National smile month - brushbaby Givaway

 Its coming to the end of national smile month

Well I thought it was time to have a little giveaway - and if you remember I reviewed BrushBabay products review a while back and I was sent some goodies to giveaway - All you have to do is answer a simple question  and like me and brushbaby on facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway


this giveaway starts the 1st of june

Plum products Day out

                                                             Plum Products day out :)



Last week we were invited to go and see the Plum products new indoor range and the fabulous outdoor range .

Although we ended up staying indoors and playing with all the amazing new toys which G loved he spent hours in the kitchen - just like mummy lol

















Plum also have a fab new range of indoor items coming soon - hopefully coming out in September ( keep your eyes peeled ) but we cant tell you what we saw but I'm dying to tell you all.

We did get a quick chance to pop outside and get a look at the wonderful outdoor range but the rain got the better of us all and we came back inside to a hot cuppa :) It was so nice to see the size of the swings , slides sandpits and trampolines. Its hard to envisage the size of such items when they are on paper.

 

We loved the Chacma® Wooden Garden Swing Set  , we are hopefully getting one when we move house. Hopefully our new home will have a nice big garden, as at the moment we have a small back yard :( We can see George and his cousins spending hours and hours playing with the swing , slide and den.

I loved the quality and the fact that all the plum products are made from ethically scored wood from FSC  . They are defiantly investment pieces which will last.  

We were given a sandpit to say thank you for coming and a full review of the sand pit  is coming up soon.

You can find plum products on Facebook 

cheeky wipes



Cheeky wipes kit .

We have been using  reusable cheeky wipes for 18 months now and they are one of the best baby products we bought.. At £40 you may think that's a little steep for baby wipes but when you think you get through a pack of wipes a week at a pound a packet - we have already saved twice over :)

G has only had nappy rash once (when he was teething) and I put that down to using real nappies and the amazing cheeky wipes.

Cheeky wipes are a bit of an essential in our house and not only for wiping G's bum.

So what's in the kit I hear you ask, we went for the colour wipes but take a look at their website to look at the full range. cheeky wipes Facebook

25 lovely soft cloth baby wipes - 15 cm x 15 cm

1 Fresh Wipes container

1 Mucky Wipes container with mesh bag insert (we have lost ours)

1 Fresh Wipes waterproof out and about travel bag

1 Mucky Wipes waterproof out and about travel bag with mesh bag insert

1 bottle of Lavender & Chamomile ‘Fresh Wipes' essential oil blend

1 bottle of Tea Tree & Tea tree lemon ‘Mucky Wipes' essential oil blend (we don't bother using this - as we dry pail our nappies)

 

This is the kit

 

You use the tea tree and camomile oil and I would recommend using 10-12 wipes at a time.

 

 

 

 

Fill the tub up to the waterline and add oil a few drops.

 

 

Then you are good to go ........

 

 

Once you have used your cheeky wipes place them in the mucky box and then wash them :)

Cheeky wipes are not only good for your purse and your babies bum but also the environment as there is no extra landfill.

 

 

 

NEC Baby show

 

 

 

We had such a good time at the baby show and there were so many amazing products. Lots of competitions and lots for new babies and older toddlers to we were worried there wouldn't be much to buy for G. We also have a new baby in the family - H's sister in law had a baby 8 weeks ago so we went to see what presents we could buy for new baby C x 

We of course spent a small fortune, but also made some fab savings.

 

We also got to meet the lovely Helen from cheekywipes my britmums sponsor and the amazing charlotte for mia tui.

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

We purchased a pourty potty which makes the whole potty training a lot more bearable as we also have a toilet seat from pourty , which should make the transition from potty to toilet a lot easier. Bargain price of £20 for the both.

 

We also got a cuddle dry towel which is super absorbent and sooooooo soft - I think I may be using that too lol

Close parent were also there and we purchased two car seat protectors again for when we start potty training. As we were amongst the first 25 customers we got a fab goody bag.

 

 

Gro company were there, but didn't have what we wanted . We were give a discount code to use a t a later date:)  We were after some gro bedding for G as he's staring to climb out of his gro bags and getting cold.

 

We also stopped by the mumkind stand and got to test the new energy bars which were rather yummy- im defiantly #teamberry. They also have energy drops which were very refreshing. 

 

 

So I will have lots of reviews to do over the next few weeks :)

 

We also stopped by the Stokke stand and I would love to get G a stokke tripp trapp and after seeing them in the flesh I think we may be getting one - best photo of the day was taken on the huge stokke chair !

 

 

Now for the items I wish I had got.

There was a wonderful thermometer which took your baby temperature thought contactless technology - it was amazing and so much better than a in ear one as there was no need for ear cover caps and trying to take a wriggely baby/ toddlers temp is very difficult especially when they are ill. the show price was £33

Then we saw an amazing baby monitor that could be controlled and viewed by an  iphone /  ipad - genius idea. - the show price was £120

 

 

I also saw the most perfect pushchair ever - we are having a new car soon a big mini (Countryman copper SD ) - and well I have doubts that our bugaboo will fit in the boot, anyways I found the answer to our problems

 

The mini easywalker

 

 

 

Its amazing, its beautiful and it fits in the boot of a mini as that's what its designed to do :)

Now all I have to do is persuade H to let me get one - as the price was £699 RRP 

saying goodbye to grandad

Just over two weeks ago G lost his his granddad - H's dad .
It was very sudden and unexpected and poor H is in bits - keeps breaking down in tears at random things and his mood swings and unpredictable.

H's dad was a heavy smoker and so we never really liked him been close to G, which now I really regret.

This is the first time I've had to face death and none of my family/friends have ever passed away. My grandparents died when I was to young to remember and my parents have always sheltered me from death, so its all been a bit traumatic.  have died Its hard to put in to words how we are all feeling at the moment we are both just grateful in a way that G doesn't have a clue what's going on and laughed and giggled almost all through the funeral.

We have tried to keep busy - we went to the baby show and a plum outdoor products event last week , which I think helped to take H's mind off things.

It's back to work this week for H and its trying to get back to a normal routine for me and G after the crazy few weeks we have had.

I really hope the rest of the year goes better than the first 6 months.  I thought the first year of marriage was supposed to be the happiest.

Is the Baby Show time again !

Its the Birmingham baby show this weekend and I'm super excited about it

We went to the Manchester baby show last year and it was amazing I really wish I would have found out about the baby show before we had G, there are so many pushchairs and amazing innovative products on show. Its a long day so don't forget your comfy shoes and a flask of tea. 

 

 

 

 the baby show have been kind enough to offer my readers a discount of 40 %  

 

 

 

 

Discounted Ticket offer for The Baby Show NEC  - 40% off the door price.

 

The Baby Show  - the UK’s biggest and best pregnancy and parenting event  - returns to the NEC Birmingham from 17 to 19 May 2013.

 

The Baby Show are offering a fantastic 40% off adult entry tickets (door price £20.00, discounted ticket offer £11.50).   To take advantage of this offer, visit www.thebabyshow.co.uk and enter Promo Code LH001.

 

T&C’S

 

Advance booking closes midnight 15/05/2013. After this date tickets can be purchased on the door for £20 per person. All promotion savings are based on comparison to the door price. Max 3 children per adult can attend free until 12years old. Booking can be made online www.thebabyshow.co.uk or by calling 0871 231 0844 and quoting code: xxxxx Calls cost 10p a minute from a BT landline, other networks may vary. Booking fee applies.

 

 

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30 years ago my life was so simple

30 years ago my life was so simple but I guess I was only 3, but my life was normal - my dad had a good job working for the council , laying flags on pavements. My mum was a stay at home mum who looked after me and my brother and sister.

 

This is me when I was 3 at playgroup

This is my G age 2 and half ish - H thinks we look alike what do you think ???









This is me with my brother and sister, and me out side our front window with my Favourite  bear which my aunty had made for me - my aunty had just moved to Africa as my uncle works as a Methodist minister. I really missed having my cousins around me growing up #(unforeseen circumstances means I was not able to get hold of these photos - will add at a later date. )

Technology :
 

steve jobs http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/3/3447906/steve-jobs-1983-speech-recording

In 1983 Steve Jobs gave a speech on changing technology "Jobs dives into several topics in the Q&A session, detailing how computers will become integral parts of everyday life while reshaping the way people communicate. The late Apple CEO also predicted that networking in the home would be solved in around 10 years, while also hinting at an Apple strategy to "put an incredibly great computer in a book that you can carry around with you" that would feature a "radio link," a reference to what would later materialize as the iPad. Jobs goes on to explore other avenues of computing which can be heard in the full 54 minute recording ailable on Soundcloud."

And BOY was he right. its amazing to think how right he was with IPads IPhones. But how was he to know about the internet which was invented 10ish years later - in 1991. mind boggerling stuff ay.....

 vhs and betermax had only just came out and we all know who won that battle lol my mum still has her VHS recorder and is refusing to give it up. ..... my mum is most defiantly stuck in 1983, and at times I still get treated like a 3 year old lol

MY Life :
 

I spent all of the 80's running around like a normal ish child, running playing with friends but i did miss a lot of schooling due to my health, every Tuesday morning i went for blood tests (age 5 -10 ) as i was on wafrin ( a blood thinner ) i had hopes and dreams just like any other child. My life was turned upside down back to front when at ten i had my stoke (1989)

the 90'S were spent being bullied at school , i had a few good friends and managed to survive with out topping myself the bullying got quite bad at one stage......

The 00's were spent in rubbish jobs and I was lucky to get a scouting trip to America in 2002  http://mummumheart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/my-life-10-years-ago.html

This is me and my family now , me my hubby and my beautiful son G on our wedding day last year. My life has had its ups and downs 1st heart op in 1985. loads of other heart operations the two strokes and two lots of skin cancer. 

Ive managed to turn out an ok person - i think lol

Any way that's enough about me

that this is an entry for the BritMums/Special K “How I’ve changed Linky challenge” and link to www.myspecialk.co.uk. 

this was special k 30 years ago. 

And it really has changed for the better not just the cheesy adverts that have gone. Its now made with 3 types of grains which taste so much better - I'm going to be doing the special k challenge this next 6 weeks to get into my britmums live 13 outfit ! It tastes so much better. I now look forward to breakfast and lunch.  Even G enjoys a few flakes at breakfast time :)

 

What an afternoon tea means to me.

Afternoon tea used to mean an afternoon out at some big country home like Crewe hall or rookery hall .
A lovely selection of sandwiches and cakes and pasties ..... ah the bliss of it all. All in miniature with scones and jam and oooo the cream ...... A chance to relax and enjoy some time with friends or family

But since  having G afternoon tea now means a kids café or soft play centre.... with a rushed cup of tea and a soggy cake or one that's really dry because its sat around for half the day. To be honest its sometimes easier to stay at home make a pot of tea let G have a nap.& enjoy a nice home made fairy cake or banana loaf.

Gone are the days of fancy afternoon teas but I wouldn't change a thing !

this is my entry in to the whittards afternoon tea blogger party