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Thursday 21 March 2013

Easter at Poundland

For Easter Poundland set us ambassadors an Easter Challenge, our challenge was to make an Easter bonnet, find items that can be used for an Easter egg hunt, and buy items for Easter crafts.
I rose to the challenge quite easily but that was because our Poundland had plenty of Easter stock to choose from.
Making an Easter bonnet was simple, you can but a full set from Poundland or buy individual items from the range to complete your Easter bonnet. We bought a set which was really simple to put together and we also bought a hat with 2 boxes of chicks to decorate it with. 
Every child loves a good Easter egg hunt and Poundland have made that easy too, there is a selection of baskets to choose from to gather all those yummy eggs in. They sell colourful eggs that you can hide around outside if you would prefer to do that than hide chocolate around your garden. I bought an Easter egg hunt set that helps you point the hunters in the right direction, along with this set I bought two big packs of yummy foil wrapped chocolate eggs to use on our hunt.
Easter crafts galore at Poundland, I opted for two Make your own Easter friends sets, one bunny, one chick that comes with everything you need to make your very own hand puppet. I came across palm pet whilst browsing the rest of the range and thought I would give him a home, when the two round metal bits underneath him come in contact with skin he makes a cute chirping sound.


Poundland have everything you will need to enjoy a good Easter with your children and of course each item was £1 each.

Easter challenge was part of the Poundland ambassador program, I received vouchers to allow me to check what range they sell.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Silent night Memory foam topper review

The Bedding Company asked if I would like to review a product off their website, I obviously agreed and went off to browse their website. I opted for a single Silent Night Deluxe Memory foam topper. My daughter had been complaining that her mattress was getting rather uncomfortable so this was perfect for her. Now she has complained quite a lot so I thought I would put her observation skills to the test. We put the topper on her bed along with the free cover that came with it. I then remade her bed in a messy 9 year old's fashion to disguise that I had been in there(not that she would notice).
We decided not to tell her, bed time came and the girls retreated to their bedroom. My husband and I sat patiently waiting to hear a "MUM" coming from their room, but nothing, we even went in the room a few times to see if she had notice but no! she lay there on her nice comfortable bed & noticed nothing. My conclusion is, my 9 year old is not observant at all.
I know that 100% that the bed was comfortable & that you could notice a huge difference because I put it to the test myself. The next morning we asked her if she had noticed anything different, she replied with "what do you mean?", we asked if she had a good sleep, she replied with "what do you mean?". Giving in I asked my 13 year old to just go and lie on her sister bed, she yelled from her room that is was comfortable & that it had a mattress topper on. She noticed the difference straight away so maybe I should have put it on her bed because her sister didn't notice the change.
Since putting the topper on her bed she has not complained once that she can feel the springs.

The Silent Night deluxe memory foam topper can be bought for just £44.50 which is a fair price for a good nights sleep. I would recommend them to family and friends and will be returning to The Bedding Company to buy a memory foam topper for my other children's beds.



Schleich Horses

Do you or your child love horses? If the answer is yes then you will adore the horse range by Schleich. I have been sent some of the new range for me to review and with all Schleich products, they do not disappoint. The detailing on each horse is incredible, some even have the detailing on the sole of their hooves. The horses manes come in a variety of braids, giving them the ready to show look.

Fell Pony Stallion
I love this little stallion, he comes with his mane in a mesh braid. The Fell pony comes from the north of England in the Lake District area which is also known as the fells, giving this gorgeous breed its name. The fell pony makes a brilliants child's pony and with its long mane you could spend hours lovingly braiding it.
Lipizzaner mare & foal sold separately
The Lipizzaner mare has her mane braided into the Mozart braid, the Lipizzaner. The adorable Lipizzaner foal has the typical mane that foals tend to have, with his short tail and stuck up mane he looks very cute indeed. The Lipizzaner makes a very good dressage horse, showing off its beauty. 

Haflinger mare
This horse is built for power, a tough strong hard working horse. The Haflinger is not just used for its strength but can also look as graceful in dressage. Haflingers are bred in Austria & Italy but its origin is unknown. This lovely mare comes with her mane & tail braided. Her tail is decorated with pretty roses.

Hanoverian Mare
This pretty mare comes with her mane in a braid that is typical when a horse is competing. The Hanoverian horse makes an excellent dressage and show jumping companion she is considered to be a teachable, attentive, balanced but also spirited breed. Because of the colours on this model you can see the excellent detail.

Shire Mare
Shire horses are one of my favourite breeds, they are the largest breed of horse. They are the gentle giants of horses, despite their huge size they are known for their calm nature. The hair(feathers) around their hooves grows long making their feet look large. Shire horses were used for farming, where we live a shire horse can often be found pulling the barges down the canal in Llangollen.

I think each of the Schleich horses are excellent value, they are suitable for children ages 3+.

To see the full range visit the Schleich website



Hotel Chocolat, The Egg Sandwich

Easter is just around the corner & many of us will be on the hunt for a unique gift to give to our loved ones. Well look no further,  Hotel Chocolat have given me the Egg Sandwich to review from their range. I chose the Raspberry Eton Mess Egg Sandwich to put to the test. On opening it, it already felt a little bit special, inside there was a card for me to be able to write a message to my chosen loved one. I however read the description "Slabs of fused raspberry white chocolate and white chocolate studded with raspberry and meringue pieces, pressed between white chocolate shells decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate lines" and knew I  didn't need the gift card because I planned to hide from the kids and devour it all to myself. My son had other plans, he caught me in the act of eating the yummy handmade egg sandwich. I am always telling them to be nice and share so of course he expected the same from me, I reluctantly shared it with my children, they sat quietly savouring the chocolate melting in their mouths, as did I. It was the best chocolate I have ever had, I enjoyed every little piece. The Egg Sandwich can be bought from Hotel Chocolate for £8.00 & I honestly think it is worth every penny. My children keep asking when they can have that yummy chocolate again, I keep thinking next time I will hide in the wardrobe.

I received the egg sandwich for the purpose of the review.


Friday 15 March 2013

Munchkin Splash along Mermaid

Munchkin sent me their Splash along Mermaid bath toy for my little lady to review. It arrived quickly & was well packed. R loves her bath times, she could sit playing in a bath all day long if we allowed her to do so. 

The mermaid comes with a squirty star fish friend, this she loved and has quite an aim as daddy discovered. Laughter erupted in our bathroom as she continued to squirt daddy in the face. I couldn't help but giggle at her being cheeky, bath times are so much fun. 
The mermaid is cute and little hands can easily hold her. Pull on her star crown and she will flap her pink tail and propel herself through the water. R loved this so long as the mermaid didn't swim in her direction, for some reason she took a dislike to it but only when it was heading in her direction. 

This bath toy will provide great fun for your child's bath time & is a favourite with my daughter. It is suitable for ages 18 months+ and there is 2 different designs to collect. 




I received this bath toy for the purpose of the review, all wording and opinions are my own.




Cosatto Supa Catwalk review

Cosatto have gone all out on their new Supa Pushchair, it is packed full of fabulous features. Sit back and relax as I tell you about the purrfect features on the Cosatto Supa Catwalk.

Cosatto Supa Catwalk at a glance
Lightweight cream aluminium chassis with carry handle
Suitable from birth
Adjustable handle height
Integral hood sunshade protection
Cup holder which can be used on either side of the frame
Multimedia gadget pocket with speaker
One hand recline with 4 recline positions
Adjustable calf support
Spacious storage basket
Free-standing feature when folded
Compact umbrella fold with Auto lock
Fully removable seat unit for easy cleaning
Lockable front swivel wheels
FREE Chest pads and headhugger  
Reversible 4 way Cosy Toes with kangaroo pouch and reversible zip-off fleece liner
FREE raincover
FREE 4 year guarantee (UK & Ireland only)
Folded Size:  L: 106cm  W: 30cm  H: 32cm
Handle Height:  106cm
Weight: 8kg
Size:  H: 110cm  W: 50cm  D: 74cm

Cosatto Supa Catwalk
Where shall I start? I think it is best to start from the bottom and work my way up. The front wheels can be swivel or locked into position for rougher terrain, they each have red wheel rims with Cosatto and a cute little cats head on them. When  your pushchair is folded a handy stand automatically comes down which allows you to free stand store your pushchair. This feature I like because in the past I have had dirty walls as a result of leaning a pushchair against them when not in use. The seat has a 1 hand recline which is smoothly done & it has 4 recline positions. I have found the lie flat position to be the flattest I have ever seen on a stroller type pushchair.

Cosatto Supa basketThe basket is big enough for a trip to the local shops for essentials or for all the lunch boxes on those school runs, like most strollers the basket can not be accessed if you have the seat fully reclined.

The Cosy toes can be used in 4 different ways which is great if you want to change things about. On the liner part of the cosy toes it's fleece on one side and the other side is the same design as what you can see on the interior of the hood. The liner can be used without the cosy toes cover on for the warmer days. The cover features the blue fleece kangaroo pouch on both sides, handy for those toddlers like mine who refuse to wear gloves. One side is the same design as the exterior fabric and the other is red with a outlined cat design in white. As much as I love this feature I have come across a few niggles. If your child has been walking and got a bit muddy, that mud will transfer onto the cosy toes design that is not in use, I would check it after each use and clean it if necessary. My other niggle is that the cosy toes does not seem long enough. My little lady's feet are right at the end so there is no room for growth and she is 21 months and not a tall child either, she does fit in it there is just no room for growth so bare this in mine if your child is tall and you want to use the cosy toes.

Cosatto Supa sun visorCosatto have designed the seat unit that allows you to take it apart for easy cleaning of the fabric, this is brilliant for when you need to give it a good old clean. The hood is brilliant, it comes with its very own sun visor which my little lady loves, all you need to do is unzip the zip and pull down the visor. I have used this a few times when we have had a sudden down pour, it gave me time to get under shelter to put the rain cover on. It is brilliant for keeping the glare of the sun(when we have some) off your child especially as they are sleeping. In the hood there is a nifty pocket that allows you to place a tablet in there so your child can be entertained whilst on the go. In the back of the hood you will find the mp4 pocket. When I first read about this I did think that I didn't want music blaring from my pushchair but in all honesty it is not loud, I used my iphone to play the music from and I could hardly hear it but my daughter could from where she was sitting. I have also used this pocket to store my phone and keys which is handy because I can find them without rummaging through the changing bag.

Cosatto Supa raincoverThe raincover is easy to put on, it stays in place around the frame using velcro tabs, press studs are used to keep it in place at the front wheels which means your child can't kick it off. I take off the cup holder when I am using the raincover just because I find the fit much better when the cup holder is not in place. The cup holder is my husbands favourite feature, he has complained that most pushchairs I have had don't have anywhere to put a cup so now he is finally happy. The cup holder can be placed on either side of the frame.

Cosatto Supa Handle HeightI think Cosatto have been listening to their taller customers because they have added a feature that allows the handles to be adjusted to a height that is suitable for the taller parent. My sister in law is quite tall and many times I have watched her having to lean over to push her daughter and this must put a strain on any parents back. So if you are tall then Cosatto have made their Supa's perfect for you. Don't worry if you short like me, the Supa is just as perfect for you too.

I would recommend the Supa to family and friends, I shall be taking my Supa away on holiday to give it the beach test so look out for that post.

I received this product for the purpose of the review, all opinions are my own.





Wednesday 13 March 2013

Easter Gift Guide

Easter is fast approaching, my home will soon be filled with more eggs than we can actually store. Having 5 children and a rather giving family means we do get a lot of Easter eggs sent our way. You can guarantee that not all of them will be eaten by the end of May, well they would if I left my children to their own devices but we do make sure they don't scoff themselves silly on that lovely tasting chocolate.
This year I have a few other ideas that you could buy your children instead of eggs. We, every year don't buy eggs for our own children and often buy them a gift or allow them to choose something special when we go on our annual Easter holiday, it makes a nice change to just giving an egg.
Read my gift guide for our Easter Gift ideas.


Every little girl(and big girls) love Sylvanian families and what better set to buy at Easter than the Dale Sheep family. In this set you get Father Ewan, Mother Barbara, Sister Iona and Brother Winton. They look after the orchards at Sylvania, their limbs and heads are moveable, making play time even more fun. My girls are huge Sylvanian families fans and this would be the perfect Easter gift for them. This set is suitable for children ages 4 and over, the RRP is £15.99. To find more Sylvanian Families visit Flair

Schleich are a brand that I myself along with the children love, all of their products have incredible detailing and are well made. The Schleich Rabbit babies from their farm animals range are perfect Easter bunnies. You have 3 baby rabbits set around their feeding bowl, they all are finished to Schleich high standards and are also CE tested and approved. These super cute rabbit babies are available to buy for just £2.89, visit the Schleich website to discover all the other adorable products that are available.

Sticking with Easter bunnies you could buy a Ravensburger Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit Jigsaw puzzle. This is a 500pc set and is suitable for ages 9-99, we love jigsaw puzzles and work together as a family to complete a jigsaw puzzle. For just £7.99 this jigsaw with give you a chance to have some family time as you all get together to find which ear & eyes belong to which bunny. For more jigsaw puzzles visit Ravensburger's website.

Do you have an Angry Birds fan? or even a Star Wars fan? If you do these soft plush toys are for you. My son loves our Storm Trooper plush toy, especially because it is Angry bird themed. Prices start from just £5.99 and they come in a variety of sizes. You can collect Darth Vader, Storm Trooper, Princess Leia, Luke and Hans Solo. To find out more visit Character's website

Shoulder Buddies from Golden Bear Toys has had my son in stitches, he has crept up to Daddy a few times and sneakily attached Stormy the shoulder buddy to his T-shirt then sat waiting for Daddy to discover it leaving Little T in hysterics laughing. Little T has been quite attached to this toy, he takes it to bed and pops him onto his bedroom curtains using the magnetic coin. There is 8 shoulder buddies to collect and at £4.99 each you could easily collect them all. Suitable for ages 4 and upwards.
Visit Golden Bear Toys to discover which of the Shoulder buddies could become your child's friend.


Brand new to the NICI range from Great Gizmos is Jolly Logan, a comical collection featuring a sheep character playfully dressed in wolf’s clothing. This fantastic range also includes plush, stationary accessories as well as other great products. Jolly Logan that we received is a very soft plush toy. To see more of their range visit bright spark toys, prices start from just £6.99.





I received each of these products for the purpose of the gift guide.





Monday 11 March 2013

Memory Monday 10/2013

Life has been rather hectic the past 2 weeks so we have had no Memory Monday, but I am back in the swing of things. My Memory for this week is of 2 of my sleeping beauties. Saturday was spent taking down the cot rails on R's cot bed and clearing all of little T's toys that are not suitable for little lady. R's favourite sleeping place is in the middle of mummy and daddy, we desperately needed to get her to sleep in her own bed so we decided to totally change the routine because R would scream the house down if we attempted to put her in her cot. Night one was half a success half a fail, I am sure in time we will have the will power to break the habit of just giving in so she doesn't wake the others up.

To join in with Memory Monday click on the image below to find out more.

Saturday 9 March 2013

Tommee Tippee Explora feeding kit

Tommee Tippee Explora feeding kit
I was sent the Tommee Tippee explora feeding kit to review and have been using it a while now. R is so independent, she has wanted to be able to feed herself from a very young age. Having the right feeding kit is a big help when it comes to your baby feeding independently. I have found the roll 'n' go bib to be a huge help, R, & most babies & toddlers don't mind being covered in food, often it is food that would stain their clothes but the roll 'n' go bib catches all those little spills that miss your babies mouth. The roll 'n' go bib is soft so it does not harm your babies neck, it comes with 3 adjustable settings on the back of the neck. The crumb catcher catches all those dropped bits of food & prevents them from falling into your child lap. 


Tommee Tippee Explora feeding bowls & spoonsThe bowls are pink & orange 2 of them are transparent. They have a unique triangular bottom which helps your child to scoop up their food. They are also quite deep, I found these bowls to be better that bowls I have used in the past because of how deep they are. The spoons are perfectly made in way that helps your child to grip them, R likes to use these spoons because she has better control whilst using them. The spoons are also deep, this helps to prevent food that they have carefully scooped up from falling off. 
The easy drink beaker is one of R's favourite & mine too. It can hold 330ml & is BPA free. It comes with the non-spill valve which does actually work, the only time we have had any spills is when R has decided to use her beaker as a missile, the cup has landed and the non-spill valve has come loose, this only happens when it has been thrown forcefully. The exterior of the beaker is easy for your child to hold, it features easy grip sides.


In the box you get
4 easy scoop feeding bowls
easy drink beaker 
5 feeding spoons
roll 'n' go bib

Tommee Tippee Explora feeding kit

I would recommend the Tommee Tippee  Explora feeding kit to family & friends 

I received this product for the purpose of the review only, all wording and opinions are my own.