It's no secret that our household are big Disney fans. Some of my favourite Disney films are Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, so to see my daughter fall in love with the same ones is magical. Eva has recently started watching Beauty and the Beast and is mesmerised by all the characters with Princess Belle being her favourite.
We were delighted to be asked if we'd like to review the new Princess Belle's Musical Tea Cart by Jakks Pacific. I'd already seen it at a Blog Conference and couldn't resist a play so I knew Eva would love to receive it.
The cart needs assembling but is very straightforward. No DIY skills required. It also comes with batteries (always a bonus in my opinion). It comes with a Mrs Potts teapot with removable lid, a Chip cup, spare cup, spoons and an invitation. There's a rose shaped button on the side of the cart to activate the iconic song 'be our guest,'. Mrs Potts, chip and the spare cup then spin around on the cart to the music.
The cart itself is pink and yellow. Anything with pink on is a winner with Eva. There's also some lovely Beauty and the Beast stickers on the cart.
The cart has been a huge hit in our house with both Eva and Ophelia. Eva has relished holding little tea parties for us. She loves to make her sister sit down and be her guest. Ophelia is also very fascinated with it. She's not walking yet but seems to love crawling through the bottom of the cart (not recommended by the way but she enjoys it). She also loves to dance to the song.
There's plenty of room on top of the cart, around the lazy Susan to place food or use any other tea set that you may have at home.
I've been very impressed with the quality of the cart. It's plastic so I didn't think it would be as sturdy as it is. Both the girls have bashed it about and it still doesn't have a scratch on it which is reassuring.
The cart moves along nicely. Eva finds it very easy to push and manoeuvre. It's the perfect height for her to play with.
The only thing I will say is that it's quite big so bare that in mind if you don't have a lot of space. It doesn't fold down.
This will make a lovely gift for any Beauty and the Beast fan. With the new film being released next year this is going to be a must have toy.
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In the words of Andy Williams, it really is 'the most wonderful time of the year'. I am christmas mad and wanted to make the most of it by creating a bucket list. I've always loved it but even more so now I have children. Seeing christmas through the eyes of a child is magical and being able to enjoy the festive cheer with them makes it more memorable.
I love everything to do with christmas. The food, the festive drinks, christmas shopping, decorating the house, writing christmas cards, you name it, I relish it which is why it's all going on a bucket list. In fact I wouldn't look out of place being one of Santa's elves. Perhaps i'll apply for the position next year.
This year is also an extra special christmas for us. Quite a few members of my family including my mum, sisters, stepdad, uncle, aunty and cousin, all emigrated to Australia 8 years ago. They surprised us by telling us they are all coming home this year for our first family christmas in 8 years. They don't arrive until late on the 23rd but there's still time do make it the best one ever by doing some things as a family from my bucket list.
Here's my christmas bucket list for 2016:
1) Send a letter to Santa
2) Go Ice-Skating
3) Watch a ballet
4) Make a gingerbread house
5) Drive around and look at the christmas lights
6) Read a christmas book
7) Have a christmas movie marathon
8) Make a christmas music themed playlist
9) Deliver homemade christmas treats to someone unexpected
10) Hang mistletoe in every door way in the house
11) Have a christmas wrapping evening whilst sipping mulled wine
12) Visit a winter wonderland
13) Visit a Santa's grotto
14) Do a christmas themed photo shoot
15) Go christmas shopping and then have a festive drink
16) Go for a festive afternoon tea
19) Give some festive food and drink to the homeless
20) Make paper snowflakes
21) Take a photo a day
22) Visit a christmas market
23) Do handprint craft
25) Have homemade hot chocolate
26) Have a pyjama day
27) Make a christmas eve box
28) Have a picnic around the christmas tree
29) Make Egg Nog
30) Make christmas decorations with the kids
What's on your list?
One of the things you spend most of your time doing as a parent with a baby is trying to get them to sleep. I'll be honest and say that second time around I found this incredibly difficult. My time was always taken up with entertaining Eva and therefore I could never give my complete attention to rocking Ophelia to sleep. There were times when I really struggled.
Ophelia definitely didn't self settle and still doesn't. She more than often requires a cuddle or a rock back and forth. If she falls asleep in the car (which is very rare) she the wakes up as soon as the engine has stopped.
A while ago I was asked if I would like to review the Sleepybobo Gerry The Giraffe which is a platinum award winning world first product. It's a portable unit which attaches to most car seats, swinging cribs, rocker chairs, baby bouncers and moses baskets. The Sleepybobo automatically, gently rocks your baby back and forth leaving you hands free.
Ophelia definitely didn't self settle and still doesn't. She more than often requires a cuddle or a rock back and forth. If she falls asleep in the car (which is very rare) she the wakes up as soon as the engine has stopped.
A while ago I was asked if I would like to review the Sleepybobo Gerry The Giraffe which is a platinum award winning world first product. It's a portable unit which attaches to most car seats, swinging cribs, rocker chairs, baby bouncers and moses baskets. The Sleepybobo automatically, gently rocks your baby back and forth leaving you hands free.
It has a timer that you can set and therefore will continue to rock for 5, 10, 20 or 30 minutes which will allow you time as a parent to carry on with any other tasks.
It requires 4 D batteries to work. The fact that it runs on batteries means it's portable for you to take anywhere with you such as on holiday or to a relative or friends house.
The Sleepybobo can be easily adjusted to suit whatever product you are using it with. For example if you wanted to change using it from a car seat to a bouncer then you simply extend the neck. There are also extra inserts you can place in it.
The speed at which it moves can also be adjusted. We used this product with Ophelia when she was quite a few months old by which time she already knew what she liked with regards to being rocked to sleep. Whilst the Sleepybobo doesn't always get her off to sleep it does settle her enough to calm her down and keep her contented.
It will automatically rock for 30 minutes. I think this is great for newborns as they won't already have sleep preferences and they would stay sleeping when it switched off. Unfortunately, Ophelia does wake up when it stops but she is now at an age when changes will disturb her.
There is a sound when the rocker is on. It's quite noisy if you're in the same room as it, however it is a similar noise to white noise which is calming and soothing for a baby.
I think the design is very cute and was perfect for us as Ophelia has a safari themed nursery. Eva also loves helping use it with her sister. There's a handy lock button though to stop her from adjusting it when i'm not looking.
Overall, we've enjoyed using the Sleepybobo. It hasn't helped in getting Ophelia to sleep every-time we've used it but it has helped in keeping her settled and entertained when I need to get on with other things. We were only able to use it with a bouncer and a car seat as she'd grown out of her moses basket when we'd received it. I think it would be a great product to have from a newborn age as it could be put to full use and your baby wouldn't have a preference on how they like to be put to sleep.
Have you heard of the product? Do you think it's something you would use?
**We were sent the Sleepybobo for the purpose of this review, all opinions are my own**
The recent October half-term was Eva's first ever half-term so I was looking forward to taking her to a few places and spending all day with her. However, those plans went out of the window as my husband has recently been made redundant. Therefore, I now work almost everyday and sadly half-term was no exception. I had major mum guilt that week but who doesn't hey?
Whilst I was working Eva enjoyed time with her dad and sister. On the Thursday she was lucky enough to be involved in a Shopkins party. This was Eva's first experience of Shopkins as up until now she's been too young for it, although every-time she has seen them on tv both hubby and I are met with 'Can I have that? Can I buy that? Can Santa bring me that?'. As you can imagine she was rather excited when she opened her party package.
The party was to hold and celebrate the film premiere of the new Shopkins movie, 'Chef Club'. The film will see new Shoppie in town Peppa-Mint attempt to win over the friendship of the other Shoppies Bubbleisha, Jessicake and Donatina with the help of their Shopkin friends. It also boasts a host of catchy new songs and quirky costumes that have never been seen before.
Eva sat in her pyjamas to watch the film along with her little sister. She got herself comfy on the sofa with some popcorn and cupcakes and lapped up her first taste of Shopkins.
At 44 minutes long the film is the perfect length for kids. Eva loved the bright colours and catchy songs. She's been singing 'Tell me what's cooking repeatedly,'. It's a must for any Shopkins fan. You can buy your copy here, DVD.
We did manage to get one day out together as a family so we chose to go to a place we love, Noah's Ark Zoo Farm. We've only been once before but Eva loved it so we were keen to take Ophelia.
We actually went on Halloween because Eva had an inset day. It was surprisingly a beautiful sunny day which was great as most of the animals are outside. If you haven't been I would class it as an all weather place because there are lots of indoor things too.
Eva's favourite animals to see on the day were the monkeys. They were being particularly noisy so she found that highly amusing although Ophelia didn't share the same enthusiasm. I think she was more shocked.
Ophelia loved holding and touching a rabbit which you can do in the animal village. Eva also fed a lamb in there too which she found hilarious.
We saw lots of other incredible animals such as Giraffe, Meerkat, Camel, Lions, Tigers and my personal favourite, the Elephants. I could watch Elephants all day. Their home at Noah's Ark Zoo is fantastic. It's very big with plenty for them to explore which is great to see.
Eva also loved the play areas. There are quite a few to choose from including indoor and outdoor ones which are all nicely spread out around the park. I think it's great that there are so many as it gives the day a nice balance. I think if we took her to see animals but there was nothing else to do, the whole day out would be over very quickly. Ophelia also enjoyed an indoor soft play area.
We ate in the cafe which was reasonably priced. The girls had a lunchbox each and Arwyn and I had a jacket potato. The jacket potato was huge with a lot of filling and salad so well worth the price.
If you haven't been I highly recommend it. It's about a 40 minute drive from us but we have had such a great day every time we've been. You can buy annual passes which we are considering doing for next year.
Have you been to Noah's Ark Zoo Farm? Is your little one a Shopkins fan? If so which one is their favourite?
*We were sent the Shopkins DVD to review but all opinions are our own. We paid for ourselves to go to Noah's Ark Zoo farm*
We actually went on Halloween because Eva had an inset day. It was surprisingly a beautiful sunny day which was great as most of the animals are outside. If you haven't been I would class it as an all weather place because there are lots of indoor things too.
Eva's favourite animals to see on the day were the monkeys. They were being particularly noisy so she found that highly amusing although Ophelia didn't share the same enthusiasm. I think she was more shocked.
Ophelia loved holding and touching a rabbit which you can do in the animal village. Eva also fed a lamb in there too which she found hilarious.
We saw lots of other incredible animals such as Giraffe, Meerkat, Camel, Lions, Tigers and my personal favourite, the Elephants. I could watch Elephants all day. Their home at Noah's Ark Zoo is fantastic. It's very big with plenty for them to explore which is great to see.
Eva also loved the play areas. There are quite a few to choose from including indoor and outdoor ones which are all nicely spread out around the park. I think it's great that there are so many as it gives the day a nice balance. I think if we took her to see animals but there was nothing else to do, the whole day out would be over very quickly. Ophelia also enjoyed an indoor soft play area.
We ate in the cafe which was reasonably priced. The girls had a lunchbox each and Arwyn and I had a jacket potato. The jacket potato was huge with a lot of filling and salad so well worth the price.
If you haven't been I highly recommend it. It's about a 40 minute drive from us but we have had such a great day every time we've been. You can buy annual passes which we are considering doing for next year.
Have you been to Noah's Ark Zoo Farm? Is your little one a Shopkins fan? If so which one is their favourite?
*We were sent the Shopkins DVD to review but all opinions are our own. We paid for ourselves to go to Noah's Ark Zoo farm*
This week is a rather busy week for us with 2 very big birthdays, one day after the other. We have my father in law's 70th, followed by my dad's 60th. At that age it's difficult to know what to buy them as they pretty much have everything.
I was recently contacted by The Book of Everyone and asked if I would like to review one of their books. They are books which are designed to celebrate an individual and they can be personalised. This was perfect timing so we decided to make one for my father in law.
The site is easy to use. You can choose from a selection of different themed books such as dad, mum, birthdays, valentines, one's for kids and then personalise the pages. I decided to create 'The Book of Dad'.
The first thing to personalise is the front cover and then who the book is from. You can choose from 9 different colours. I opted for white.
There are various other sections that you can personalise such as adding in your favourite quotes and also placing photographs and messages on different pages.
Each page has interesting and funny facts based on the person's date of birth and age. One of the first pages covers interesting facts about the number 70 such as '70 litres of water are required to produce just 1 apple.'
On of my favourite pages is a page that states the amount of things my father in law has done to this day. For example it says that he has eaten the equivalent of 5.3 adult African bull Elephants and that his heart has pumped around 2,650,890,240 times.
I know his favourite part will be the pages that transport him back to his day telling him what song was number 1, what movie was the blockbuster and what things cost. Can you believe a pint of milk cost 1p and a first class stamp was 2p back then?
Overall, i've been really pleased with the book. The site was very easy to use and a I had a lot of fun creating it. Delivery was quick as it arrived within a few days. The quality of the print is excellent and the book has a lovely finish and feel to it.
It makes such a unique and personal gift for someone. If you are struggling to find a christmas gift for someone that has everything then this is ideal. It would make a great conversation piece around the christmas table. A true keepsake.
It's my father in laws birthday today so i'll update you soon on what he thought of his gift but for now i'm very pleased to announce that I am running a competition for you to win one of these books for yourself. You can enter via rafflecopter below. UK entries only please. Competition closes Sunday 13th November
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I was recently contacted by The Book of Everyone and asked if I would like to review one of their books. They are books which are designed to celebrate an individual and they can be personalised. This was perfect timing so we decided to make one for my father in law.
The site is easy to use. You can choose from a selection of different themed books such as dad, mum, birthdays, valentines, one's for kids and then personalise the pages. I decided to create 'The Book of Dad'.
The first thing to personalise is the front cover and then who the book is from. You can choose from 9 different colours. I opted for white.
There are various other sections that you can personalise such as adding in your favourite quotes and also placing photographs and messages on different pages.
Each page has interesting and funny facts based on the person's date of birth and age. One of the first pages covers interesting facts about the number 70 such as '70 litres of water are required to produce just 1 apple.'
On of my favourite pages is a page that states the amount of things my father in law has done to this day. For example it says that he has eaten the equivalent of 5.3 adult African bull Elephants and that his heart has pumped around 2,650,890,240 times.
I know his favourite part will be the pages that transport him back to his day telling him what song was number 1, what movie was the blockbuster and what things cost. Can you believe a pint of milk cost 1p and a first class stamp was 2p back then?
Overall, i've been really pleased with the book. The site was very easy to use and a I had a lot of fun creating it. Delivery was quick as it arrived within a few days. The quality of the print is excellent and the book has a lovely finish and feel to it.
It makes such a unique and personal gift for someone. If you are struggling to find a christmas gift for someone that has everything then this is ideal. It would make a great conversation piece around the christmas table. A true keepsake.
It's my father in laws birthday today so i'll update you soon on what he thought of his gift but for now i'm very pleased to announce that I am running a competition for you to win one of these books for yourself. You can enter via rafflecopter below. UK entries only please. Competition closes Sunday 13th November
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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