertainer website, I think it's a little expensive for what it is. It is bright colourful and with the exception of the frosting part it's well made. I think it could come with a few more tubs of play-doh. However, I'm not a fan of this toy, the boys still had a lot of fun with it. What do you think of Play-doh?

Hamilton Park Racecourse Family Fun Day

2013-05-23T08:00:00.000+01:00

On the Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend, we took a family trip the Hamilton Park Racecourse. The racecourse is one of only 5 in Scotland and living only 10 minutes away from it, I really should go more often. It's always a great day or night out. I have been to a few race days over the years, once with my dad over 10 years ago and I've been to ladies day, which is so much fun and had a couple of Christmas party nights there with my work. Hamilton Park Racecourse is very well organised and you are guaranteed to have a great time, especially if the weather is nice.

The Family Fun Day event is in aid of Cancer Research, a charity close to my heart having lost my dad and my uncle both to cancer. On arrival there is plenty of parking and it's easy to get to well sign posted and easy to get into. For the family fun day there were lots of children's fun events to do. The boys tried their hand at crazy golf, the bouncy castle and hook the duck, before we had a snack of burgers and chips from the snack vans. These are no ordinary snack vans, the burgers were delicious. There was also a sweet stall which I thought was a little expensive but then most of these events do have a few items which are above normal price.

The boys got a goody bag each containing some Hamilton Park Racecourse hats, which we were very grateful for as the dull day turned into a dry day with some strong sun poking through. They loved their hats. They also got a toy horse, which they shared with their little sister. Aria slept through most of the day, but we have the pictures to show her one day.

There is a park there all year round for the children to play on, with swings and climbing frames. Both boys had lots of fun on this. They also went on some of the small rides, the swings and roundabout rides.

I wasn't sure how much the boys would like the actual racing, but they loved it. We got a race book and we picked our horses together. You can see the concentration above, it was a tough task. We went to see the horses going round in the parade ring. The boys were amazed at how big they were and they were so beautiful. They wanted to go and ride on them themselves. Maybe one day. Daddy put the bets on for us and then we watched the race near the finish line. We didn't pick any winners that day but we had lots of fun watching and picking out our favourite horses.

We had such a great day, a lot better than I thought it would be. I've been there before and loved it, but thought they boys might be a bit bored, but they really did have a great time and loved every minute of it. I wouldn't hesitate to take them back next year. There was plenty of room to manoeuvre the buggy about. The only problem I had was trying to feed the baby. I had to feed her in the cafe which was a bit noisy with those cheering on their horses. I didn't seem to disturb her too much.

Hamilton Park Racecourse is geared towards adults, but on the family day, they really know how to make their little visitors feel welcome.

Disclaimer:- I was given family admittance to the event, a goody bag for the children and vouchers for a burger and a drink each. I've not been paid further for mentioning any of these products in this post. All words and opinions are my own and the links have been included out of courtesy.

The Gallery 143 - Drink

2013-05-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is Drink.

My favourite tipple is Diet Irn Bru. I'm a Scottish lass after all. And it may be the reason why my baby girl was born with ginger tinged hair.

At the weekend's I may sneak in a glass of wine. In my lovely frosted blue glasses.

Check out the other entries over at Sticky Fingers

Children Are Never Too Young To Benefit From Music (Guest Post)

2013-05-21T13:48:00.001+01:00

Children are never too young to benefit from the power of music, says Caroline Crabbe, General Manager at Jo Jingles

Music is an extremely powerful medium when it comes to helping with early years’ development. Most of us are aware of research from scientists which has shown that babies can recall melodies they have heard in the womb even a month after they are born – which goes to show that music appreciation really does start from the very beginning of our lives. Singing regularly also builds and strengthens the bonds of trust and communication between an adult and a child; so involving a young baby in musical sessions from an early age, whether at home or in a structured ‘class’ environment, can also help to encourage their self-expression and confidence in later life.

After this, it is up to us as parents to nurture that appreciation and ensure it develops and grows in the right way to make a real difference to our children’s lives. Our children’s brains are like a sponge ready to soak up every bit of new information, which means your child is never too young to start. Music teaches our young children so many valuable skills whether it’s understanding the difference between fast and slow songs, the science of repetition that comes from the likes of ‘Baa, baa, black sheep’ which really plays an important role in our baby’s mental, physical and social development - helping to gear-up our child’s brain for speech development. The inclusion of interactive actions also helps to stimulate role play and coordination.

If your child is to reap the real benefits associated with music, it is vital that as a parent, you take part and become involved in these activities with your child at home so as to encourage and motivate the enjoyment that comes from listening to and interacting with music. Whether it’s simply putting on a CD of nursery rhymes, singing to them at bath time or during a car journey – it will make all the difference if you instigate this. Many parents worry that they can’t sing very well – but try to remember you aren’t appearing on ‘The Voice’, there is no judging panel so just have fun and your child really won’t mind a bit (as babies they will have spent most of their time listening to their mother’s voice and it will be one of their favourite sounds anyway).

Music is also great for relaxation because it also involves a certain amount of discipline and structure – particularly in the case of ‘action songs’. Using actions when singing songs or listening to music is very good for developing balance and control of the limbs in babies and young children; it has also been shown to help a baby express feelings and moods as they watch your movement/actions and learn to interpret the music that they hear. Equally, using toy percussion instruments is also a great way of getting your child excited about music – you could even have a go at making some home-made versions yourself to really add to that personal appeal while getting creative at the same time. A cardboard crisp tube and a handful of dried rice makes a great ‘shaker’ just as a saucepan lid makes for a great cymbal. Use your imagination to broaden your musical adventures!

Singing regularly with or to your child is also good for your health; it can help to ease aches and pains and increase oxygen levels as well as boost your physical immunity (and if you’re pregnant it sends lots of endorphins to your baby via the placenta). So what are you waiting for? It’s time to face the music…

About Jo Jingles

Jo Jingles provides music, singing and movement experience classes for babies and pre-school children from three months to five years of age. With nationwide sessions in more than 700 centres across the UK and Ireland and with over 90 franchisees, Jo Jingles offers well-established, structured classes that are fun, interactive and educational for little ones.

Launched in 1991, Jo Jingles continues to promote learning through music across many of the UK’s nurseries, Sure Start Children’s Centres, playgroups and mother & toddler groups. Jo Jingles Birthday parties and celebrations are also available to book and a range of musical-themed merchandise including toys, CDs and musical instruments can be purchased online at Jo Jingles.

Disclaimer:- This is an advertorial post for which I have been paid for, see my disclosure policy for further details.

Introducing Daniel Footwear

2013-05-20T08:00:00.001+01:00

Of course I'm a girl and I love shoes. I don't have hundreds of them, but I have a carefully chosen selection and I know what I like. When I came across Daniel Footwear I couldn't help but drool over their selection of shoes. I didn't just have to drool however, as their prices are very reasonable and they have great sales on. For designer footwear at affordable prices, this is where I'm shopping.

Daniel Footwear isn't just an award winning online shop, they are an independent retailer with over 30 stores, in 25 different cities in the UK. The sell a vast range of products from Women's shoes, Men's shoes, Children's shoes, but also some cute handbags, scarfs and some clothes. Their designer range covers Ugg, Juicy Couture, Vivienne Westwood, Melissa and many more I've yet to discover.

My taste in footwear has changed over the years. When I was in my late teens, early twenties fashion over comfort was always the case and I liked my clothing and footwear to be a little different. These would have been my footwear of choice for a night out clubbing. Gorgeous aren't they?

I don't go anywhere really that would benefit these shoes, these type of shoes need to be seen. These aren't a type of shoe you'd wear doing the school run. Nowadays I'm mainly seen wearing boots, either knee length, calf or ankle like the ones above. If I'm going out someone nice I'd tend to go for a court style shoe. Like these ones.

I can still drool over the gorgeous blue ones though. They could be my shoe of choice for the MADS blog awards.

The men's shoes are great and definitely something my husband would wear. However, when I came across the children's section my heart left a little. I thought I know have a baby girl, she can wear all these adorable little shoes. My bank balance wept. But how could you not resist these little Vivienne Westwood numbers.

And these little Melissa Mini shoes.

There is also a huge selection of Ugg Boots for children. I cannot wait for my little princess to be big enough to wear some of these. In the meantime, mummy gets to have all the fun.

Anyone reading this post and is stuck for a gift for me for my birthday or even Christmas, Daniel Footwear do gift certificates. Hint Hint.

A big thank you to Daniel Footwear for helping me get to Cybher blogging conference with my baby girl as they are giving me some money towards the cost of accommodation. So I am going to the Cybher ball. See you there.

What do you think of the shoes? Cute aren't they? Are you going to Cybher?

Disclaimer:- Daniel Footwear are paying a contribution towards my hotel accommodation for the Cybher blogging event. They have not asked me to do this post and have not paid me to do so. My words and opinions are my own.

#silentsunday 20

2013-05-19T08:00:00.000+01:00

This is a Silent Sunday post as inspired by Cosmic Girlie and The Boy And Me.

Review - Walkers Hoops and Crosses Snack

2013-05-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

Like most children, mine like snacks and finding snacks which aren't too high in salt, sugar, etc is harder than I first thought. Even tubes of yogurt and cheese packs aren't as good as you think. We were sent through a packet of Walkers new wholegrain snack called Hoops and Crosses. They come in three different flavours; prawn cocktail, roast beef and salt and vinegar.

We received a cute little box through the post which contained a fun book about the product, a very cute little monkey, which all the children loved and a packet of the beef flavoured crisps. As soon as the box was opened, the book was read, monkey was out and the crisps were eaten, all within five minutes. The boys shared the crisps and I managed to prise one from their hands. I really liked them. Tasted a bit like Beef Monster Munch, not sure if you even still get them, but I remember them from my childhood.

I didn't expect the boys to like the crisps as they aren't fans of meat flavours, but they did and ate them all. Even the youngest boy who isn't a huge crisp fan. I was pleasantly surprised and at 30% less fat than standard crisps I will be buying more. I'm a salt and vinegar crisp fan and being or trying to be on a post baby diet, at 85 calories per bag they fit well with me too.

As you can see my cheeky moneys love the monkey they were sent.

Disclaimer:- This is a sponsored post on behalf of Walkers for more information please see my disclosure page, my opinions are my own.

The Gallery 142 - New

2013-05-15T08:00:00.000+01:00

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is New.

Sometimes I forget that things we know all about and take for granted can be new and wondrous for our children. My time is limited with work and while I am off on maternity leave I'm busy trying to cram in everything possible to do with my children, that I forget to take a step back and look at the world around us and just be together. Last weekend we came across a ladybird in the attic playroom and my youngest had never seen one up close before. Both boys loved it and wanted to keep it as a pet. I explained that would be cruel and that we'd put it back outside in it's natural environment. My take on the prompt is that even though seeing a ladybird is old hat for me, it's new and exciting for children. See a whole NEW world through their eyes.

Check out the other entries over at Sticky Fingers

Funny Things My Children Say 34

2013-05-14T08:00:00.000+01:00

I haven't joined in, in a while, with the baby illness and one thing and another. I have been taking note of the little gems my two little princes say. Here's a little collection:-

Lucas:- "I want a real magnet to tell what's metal and what's not."

Me:- "There are magnets on the fridge you can do that with."

Lucas:- "No a real magnet."

Me:- "They are real magnets. They stick to the metal fridge door."

Lucas:- "No a real one not one from the fridge. They are red and grey and oval shape."

I have a painting of a shipwreck which I love and it got us onto talking about the Titanic.
Tyler:- "Titanic where you in it"
Err I'm not THAT old!!

They boys were playing with the Playmobil pool before they went to school. I took the wee dudes out to dry when I got home. They came home and said:-

"Playmobil left in there he must have melted."

We drove past the church just after Easter and Lucas pointed and said;-
"Jesus died on an x."
Me:- "No he died on a cross."
Lucas:- "Yes and X."

Tyler:- "Mummy when you come home from the hospital your tummy will be flat?"
Me:- "If only. It will flatter."

We were playing Guess Who the other day and Tyler asks:-

"Does your guy have a mouth?"

Apparently when their mood rings turns yellow it means:- "Mixed remotions."

And the cutest excuse from Tyler as to why he can't go to sleep:-

"Can't sleep as I love you too much."

Have your children said anything funny this week?

Cheeky Shoes Review & Giveaway

2013-05-13T08:00:00.001+01:00

I'm not a shoes and handbag kinda girl, in the way that I have hundreds of pairs of shoes and hundreds of handbags, however I do know what I like and I have a range of shoes and boots I love and the same with handbags. When asked to try out a pair of Cheeky shoes, I had a look at their site and liked what I saw. They are bright, colourful and looked very comfotable.

I picked a pair of Tomtastic red shoes. They are a little more orange red than would be my ideal but they are amazingly comfortable and even throughout the Winter when I was pregnant I lived in these. The strap is super stretchy and doesn't jag in when you have uber swollen feet. The shoes themselves have no restrictions and mould to the shape of your foot. The sole is plyable and make walking on any surface a breeze. They have a fair bit of tread making them ok to walk with on ice. I really did love these shoes so much that after I had the baby and spring had sprung I bought myself a pair of the Sumptuous Cerise ones or purple to you and I. I do love their descriptions of the colours, you should have a look at their website, they really have this down to an art.

They have some new shoes coming out for the summer season so don't forget to signup to their newsletter to keep up to date.

Giveaway

I have not 1 but 5 pairs of Cheeky Shoes to giveaway to 5 lucky winners. To enter all you have to do is follow the instructions in Rafflecopter below. When the competition is over I will contact you for the colour and size of shoes. It is open to UK residents only. And the shoes will be sent from Cheeky Shoes direct. Good luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions

Disclaimer:- I was sent the above items as stated in the post. I've not been paid further for mentioning any of these products in this post. All words and opinions are my own and the links have been included out of courtesy. I also bought my own pair. I have not been reimbursed for the giveaway and these will be sent from Cheeky Shoes direct.

Silent Sunday 19

2013-05-12T08:00:00.000+01:00

This is a Silent Sunday post as inspired by Cosmic Girlie and The Boy And Me.

Baby Girl Diaries - Weeks 7 - 12

2013-05-10T08:00:00.000+01:00

I know I'm a little behind on these, but well you know what it's like, never enough hours in a day when you have children, never mind a little baby too. I can't believe my little princess has been here for over 12 weeks now, she comes on everyday and amazes me everyday. The love she and her brothers share for each other never fails to make my heart swell.

Aria has settled in to our little life well. She is sleeping through the night which is great. If only her oldest brother would do me the same courtesy I'd be laughing. She sleeps downstairs with us in the evening because she was being so sick after her milk. She has been bringing up a lot of her bottle. She has been given Gaviscon to help with reflux and I have been giving her Infacol. It's made a bit of a difference but she was still very sick. I spoke to the health visitor and doctors about changing formula, but they weren't much help. I decided to research it myself. I tried Aptamil comfort but it didn't work out. By the time Aria was 11 weeks she was putting on a decent amount of weight but I was having to change her 5 times plus a day because she was so sick with her milk. I was having to get changed and clean the floor it was so bad. The health visitor so it one day and couldn't believe how much she was sick and still putting on weight. I eventually changed her milk to Cow and Gate Reflux and Regurgitation milk. I have done so much research into formula the Health Visitor said I should be a formula adviser. I won't go into the ins and out of this milk, if you want to know more about give me a shout I'm happy to discuss everything I know. This milk has made a massive difference to Aria, she is no longer sick, she's more content and I am happier. I did have a few worries that I was doing her harm as it is quite thick, but she's doing great and I'm assured I've done the right thing. It was a big worry, but we are over this hurdle.

My health is still not great. I've had a few weeks of improvement, but generally I've been pretty much on constant antibiotics. I'm coping fine with things and just have to get on with it. It's getting me down a little with the pain and the fact it's not going away, but what else can I do but get on with my babies.

As you can see in the picture above, Aria loves to be warm and snugly. She loves to have her little comfort teddies up at her face or on her face during the day to sleep. This terrifies me and I move them as soon as she's sleeping. She loves anything soft around her head. Her hand to her nose. Thankfully at night she's ok to sleep just with her comfort bear beside her and she sleeps in her sleeping bag. I can close my eyes without worry. We have learnt Ewan the Dream Sheep is the best thing we bought for helping her sleep, she settles instantly when it's on. She only sleeps in her bear snowsuit when out and about, this is posing an issue with the warmer weather. Anyone know of a fleecy, soft summer snowsuit? She really is a little warm, soft, cosy, loving little girl.

Many of my followers will know that I lost my Uncle of cancer recently, I was very close to him and he was like my dad since I lost him to the same cancer. He had been in hospital and hadn't met Aria yet, but I took her up to see him a few days before he passed away and you can see how proud and happy he was in the picture. This is one memory I will forever treasure.

You'll see by her pictures that she is such a smiley little girl. Aria responds when you smile at her by giving a big beaming smile back. She is very tickley and loves to giggle. She is also starting to coo, which is the cutest thing ever and Tyler is loving talking back to her. I cannot believe how alert she is. She doesn't sleep much during the day, she has about 4 20 minute naps but sleeps well at night so I can't complain. Aria loves music and kicks her legs and throws her arms about as if trying to dance. She also seems to enjoy Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Aria loves to see her daddy when he comes in from work and always has a big smile for him. She loves watching the boys and loves when the talk to her. Her favourite thing to play with is her play mat, she loves to swat at the toys hanging, of which she has many. The boys keep hanging more and more toys on it. The love sharing their teddies with her, wonder how long that'll last. I'm sure it'll be a different story when she starts to take them. She hates the swing, she doesn't seem to like it at all even with the music on, so we've put it away for now.

Every morning I look into her moses basket and she gives me the biggest smile and it melts my heart. I still cannot believe she is here and she is mine. Aria is growing and changing so much, so fast, it's incredible. I'm loving the pink, but it's strange at the same time after so much blue. I'm still trying to get used to putting tights on, but I do love babies in babygros. They have plenty of time for little outfits.

Until next time..

Our Soreen Adventures

2013-05-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

The boys were so pleased to be getting some Soreen to keep and to give out to others to help spread the word about Soreen and their limited edition 75th Anniversary Edition of Chocolate Soreen.

The boys decided to open a Soreen shop in our living room, we didn't have too much passing trade other than a monkey, sack boy and a little blue teddy. The didn't eat too much so we decided to take some to the boys football team and give some out to the parents. A lot of whom had never tried Soreen before, they really don't know what they are missing. Hopefully we have a few more converts.

I gave some to my Health Visitor to give out back at the health centre to the staff. She was very grateful, I think they like to have a little snack for their tea. Some of the school mums were delighted with the chocolate Soreen and I have had nothing but positive feedback from it. My mother who keeps coming in and taking packets. She loves it. I love it and the children love it.

After speaking to Helen on twitter, who I mention below, she was talking about baking the Chocolate Soreen. I had to give it a go and baked it in the oven for 10 minutes on low and it turned into a lovely gooey warm, chocolate style brownie. I served it up with some Ice-cream for a special dessert and it went down a treat.

I found a recipe on the lovely Helen's Crazy Kitchen Blog she created to make Chocolate Soreen Ice-cream, she is incredible and now I need to go buy more Chocolate Soreen to make this. Yummy.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to Chocolate Soreen. What would you do?

Chocolate Loaf is available from Asda 25th April for 6 weeks, in Morrisons from 20th May for 3 weeks and in Sainsbury’s from 23rd May for 3 weeks. Go get some while you can.

Keep an eye out on their website, Twitter and their facebook page for more information.

This is a promotional post in conjunction with Soreen. For more details please see my disclosure policy.

The Gallery 141 - The Weekend

2013-05-08T08:00:00.000+01:00

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is The Weekend.

This weekend has been a busy, but lovely family one. The boys have played football and football training, Tyler got player of the week so he was very pleased with himself. We had an incident during the night where Tyler got a black eye and bruised cheeky with bashing it off his bed in the middle of the night. Wee soul. We had a little sun on Sunday so Aria got to wear a short sleeved dress for the first time ever. We went to the Family day at the racecourse on Sunday and we had lots of fun betting on horses and watching them.

How has your weekend been?

Check out the other entries over at Sticky Fingers

Baby Products I Love

2013-05-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

After having a baby there are so many things that you didn't think about out before the baby was born. Here is a list of things that I needed or wanted or just loved.

A baby carrier is a fantastic product, especially if you have more than one child. You can carry the baby out and about or even in the house and still have your hands free. It helps with bonding and give the child a sense of closeness. Even better you don't have to worry about getting a pushchair out and about in tight or busy spaces. We love the BabyBjörn Baby Carrier Miracle, it has great support for your back and shoulders. It's easy to use and comfortable. I have used this for the school run when jumping in and out of the car, it's so easy and quick to put on, you can do it yourself. Some I've tried need two people, but this is great. My husband loves to wear this carrier, it gives him a bond with Aria and she loves being carried. The colours are neutral, so men don't feel self conscious. It's perfect for daddies. The carrier can be rear or front facing as they get older. An excellent carrier for bonding and practicalities. It can be used from birth until approx. 18 months around 26lbs. The RRP is £114.99, but for the good support, ease of use and comfortably I think it's worth every penny. It's a product that's used again and again.

For me the hardest part of being a mother is putting the baby down to sleep at night, especially as a newborn. I don't know about you but I've spent many hours just watching their chests move up and down to make sure they are breathing and I've even touched their faces to make sure they move. To ease my worry of sleeping I have always used Gro Bags there are imitations out there but I feel none are as safe as the ones from Gro themselves. They have the poppers underneath the arms, they have poppers on the shoulders and even a zip cover so it doesn't scratch them. Best of all they keep baby's warm and snug without worrying about covers going on their head. They also look great too. Gro Sleeping bags are suitable for 8 1/2lbs. I love these and have never used anything else on all three of my children. There is a 2.5 tog for the colder months and a 1.0 tog for the summer months. Not that latter that often in Scotland.

If your baby is under 8 1/2lbs there is the option of Gro Swaddling bags. Both my boys loved swaddling, and I used these for them. I had some for Aria when she was born thinking she'd be the same, but she hated swaddling. She'd spend hours trying to escape. I do love the swaddling bags from Gro, they stop the baby's arms wriggling free and I can sleep without worrying about the blankets even the cellular ones ending on their heads. If your baby loves swaddling these are a must. There is a lot of information about reducing the risk of cot death on their site if you have any concerns or want further information. I would recommend all parents to familiarise themselves with this information.

Having had two boys, their clothes are cute, but after a while they are pretty much the same. However, Their Nibs London have some different, unusual and cool clothes for boys. Having a baby girl now the clothing options are adorable, cute and vast. I love the gorgeous Vintage items, that make girls look like little girls, not like mini adults. The items are unusual, well made and they use Bespoke prints. I have a little all in one outfit for Aria, she's still a little small for it, but it will be perfect for the summer. I love all in one outfits for baby's, they are easy and comfortable. Plus Their Nibs clothing looks amazing. The fabric is so soft and they look sweet and girly. Just perfect.

I have also the most adorable little Floral Cord Pram shoes from Baby Coco Bella. They are so well made, soft and adorable Aria's feet are still a little small for them, but I cannot wait for her to wear them. She loves her feet all warm and these will do the job. There are some adorable items at Baby Coco Bella, not everyday wear but definitely something for a special occasion and not too badly priced either. The pram shoes are only £10. They do some unusual dresses for little princesses, if you are looking for that special outfit have a look here.

I'm very lucky that Aria has the most perfect skin, really, I wish I had it, it's incredible. I want to keep it that way. Having used numerous products with the boys, I've always found that natural, organic and non perfumed products are the best ones to use. Aria is starting to get some cradle cap so I have been using Rock the Cradle Organic oil from Organic Monkey. It's wonderful, non greasy on what little hair she has and it seems delightful. I really like the Organic Monkey range and have bought the Bumfluff nappy cream for when the inevitable time comes and she has a little red tosh. They smell great, look great and are great for baby's skin.

Many of my readers will know how much I love books. Children are never to young to be read to. When I heard that they had made The Classics into baby books I knew I had to get them for Aria. Of course being a big vampire fan Dracula was my first choice, she also has A Christmas Carol. The books are a little different, the Dracula one has the characters and imagery based on the classic tale, but the story is about counting, 8 headstones, etc. A Christmas Carol is the same but is all about colours. They are fab and something a little different than the animal flap books. They are well made, colourful and interesting. There are produced by PGUK and there are many classic books available.

Aria is a great sleeper, now. Having two young boys in the house, it's not exactly quiet. Aria used to sleep great during the day when I would have thought it would have been too noisy to sleep. When it would come to nighttime and the boys were asleep, she was restless and would wake up at any little sound. I tried some white noise using an app on my phone and it worked instantly, like waving a magic wand, it was amazing. I'd heard about how good Ewan the Dream sheep was from Twitter and decided to give it a go. It's incredible. Aria is now an wonderful sleeper and if she wakes up unsettled I put on Ewan and back to sleep she goes. Ewan has 4 different sounds from womb noise to lullaby's. It plays for 20 minutes then shuts off. You just press his little leg and off he goes. There is also a soft glow light built into his belly. I haven't used this yet but it's good to know it's there. Ewan the Dream sheep has made a massive difference to our sleep, I thank you Ewan.

I wasn't sure about this product at first but it's proved to be really useful in situations. It's a product called Aquaint. It's a 100% natural cleansing water. It is alcohol free which surprised me and has no scent or taste whatsoever, however it claims to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria. I have used it on toys that the baby puts in her mouth. Used it on public changing tables, used it to clean her hands and mine. It has an endless amount of uses. It is safe to use on anything that the baby puts in her mouth. At only £2.99 for a travel size bottle, it's something I will be keeping in my baby bag. Only problem is it's only available at selected online stores like the NCT shop. However it will be available in some stores throughout this year.

I have separate posts for my big items that I love like the cot, stroller, etc. What baby products do you love that I need to get?

Disclaimer:- I was sent some of the above items as stated in the post, others I have purchased myself. I've not been paid further for mentioning any of these products in this post. All words and opinions are my own and the links have been included out of courtesy.

Review - Fisher Price Woodsy Friends Comfy Time Bouncer

2013-05-06T08:00:00.000+01:00

Having had two children prior to my new baby girl, I know that an essential piece of equipment is a bouncy chair. It's great for the babies to have a bit of independence, some fun and give us parents a bit of a breather. A chance for a cuppa or to catch up on some housework, knowing that the baby is safe and happy. The Fisher Price Woodsy Friends Comfy Time Bouncer does the job.

Aria was luck to be sent the Woodsy Friends Comfy Time Bouncer. This bouncy chair is very bouncy and super comfortable. The material is soft and it is well padded. I got it out of the box and had it built within 10 minutes. There were a few tricky screws but nothing I couldn't sort. The harness is secure and I certainly don't have to worry about baby girl falling out. There is a soft head rest which is nice for baby's little head.

You can see in the picture she looks comfortable and secure. There are some fun toys hanging from the toy bar above. One is an Owl which hoots and plays a tune when pulled and the other is an apple, there is also two removable toys one is an apple teething toy and the other is cherries that clicker together. The toy bar is designed as a tree and fits in beautifully with the rest of the design of the bouncer. There are even some soft leaves for baby to touch and feel. It really is a beautifully designed bouncer.

The only issue I found with it is that on my bouncer it takes a little bit of pulling to get the owl to play it's tune. This seems to be mine, it seems to be getting a bit better over time. My best friend has the same bouncer and I asked her about it and she says her baby can get it to play a tune no problem. This doesn't put me off it, it's the comfiest bouncer chairs I've seen and the look and design has been well thought out.

One of the best parts of the chair is the vibration mode, it's calming and soothing. If Aria is having a grumpy moment, I can put her in the Fisher Price Woodsy Friends Comfy Time Bouncer and she is smiling again within five minutes. She hasn't fallen asleep in it yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. It's durable since my 4 year old climbed in for a shot. I can recommend this bouncy chair if you are looking for a comfortable, gorgeous looking and fun bouncer for your baby.

Silent Sunday 18

2013-05-05T08:00:00.000+01:00

This is a Silent Sunday post as inspired by Cosmic Girlie and The Boy And Me.

Review - Stokke Xplory from Birth

2013-05-03T08:00:00.000+01:00

The Stokke Xplory is the most gorgeous stroller I've ever seen and had the pleasure of using. Aria is one lucky lady to get the Stokke Xplory as her first carriage. We haven't just stopped at the stroller, but that's another story.

When it arrived and I unboxed it, I thought it was going to take me a while to get together and to get used to putting it up and down. Far from it, less than 10 minutes and I was ready to go. I tested it out before little Miss arrived, just so I wasn't worrying about putting it in and out of the car while I had a screaming baby and two impatient little boys on my hands. It took me about 3 times putting it up and down before I could do it in under 2 minutes. It really is that simple. It doesn't fold all together you have to take the foot rest out first, then the bar, the seat bit comes up in two seconds and then to fold the chassis. All sits neatly on top of each other and you're good to go. It doesn't take up as much room as I thought in the boot, still plenty of room for footballs, yes I have two boys who are football daft and all the other stuff that you need to take with you.

What can I say about the Xplory? It's a delight to push, it looks so comfy to lie it and it is a head turning stroller, when you walk into the school play ground people look at it and I'm sure they drool a bit too. It really is the ultimate stroller. I bought the Footmuff in red of course, living in Scotland it's a tad chilly and with Aria being born at the end of January she needed it. I wish they made these for adults they look so cosy and warm. Look how comfy she looks in the pictures above. The straps are great for keeping her in and feel secure but not too tight. There is also a newborn insert to keep her secure. The stroller part lies completely flat allowing her to sleep and can be tilted as she gets older.

Pushing the stroller is so easy you can do it one handed, getting up and down kerbs so easy as they stroller is so light. It's sturdy enough I don't have to worry about it tipping, but light enough you can get it up and down without straining. Having a c-section I was worried about it being heavy to push about and getting it in and out of the house and car, but I had no problems at all.

We have been out and about a lot in the Xplory as you can see above and it's even so light and easy to manoeuvre that a four year old can do it with ease in a busy shopping centre on a Saturday afternoon. We have been to the Science centre and got in and around everything. The school run is a doddle and she can sit and watch the boys at Taekwondo and football mesmerised. She can sleep away peacefully, in fact during the day it's pretty much the only place she'll sleep for longer than 10 minutes.

I'm a huge fan of red and have a lovely red coat to match the stroller. There are so many accessories to go with any Stokke product that you really can't get bored of them and there is some thing for every personality from the Winter kits, to the Summer Kits, and my must have is the cup holder. There is so much potential and there is a car seat which can be added. I love the Stokke Xplory and wish I had, had it when Lucas was born. I cannot fault it in any way what so ever. It's easy to use, easy to put up and down, steers like a dream and looks so comfortable, not forgetting how versatile it is. You can have it parent facing, or outwards when they are a bit older. One of the best features about the Stokke Xplory is the high riding position so that baby can always see you and you are close to your baby. The handle moves up and down along with the position of the stroller, so you always have it at the perfect height. Whether you are short, tall or in between this can be put to your exact comfortable height.

This is my experience of the Stokke Xplory with a newborn baby. I will post more as she gets bigger and our experiences change.

Even though it's more expensive than some of the strollers out there, I think it's worth it. Not only are you buying an iconic design, but it's functionability is the best I've come across. I am sold. I'm a Stokke Lover.

Follow them Stokke on Twitter, Facebook and their Website.

The Gallery 140 - Self Portrait

2013-05-01T08:00:00.000+01:00

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is Self Portrait.

This is a tough one for me as I don't normally post pictures of myself, I don't feel comfortable with how I look or feel. This is a picture of me, a wife a mother to two gorgeous boys and my little princess. But behind that smile lies a whole other picture. I'm happy I am, I have a wonderful family. My husband is great and supportive. Yet I'm having an internal battle. I'm sore and fed up of infections. I'm loving being a mum, yes it's hard but it's amazing and more than anything I'm terrified of leaving my babies and going back to work. It's a while away but it's always nagging that back of my mind. So there you have it, my self portrait of a happy, yet torn and self concious individual.

Check out the other entries over at Sticky Fingers

Review - Chocolate Chip Soreen

2013-04-29T08:00:00.000+01:00

I have blogged about Soreen before, mainly because we love it and it's tasty and contains great ingredients. However, it's Soreen's 75th birthday, can you believe it's THAT old. They haven't changed their recipe since 1938, impressive. I only found it a few years back. Why? I do not know. I need to speak to my mother about that one, I should have had this as a child, I clearly missed out on something as a child.

My children however haven't missed out and they love it. I'm sure Aria will be desperate for one of the special limited edition chocolate chip loafs. Yes you heard me right to celebrate their 75th birthday they are doing a limited edition chocolate chip loaf. How good is that?

I couldn't wait to try it. I am a big fan of the original Soreen loaf toasted with some butter or margarine on it. The boys both love the lunch box loaves, the banana is Lucas' favourite and the original is Tyler's. I wonder what Aria's will be? I am hoping that we all buy enough of the chocolate chip Soreen that they have to keep it going.

I had some of the chocolate loaf for my breakfast. I had it plain and not toasted and it was simply divine. I loved the original but this is even better. It's gooey, savoury but the right amount of sweet to hit the spot. I wasn't sure you'd be able to taste the chocolate in the loaf, I thought the Soreen original would over power it, but I was wrong. The chocolate taste comes through and it tastes like proper chocolate too, not yucky cooking chocolate. If you know what I mean?

The Soreen chocolate loaf gets a big thumbs up from me. Also from the boys the loved it. So far I've given some to my mum her partner and my inlaws of all which have texted me to say how amazing it is. No one has had a bad word to say about it. With the exception of my hubby, who is in a strop as he can't eat it as he has a gluten free diet. Maybe next time they will bring out a gluten free version.

Go on you know you want some? I'd love to know what you think of the limited edition chocolate Soreen loaf.

Chocolate Loaf is available from Asda 25th April for 6 weeks, in Morrisons from 20th May for 3 weeks and in Sainsbury’s from 23rd May for 3 weeks. Go get some while you can.

There is a competition going with Soreen if you want to win one of 75 special edition chocolate chip loaves on their website here.

Keep an eye out on their website, Twitter and their facebook page for more information.

This is a promotional post in conjunction with Soreen. For more details please see my disclosure policy.

Silent Sunday 17

2013-04-28T08:00:00.000+01:00

Don't forget to check out this competition to win a Family Merlin Pass.

This is a Silent Sunday post as inspired by Cosmic Girlie and The Boy And Me.

Fish is the dish - Fish Bites And Flat Bread

2013-04-26T08:00:00.000+01:00

Fish is the Dish have a new campaign called Healthy and Happy Hearts, the challenge is to encourage families to eat fish twice a week. You can find out more about the challenge on the Fish is the Dish Website. They have tips, recipes and advice from not one but three Healthy Happy Heart Experts.

This week one of the fish dishes we've had is Fish Bites and Flat Bread. You can use pretty much any fish for this one, but I'd recommend a white fish.

Ingredients for Fish Bites:-

3 Wild Haddock Fillets (or any fish fillets)

6 tblsp Cornflour

100g Plain flour

50ml Water (you me need more or less depending on the amount of flour, etc)

Pinch Salt

Pinch Pepper

Sunflower Oil (to fry with)

Mix the flour, water salt and pepper to make a thickish batter. Cut the fish into bite size pieces. Coat the fish pieces with cornflour and then dip in the batter. Drop the battered fish pieces into hot oil. Cook until golden brown.

Ingredients for Flatbread:-

400g Flour

Water to bind

Pinch Salt

Pinch Pepper

2 tsp Chilli

2 tsp Garlic

1 tsp Olive Oil

Xatham Gum (if making Gluten free version)

Mix all the ingredients together and knead for a few minutes. Roll out and cook on a medium heat frying pan. These ingredients make two round flat breads.

Both of these recipes we have subsituted the flour for gluten free flour and they work just as well.

I served with some chilli dipping sauce and it was delicious.

This was a great dish, something a little different and suitable for the boys, gluten free diet hubby and myself.

Disclaimer:- I was sent the above items as stated in the post from Fish is the Dish. I've not been paid further for mentioning any of these products in this post. All words and opinions are my own and the links have been included out of courtesy.

The Gallery 139 - Expressions

2013-04-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

This week's Gallery Prompt at from the lovely Tara over at Sticky Fingers is Expressions.

Tyler is my middle child, he's 4 years old and even as a baby he has some cute and cheeky expressions. He always wants to make people laugh and smile and he does it perfectly. He is adorable and so sweet. He's got such a cheeky smile and so many expressions. I thought I'd share some of his pictures over the years. I think his sister may be taking after him in the last one.

Check out the other entries over at Sticky Fingers

The Easter Holidays

2013-04-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

We had a great time over the Easter holidays, normally I would be working most of them so it was great to be off work on maternity leave and get to spend time with the boys and my baby girl. The start of the holidays was Easter and we had an Easter egg hunt and a family dinner at my sister in laws. Easter Monday both boys were ill and were both sick, first time that has ever happened. Took me ages to get that sick out.

The week didn't get off to the best start, but then the fun began. The boys went to the beach with their grandparents and had so much fun. The next day we had lots of fun with Galt Toys Paper mache. They made some car, train and plain magnets and we attempted a dinosaur bank but that turned into a big mush. Think they need to be a little older than 4 and 6 for that one. The magnets were great fun. Tyler who loves pigs also started the grow a head pig. We are still growing this one.

We did some sensory play with some water beads and some submersible lights which I had seen on The Boy And Me's blog, thank you for this. This was a lot of fun and the boys loved it. We've done water beads before but never with lights. The best thing is we can do this again and again.

The next day we went to the Heritage Park with a friend from Lucas' class, we had a lot of fun searching the woods for bears and scootering around the park. Although it was cold it was dry.

The weekend was taken up by Football training and then the Glasgow Science Centre. The science centre is excellent, it has three floors of fun things to do, learn and try out. It's perfect for 3 years olds plus. The children can take out as much or as little as they want. The first floor has a play area and illusions, etc. The second floor is a build and try section where the children and adults can build things, design things and all the time they are learning while having fun. The third floor is body works, where you can learn all about the body and there is a fun section about bad bacteria and good bacteria where a monster eats them. There is also a human hamster wheel. The boys had such a great time here they wanted to come back. It's quite expensive to get in at around £40 for the 4 of us, plus £2.50 each for the planetarium. The Planetarium is amazing and one of the best in Europe. You sit back and see all the constellations and get a tour of them. Truly relaxing. We decided to take out a science passport which give us a year of visits, free planetarium visits and cheaper parking. Plus at the cost of just over 2 visits it's definitely worth it. We've been 3 times in one week so it's paid itself already. There is also an Imax theatre there, this is additional cost but still. I cannot rate this place enough.

Three days at the science centre was a lot of fun. We also spent a few of the rainy days in soft play, fun for the kids not so much for the parents. Unless they sell good cakes.

We also spent a short time at the park playing football in between the rain showers.

Disclaimer:- I was sent the Galt toys as stated in the post. I've not been paid further for mentioning any of these products in this post. All words and opinions are my own and the links have been included out of courtesy.

Silent Sunday - 116

2013-04-21T08:00:00.000+01:00

This is a Silent Sunday post as inspired by Cosmic Girlie and The Boy And Me.