Spooky cute spider

Both Lee and I love Halloween and like to do a little something during this spooky time of year even if we only carve a pumpkin, watch some scary films, go to a Halloween party or dress up.  We would love to do more and have a real spooky celebration but because of the rising cost of living money is tight and we cannot afford to go all out on a spooktacular event.  As money is sparse and best spent in other ways that really benefit all of the family it is fantastic when we can pick up a few things that are perfect for Halloween at bargain prices.

With so many people wanting to celebrate Halloween yet save their money and get a bargain for their buck there are quite a few retailers offering value for money for novelty Halloween items.  This year for Halloween we got a few items for this spooky time of year from Asda.  I was impressed with their range of decorations, treats, make-up and party items all for an impressive bargain price of £1 each.

Dishmatic Review

As a busy mum with a very active toddler I like products and gadgets that are practical and useful which make my life a little bit easier.  Juggling household chores and entertaining little man definitely keeps me busy, thankfully little man is very good and even helps me with jobs.  Of all of the chores I do at home I seem to spend so much time washing up dishes, it seems never ending and even after everything has been cleaned, dried and put away, throughout the day there is always something else that needs washing.  Little man’s cup and the removable tray on his highchair are washed constantly and as I like to make homemade food for little man and bake cakes there are always pots, pans and baking trays needing to be cleaned.  We don’t have a dishwasher so everything is washed by hand and as there is always something else to wash my sensitive hands dry out quickly from washing up so much and I seem to waste washing up liquid and water using too much especially when only washing up a couple of things.  As I love products that make life a tad easier I was delighted when I was given the chance to review some Easy Do products.  I was keen to see if they could help make washing up less of a chore especially as they claim that their products are “making life easier”.

Daddy I'm A Zombie! DVD Review

As it is a spooky time of year with Halloween tomorrow I enjoy watching scary and spooky films.  As well as enjoying classic Halloween and scary films for adults I do have a soft spot for films that combine the magic of animation with a hint of spookiness.  During this spooky time of year I think it is nice to spend time as a family watching a family friendly film with an eerie edge to get in the mood for Halloween.

With perfect timing for Halloween, this week we were sent a DVD of a new family friendly film that claims to be perfect for Halloween.  The DVD, “Daddy I’m A Zombie” is a feature length film of a mysterious adventure through a magical and spooky world with Zombies, Witches, Pirates and Mummies.

Wigwam Play Tent Review

Following my review last year of Garden Games’ Hexagonal Wooden Sandpit I was recently asked if I would like to review a product from their sister site Playhouses.  When they offered me a Wigwam Play Tent I jumped at the chance as I thought little man would love to play in a wigwam and it’s not every day you get the chance to play in one.

The wigwam came in a compact box.  The box contained all of the pieces needed to assemble the wigwam –

*  12 wooden poles – 6 with a hole and a groove and the other 6 with only a groove

*  6 plastic connectors

*  1 water resistant cotton canvas

*  1 rope

*  6 wooden balls

Magic Magnetic Balls Cube Puzzle Review

With Christmas fast approaching I am eager to find out about any interesting products that would make great gifts to give to family and friends.  When I was offered the chance to review a puzzle from Paramount Zone Ltd I was keen to do so to see if it would be a quirky and interesting gift to give loved ones for Christmas.

The Magic Magnetic Balls Cube Puzzle is a small cube made up of 216 little magnetic balls.  This puzzle comes in a nice metal presentation tin with the 216 individual balls arranged in a cube shape.  The magic magnetic balls are made from neodymium; they are 5mm in size and have a durable nickel plated surface.  Each little ball is an individual high energy rate earth magnet with a north and south polarity which means that sometimes they will repel each other and sometimes they will attract each other.

Ice Age Live! Review

As I love the Ice Age films I thought it was fantastic that a new live show had been created based on the hit franchise of Ice Age films.  After hearing Michael Curry, co-director of the show, “Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure”, talk about the show saying “I’m really looking forward to bringing the Ice Age herd to life – they’re going to have so much fun in this live show! We are using the very best combinations we can bring to the table, with human actors, comedy, Kung Fu, ice skating, circus, costume performers and video illusion to combine many different forms – whatever works best to tell the story” I imagined that it would be an amazing show to watch.  Following my post about how it sounds like a fun and unique show, I was over the moon and extremely excited when I was offered the opportunity to go to see the show for myself and witness the friendly characters I love from the films go on a brand new adventure in a live show.

Ring, Ring, Ring!! Another telesales call!

Little man has been under the weather the last couple of days and his sleep has been very unsettled.  With his sleep being affected mummy’s sleep has also been disturbed so after a couple of nights of not getting enough sweet dreams this morning I felt very tired, wishing I could make little man better with a simple loving kiss and cuddle and for him to get some much needed sleep after a long night without much sleep.  As we were both very sleepy and feeling under the weather we cwtched up in bed to watch a film on the laptop.  I hoped that cuddled up to mummy in a warm cosy bed little man would drift off and hopefully get a few hours of decent sleep.

It wasn’t long before little man drifted off to dreamland, looking peaceful in his slumber.  The lack of sleep and feeling a tad unwell myself I couldn’t resist laying down next to little man in the hope of catching some zzzzzz’s myself.  No sooner had my head hit the pillow and I was drifting off to the land of nod the house phone started blaring; “ring, ring, ring, ring!!!”  Arrrggggh!!

Munchkin Click Lock Cups Review

We have tried and rejected numerous cups with little man, putting a variety of different brands and cup styles to the test but have found most to be lacking in one way or another.  Either little man has simply not liked the cup and not drank well from it or they have been fiddly to put together with tricky values needing to be put back correctly after cleaning or poor quality, not very durable and not withstood little man’s boisterous ways or in spite of claims of being leak proof they have leaked drink everywhere, getting everything wet.  To save me having to mop up numerous spillages and leaks an important consideration for me is a suitable drinking cup that does not leak even after being thrown, dropped or left leaning upside on the couch.  As we have not had much luck with the cups we have already tried, had issues with most of them and are yet to find a cup that is completely leak and spill proof, I was keen to test out a new cup that boosts impressive claims of being 100% leak proof guaranteed. 

Baby Loss Awareness Campaign

Image courtesy of www.babyloss-awareness.org

Our Wave Of Light 

Win a Teething Bling bangle

Little man has suffered terribly with teething since he was only a few months old.  Since he first started teething when a bout of teething hits it lingers for ages and his little toothy pegs take ages to make an appearance; his 6th little tooth has only recently popped out.  In the midst of a spell of teething little man chomps on anything and everything he can get his little hands on to try and get some relief from the pain. 

Since I reviewed a Smart Mum Teething Bling pendant little man has taken a shine to it and the pendant has now become a firm favourite with him for chewing on when his gums and teeth are causing him trouble.  I love the pendant and think as well as being a lovely item of jewellery for mums it is also a great teething aid for little ones.

Brilliant bargains on "bright tights for bold boys"

When I reviewed Slugs & Snails tights for boys I was extremely impressed with their tights and just had to buy some more tights to keep little man’s legs and tootsies warm.  I think Slugs & Snails’ tights are extremely high quality and in my opinion their funky tights are amazing value for money.   As their tights are very comfy for little man to wear and I know he is kept warm by wearing them I decided that some of Slugs & Snails’ “bright tights for bold boys” were an essential buy ready for the cold winter months ahead.

Break the Bag Habit

As a green and eco-friendly family I do my utmost to recycle everything that can be recycled and support and love companies and campaigns that are eco-friendly and are doing their part to help this beautiful world we live in.

One such campaign I have recently heard about that aims to bring about change that will benefit the environment is the Break The Bag Habit campaign.  The campaign aims to reduce plastic bag litter and waste which has a detrimental effect on our environment.  Without a second thought many people simply throw plastic bags into their rubbish which means plastic bags inevitably end up on landfills and stay there for many, many years to come adding to a very sad, ugly site of rubbish upon rubbish.

Frankie and Benny's Review

When I was offered the chance to review Frankie and Benny’s I thought it would be nice to make it a family occasion and go out for a family meal with Lee, little man, my mum and my sister.  It was great to be able to go out for food together as a family as it’s been a long time since we have all been together for a meal especially since my sister has moved away we don’t see her that often anymore so I was looking forward to spending some time together as a family and for little man to see his Aunty Boo. 

Win a Yoomi 8oz Feeding System and Little Lamb Warmth Within Plush

As a parent I love finding products that are innovative, useful and that help life a little bit easier for busy parents who have little ones to look after and care for.  One such product that I think is brilliant for making life easier is Yoomi’s pioneering feeding systems that helps take the hassle out of warming up feeds.  When I reviewed the Yoomi 8oz feeding set, I loved the product and the only issue I could find was the time it took to re-charge the warming unit, since then Yoomi have invented a solution to the time issue with their unique and practical Yoomi Pod which is a microwaveable charging unit for the warmer.  When I reviewed an 8oz feeding set with the new pod I thought the pod was the perfect solution to solve the timing issue as it drastically reduces the re-charge time making this product even better than it already was.  As well as having clever feeding sets Yoomi also sell Warmth Within Plushes and when we reviewed their Little Lamb plush both little man and I feel in love with the huggably, soft little lamb. 

As a big Yoomi fan I was delighted when Yoomi kindly offered a brilliant prize to giveaway to my lovely readers.  The lovely people at Yoomi are generously giving one of my lucky readers the chance to win one of their brilliant 8oz feeding systems and a adorably cute Warmth Within Plush.

Play It Safe Campaign

I spent most of my childhood playing outdoors; climbing trees, riding bikes, exploring the countryside, making dens, getting messy making mud pies, exploring the farm we grew up on, walking the woods and lots more outdoor fun.  For the most part we would play outside whatever the weather; long sunny days spent on the beach or riding our bikes through the little winding country lanes, puddles splashing in the rain, climbing trees and running wildly through the fallen Autumn leaves, picking blackberries and other fruit, making snowmen and sledging down big hills in deep, glistening snow.  More often than not my mum would join in on the fun and explore with us, she would also encourage fun outdoor play by creating games for us; for example every Easter she would set up a big Easter egg hunt on the farm, leaving us with cryptic clues hidden all over the farm for us to solve to find the scrummy chocolate eggs hidden outside.

A Mammoth Show - "Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure"

I am a bit of a big kid and love children’s animated films.  Now that I am a mummy I’ve got the perfect excuse to watch children’s films and I love snuggling up with little man watching a great film together.

I am a huge fan of Disney and love the classics especially Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book and The Lion King.  I also have a particular fondness for Pixar animated films; I absolutely love Finding Nemo and have watched it countless times, I also love Toy Story and the brilliant Toy Story sequels as well as Cars and Cars 2.  DreamWorks Animation have also made some loveable animated films that I thoroughly enjoy including the popular Shrek, Shark Tale and a favourite of mine Madagascar and its sequels, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.  One of my all-time favourite series of animated films is Ice Age.