Quiet on the western front.

Before Christmas I decided that I would get organised and have posts ready and waiting, all scheduled to post automatically over the Christmas period, leaving to its own devices as I spent the time with family. In spite of my best intentions to have posts scheduled on the blog so that it was not completely quiet and empty whilst I enjoyed some quality time with my little family, in my haste to leave the blog alone I must have done something wrong because now I have finally popped back on here I can now see that my pre-written posts are not live as planned.

Apart from adding a few Christmassy pictures to my personal facebook profile for Lee’s family to look at so that they could see little man enjoying Christmas over 200 miles away, I have not touched my laptop over Christmas. It has been nice to leave my laptop unattended and enjoy the time in the evening once little man has gone to bed having more quality time with Lee than we can usually have due non Christmas holiday life.

Daxon Blogger Network,

Today whilst catching up on what I have missed in the realms of social media and on the interweb after banishing my laptop to a secluded corner over the Christmas period so that I could enjoy the time with family instead of getting lost in a social media bubble, I stumbled across a great opportunity for bloggers. 

Snowman came to visit.

Little man was thrilled when Snowman popped in for a visit.

Bits, bobs and bargains thanks to Asda.

I want to get little man some small bits and pieces as presents to go in his Christmas stocking. I have had a few ideas of what to get him, a few of which are things I need to get him regardless of Christmas such as socks as his little feet are not so little anymore and growing fast. I have picked up a few bits and bobs to pop in his stocking for a few weeks now when something inexpensive has caught my eye when out and about. I also planned on hopefully getting a few things from Asda when I visited my sister (unfortunately the nearest Asda to me is over 45 miles so I always drop in to the store that is a few miles from my sisters when we visit her).

As I have a fondness for the George clothing range for children I hoped on getting little man some new clobber and as I got a few cheap toys there last year for little man’s stocking I hoped I would find some cheap toys there for this year too.

Notcutts warm white LED cone lights review.

When it comes to Christmas decorations I am a sucker for decorations that sparkle, twinkle and shimmer. During the festive season I love snuggling up on the sofa with the fire roaring in the background with all the lights off so that the house is dark expect for the twinkle and glow that emanates from Christmas and fairy lights that are scattered around the room and adorn the Christmas tree. As I love twinkly lights and get mesmerized by their glimmering glow I could not resist the offer of reviewing some Christmas lights from Notcutts.

Notcutts sent us a set of 100 warm white LED cone lights to help decorate our home during the festive season. The Christmas lights arrived in a plastic box and I am not ashamed to say I love the box; it is a strong and sturdy box can be reused to store the lights in over the month’s in-between Christmases. The handy box means that another set of Christmas lights will not end up intertwined with other sets when abandoned in the bottom of the Christmas decorations box as they will be housed in their own little home once Christmas has been and gone for another year, patiently waiting until they are called up for duty again to proudly twinkle and glow.

Gummy Bear 'The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa' DVD review.

We were recently sent a Christmas themed DVD from Lionsgate to review. Starring for the first time in a film Internet hit sensation Gummy Bear, who rose to fame with his pop-tastic, smash-hit song “I am a Gummy Bear (The Gummy Bear song)” features in the family festive DVD “The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa”.

Are kids growing up too fast?

The world that our children live in today is drastically different than the one we knew when we were growing up. The rise of social media, text messaging, adult-themed media content, and commercial pressures are all mentioned by parents and some psychologists as proof that children in today’s world are simply growing up too fast. In today’s world children face many social and emotional issues which may have a detrimental effect on their childhood and how fast they grow up.

* Cyberbullying.

Mobile phones and social media outlets have provided us with a more convenient way of staying connected but they’ve also given rise to a whole new type of bullying. Old school bullying was mostly confined to classrooms and outside play areas, where bullies could be reprimanded by schools and parents when their acts were discovered. But now, an increasing amount of bullying — harmful jokes, insults, and threats — are taking place in the virtual realm. The NSPCC estimates that about 38% of young people are affected by cyberbullying, raising the question of how such bullying should be monitored or punished. Should teachers be responsible for tracking children’s computer activity at school? Should parents have access to passwords on social media accounts and follow their children’s online activities? Suggested advice for helping children be aware of cyberbulling and what to do if they experience it is to help your children recognise instances of cyberbullying, have them block any children who are bothering them, and keep evidence of the abuse.

Chitter Chatter review.

There are many toys that walk the fine line of either being brilliant and amusing or utterly annoying; toys that will either be loved or hated. When I given the details about an interactive toy that we had been offered to review I instantly thought ‘this is one of those toys that will either be fantastically funny or completely irritating’ and I just had to see on which side on the fence it would land for us – brilliant or bad?

The Christmas Tag.

As I mentioned in my post 'Christmas, Christmas everywhere but not a drop here' I have been lacking when it comes to all things Christmassy. As I have not embraced the festive season yet and could do with a swift reminder of the fact that I love Christmas, I was more than pleased when I was tagged by Yvoone Oots from Olives Place to take part in the Christmas tag meme that has been doing the rounds. I thought I would try and get in the Christmas spirit and fling myself into the joy of Christmas by taking part in these meme, especially as I am sure it would spark, renew and remind me of my love of Christmas.

Q1. What's your favourite thing about Christmas?

I love everything to do with Christmas; I enjoy the festive season as a whole and enjoy the lead up to Christmas day nearly as much as the special day itself. I love shopping for presents to give to my love ones, beautifully wrapping the presents, Christmas decorations, cooking (and eating) yummy food, getting crafty and making gifts and decorations; I even have a fondness for Christmas songs and I love snuggling up with a roaring fire in the background and watching Christmas films. As well as loving and enjoying the run up to Christmas day I also love the day itself especially because we spend the day as a family, enjoying quality family time. Christmas has become even more special since having little man and even though little man was too young to really understand and appreciate Christmas last year it was amazing to spend the morning with him and his daddy, opening presents together and seeing little man explore and investigate his new toys. As little man is older this year and understands more he is already having moments of excitement, he gets very excited when we are out and about and see Christmas decorations and he has enjoyed snuggling with mummy watching a Christmas film or two. I hope to create a special Christmas day for little man and enjoy lots of Christmas inspired crafts and activities in the run up to the big day, introducing him to the magic of Christmas.

Ask Her Friends Review.

One of the reasons I love Christmas is giving gifts; I love thinking about and searching for the ‘perfect’ gift to give to loved ones, I adore beautifully wrapping them and most of all I love seeing what my loved ones think of the gifts. Even though Lee also enjoys gift giving he finds it more stressful than I do, especially when it comes to buy gifts for me as he says I am awkward and difficult to buy for. 

Lee is pretty useless at buying gifts for me, usually worrying that I will not like what he is bought and he usually asks me to make a list of a few things I would like to give him a helping hand. Even though it is nice to receive gifts regardless of what they are as I know they are given with thought and love, and nice to get gifts that I like, want and find useful; giving Lee a helping hand with a suggestion list does take a little magic out of the gift being a lovely surprise. 

Embracing and loving outdoor fun.

I love spending time outside with little man having lots of fun exploring and having adventures. We are lucky where we live that there is lots of land to go on wonderful walks sightseeing and discovering. Little man and I go for walks numerous times a week and I love capturing our adventures and special moments with photographs. Many treasured moments have been captured from the many adventures we have had together and I look forward to many more adventures to enjoy together and cherish in my memories and photographs forever.

One of my favourite photographs is of little man having fun stomping through muddy puddles that have been left by the downpour of rain we had. It was a lovely, crisp day after the rain had gone to take a break from watering everywhere and the countryside looked for fresh and vivid with the sun shine breaking through the clouds highlighting little man in its sparkly rays.

Christmas, Christmas everywhere but not a drop here.

Christmas is fast approaching and I feel far from ready. I must get organised and do all the things I keep thinking about so that we have a lovely Christmas rather than just think about upcoming Christmas and my to-do-list for this festive season. 

I have been trying not to get too stressed about having a severe lack of ‘done’ ticks on my list because we will have a lovely day regardless of the small things I would like to do (presents for little man is a priority though), being together as a family will make it special. Even though I have been trying not to worry or think too much about what I have not done and that Christmas is getting closer and closer, it is hard not to think about Christmas especially as there are reminders everywhere.

Buy BassBuds headphones at a bargain price.

Christmas can be an expensive time of year; I try to save money on gifts by buying from the cheapest retailer and making good use of discount and promo codes. I think it is great when you can save a few pounds on a product you would have bought even without the discount, those few pounds and pennies all add up which means you save a little and that saved money can be used towards other gifts and Christmas products, put into saving or even used to treat yourself with. 

As I love a good discount code I was pleased when I was given a discount code to share with my lovely readers. BassBuds who make high performance in ear headphones are giving my readers a brilliant £5.00 discount off of their range of headphones available on the BassBuds website.

To get £5.00 off BassBuds headphones simply use discount code BB53862. 

A little about BassBuds.

BassBuds are high performance in ear headphones with added techno benefits such as hands free microphone and mp3 controller. These headphones boast impressive features – 

* Integrated microphone with call/mp3 controller

* Answer/end call control

* Play/Pause your mp3 player

* Skip forwards and backwards through your music

* Activate voice control commands

* Compatible with all SmartPhones

* Crystal-clear HD audio via the Advanced Crystaltronics Sound Technology

* Made with Swarovski® Elements

* Precision-cut, high quality, light-weight and balanced aluminium housing

* Anti-tangle, durable, double-wrapped cable

* Free stylish and protective storage bag

* Free black, white and memory foam earbuds in 3 sizes

* Gold-plated 3.5mm audio jack for optimum connectivity

* One of the largest earphone colour ranges in the World!

* Classics collection and 2012 fashion collection

Features taken from the BassBuds website.

As stated in the features list, there is 2 collections available with 20 stunning colour options available across the 2 exciting collections providing plenty of choice and allowing people to pick the colour and style to suit them (you could even get a couple of BassBuds headphones so that you have different colours available to suit different moods and outfits……..or perhaps that is just me and my wishful thinking that I could have a few of these funky headphones as there are so many designs that I looooovee). I absolutely love that there is Swarovski® crystals embedded in the design…..this little feature makes me want a few of these headphones even more! I never knew headphones could look so attractive and that I would desire after a pair so much….sigh.

Classic collection.

* Green

* Black

* Dark Blue

* Gold

* Limited Edition – White

* Pink

* Platinum

* Purple

* Red

* Yellow

Fashion collection.

*Candy

*Rhythm

*Dynamic

*Obsession

*Envy

*Harmony

*Smooth

*Midnight

*Nu Skool

*Eclectic

Thankfully my desire for a pair has been quenched; keep an eye out for the review and see what I thought about getting up close and personal to see the beautiful design and to see if they live up to their impressive features. The only problem I can foresee at the moment is that Lee and I will both want them!

Even though I am still giving the headphones a thorough testing, I think they look brilliant and I am sure they would make a fantastic gift. In the technological era we live in where the majority of people have a smartphone these headphones would be a brilliant gift for anyone who has a smartphone and loves to listen to music and make/take calls on the go. BassBuds headphones would make a perfect gift this Christmas for music lovers.

BassBuds headphones have an RRP of £49.95 but are currently available on the BassBuds website shop for £34.95 and with the £5.00 discount code you are saving even more! 

To get a pair (or two or more!) pop onto the BassBuds website and use discount code BB53862 to get £5 off your BassBuds purchases. 

More information about BassBuds.

Remember use discount code BB53862 to get a £5.00 discount on BassBuds headphones!!

Sunrise Pro E-Cigarette Review.

My partner Lee is a smoker; he has smoked for many, many years and has tried and struggled on numerous occasions to reduce his smoking and quit. As well as smoking rollies using pouched tobacco he now also regularly uses e-cigarettes which has helped reduce the amount of tobacco he smokes. He aims to eventually only smoke e-cigarettes and then hopefully quit smoking any form of cigarettes altogether. Lee has only tried one brand of e-cigarettes before and even though he gets on well with them he finds that particular e-cigarette quite big and heavy compared to smoking rollies. As he has only tried one brand he was more than happy to try another brand when we were given the opportunity to review an e-cigarette starter set from Paramount Zone.

After testing numerous e-cigarettes on the market Paramount Zone decided to stock what they consider to be the best electric cigarette on the market, the Sunrise Pro e-cigarette which according to Paramount Zone performs brilliantly and is great value for money. With great praise from Paramount Zone being bestowed on this e-cigarette Lee was keen to test it out for himself.

The Sunrise Pro e-cigarette starter set contains –

* 1 e-cigarette

* 1 lithium battery

* 1 USB charger

* 1 atomizer

* set of instructions

Currently the starter set also includes -

* a tub of 10 refill cartridges

The cartridges sent for this review were tobacco flavour with medium nicotine strength.

The e-cigarette comes in a cigarette style packet; the box is useful for storing the e-cigarette and accessories when not in use. Even though the box is a decent quality both Lee and I agree that it would be better if the box was sturdier, perhaps made from a strong plastic (or a carry pouch provided instead) so that it would definitely withstand being used on a regular basis to store the e-cigarette and accessories when not in use and when going out and about. 

The Sunrise Pro e-cigarette is simple and easy to use.

To charge - 

* Screw the battery into the USB charger. 

* Plug the USB charge into an USB port. A red light glows on the USB charging device as it charges the e-cigarette battery.

* Unscrew the battery once charged and begin using the e-cigarette. The red light is replaced by a green light to indicate that the battery is fully charged. 

To use – 

* Once charged screw the battery into the atomizer (short bit) ensuring it is screwed tightly

* Place a new cartridge over the atomizer

* Suck on the cartridge and smoke the e-cigarette

Lee loves that it is simple to use and finds that it just the same as smoking a normal cigarette, you even get ‘smoke’ when you exhale (the smoke is only vapour and is not harmful to those around you). As Lee smokes rollies using tobacco from a pouch and has done for many years he is used to the taste and feel of smoking rollies, as such he finds that smoking a regular cigarette feels and tastes slightly different which he has also found to be the case when smoking e-cigarettes. He says that the Sunrise Pro e-cigarette tastes very similar to regular cigarettes but a tad different to smoking rollies, even though it is different it is not a unpleasant smoking experience just not quite the same. Lee says that the Sunrise Pro e-cigarette provides a smooth smoking experience, with (at times) a woody taste and satisfies his nicotine cravings.

Lee likes that you charge the battery using a USB charger as he is always near a laptop or computer so it is convenient for him to charge this way. He also likes that it is relatively quick to achieve a full charge and he has found a full charge lasts approximately 1 day of usage which means he does not need to re-charge throughout the day. He likes that the LED flashes when the battery is low providing him with a warning so that he can recharge the battery for further use.

Lee likes the colour and design of the cigarette; the e-cigarette is compact, not too heavy and Lee thinks the gloss black e-cigarette is sleek and stylish. He thinks it is nice that it has not been designed to look like a traditional cigarette in regard of the colour, which he thinks helps when he is smoking in public places where smoking is banned as people are less likely to think he is smoking a traditional cigarette. We both agree that it would be useful if there was a card with the e-cigarette which explained that they were safe and legal to smoke in public places for use in circumstances where he is questioned about smoking the e-cigarette where smoking cigarettes is banned. When smoking the e-cigarette the tip glows red, Lee likes that the e-cigarette glows when being smoked and by glowing red it provides a realistic regular cigarette smoking experience which gives him a sense of familiarity. 

Lee says that the Sunrise Pro e-cigarette satisfies the habit element of smoking, provides the familiarity of holding a cigarette and curbs his cravings for nicotine. The e-cigarette allows Lee to continue smoking in a healthier way and for now he can get his nicotine hit without being exposed to the nasty chemicals (expect nicotine) that he gets exposed to when smoking traditional cigarettes.

Even though the instructions suggest that 15 puffs equate how many puffs you would take when smoking a regular cigarette, Lee finds it hard to know when he has smoked a cigarette worth. Even though he has followed the 15 puffs suggestion, taking 15 puffs or less when he uses the e-cigarette he has found that he tends to graze smoke, having little and often, simply satisfying his nicotine craving. Even though the downside is that Lee cannot see how much of the cigarette he has smoked, I think it is a good think that his nicotine craving is satisfied without wasting a cigarette unlike at times when he smokes a regular cigarette there is left over cigarette that was not smoked because once his cravings have been sedated he no longer wants to smoke the cigarette so he does not finish the whole cigarette. Also if he has to stop smoking the cigarette half way through his smoke with the e-cigarette he simply puts the e-cigarette away, compared to smoking a regular cigarette where he would have to die-out the cigarette for use later on or waste some of the cigarette.

We both like that the Sunrise Pro e-cigarette does not contain tar, tobacco or harmful chemicals (except nicotine) and no carbon monoxide is produced. I love the fact that the e-cigarette only produces a vapour which eliminates second hand smoke inhalation and Lee does not smell of cigarettes and tobacco which is brilliant. Even though passive smoking is not an issue when using the e-cigarette Lee makes sure he does not use it around little man because he does not want him to get used to seeing him use it especially as little man is always intrigued by everything daddy does and uses. We both like the fact that the refills come in a child proof bottle. Another bonus is that he is not polluting the air and there are no unsightly cigarette butts. For now these are a great alternative for Lee to curb his nicotine cravings in a healthier way.

As well as the black e-cigarette Lee received to test the Sunrise Pro e-cigarette is also available in Platinum which Lee think looks very smart and more interesting to the eye than the black e-cigarette. The Sunrise Pro e-cigarette has an RRP of £39.99 but currently costs £24.99 on the Paramount Zone website. Cartridge refills are available at £7.99 for 10 refills which is the equivalent to approximately 200 cigarettes. Also available are different flavours and nicotine strengths. The e-cigarettes are in my opinion good value for money and are a healthier, cheaper alternative to regular cigarettes as in the long run they will save you money and you have the bonus of them being healthier. 

More information about Paramount Zone.

As well as selling this e-cigarette Paramount Zone also sell a vast range of great products with lots of ideas for gifts for Christmas including Christmas present ideas for men, for women and for kids.

* Paramount Zone kindly sent us the Sunrise Pro e-cigarette to review for free, despite this I have written an honest review that contains my own words and opinions as well as the opinions of my tester Lee *