saturday is caption day

Daisy roots review

I was recently sent  a gorgeous pair of shoes for my son to review by the wonderful people over at Daisy Roots.

Daisy roots use eco friendly leather which make their shoes safer for the enviroment and also those that like to suck their toes like my son.

They also have them vegetable dyed so they contain no nasty chemicals.

Designed and manufactured in northamptonshire since 1995 they currently have over 300 retailers worldwide making them one of the largest independant uk producers of childrens soft leather shoes.

What i thought:

I received the Bee design in size 6-12 months RRP: £18.50

My first thoughts were how it looked soo pretty in the bag it came in it really displayed them well and being clear packaging showed you exactly what you were getting perfect for if you were purchasing from a shop as it saves you having to get them out to look at them first.

I loved the bright colours and design they were differant and made my son stand out in the crowd i  even had a few mummy's stop me in town and comment on how lovely they were and were to buy them from which i was more than happy to tell them.

My son found these to be really comfortable both inside and out as they are soo soft and flexible they allowed good foot movement and also had a good amount  of room for foot growth without being too large.

The things i really like about these shoes are: 

• The bright bold designs
• The soft materials 
• The elastic around ankle which helped for a good fit and also prevented losing his shoes

The one thing i wasnt too keen on was:

• The price, i would of preferred it if they were nearer to £15.00 to better meet my budget.

All in all i love these shoes and if i were to rate them they would get a big 9/10!

To visit the Daisy Roots website please click here

To visit the Daisy Roots facebook page please click here

To visit Daisy Roots twitter page please click here

National Autism Awareness Month April 2012

As you are all aware my son ethan 4 has autism with it he also has very lax ligaments speech problems and severe headaches and i as a parent and mummy blogger aim to help him in as many ways as possible whether it be coping with everyday life/schooling/speech, fun days out/experiences or products aimed to helping children like him to make everyday living easier be it good sensory toys/flash cards,clothing,good places to take them that understand your child's additional needs ect.


A bit more information about autism:


So you are thinking what is autism?


Autism is a complex developmental disability that causes problems with social interaction and communication.
All people with autism are so very different from each other each with their own problems and difficulties.
It is normally known as a spectrum disorder which is a group of disorders with similar features.you may have 1 person with mild symptoms while another has serious ones.

The current autism spectrum disorder category includes:

• Autistic disorder
• Asperger syndrome
• pervasive developmental disorder or atypical autism

There are 3 groups with a higher than normal risk of having autism these include:

• Boys
• Siblings of those with autism
• People with certain other development disorders such as fragile x syndrome

Some examples of autism spectrum disorder spectrum disorder symptoms include:

• social skills
• speech,language and communication
• repeated behaviors and routines
• development

Symptoms relating to social skills can include:

• not making eye contact and wanting to be alone(my son tends to give brief eye contact)
• trouble understanding other peoples feelings or talking about their own
• not wanting to be held or cuddled or only cuddling when they want to(this is what my son falls under)
• not seeming to notice when people are trying to talk to them
• being really interested in people but not sure of how to talk,play or relate to them(i notice this with my son all the time he will look and watch them often with a smile on his face but often will not make a move to join in with their activities)
• not interacting like others would do or not being interested in others at all.

Symptoms relating to speech,language and communication can include:

• standing too close to some1 when they are talking
• speaking with a flat sounding voice
• inability to control how loudly or softly they talk
• stick with the same conversation for too long
• talking about what they like rather than having a 2 way conversation
• speaking well and knowing loads of words but having trouble listening to others(my son cant speak too well he is getting better but alot of what he says most people still cant understand as it all sounds the same)

Repeated behaviors and routines:

People with autism might repeat actions over and over again,they tend to like having routines where things stay the same so they know what to expect and may have trouble with changes.

Development delay:

Children with autism develop differently from other children.where children without autism develop at  about the same rate in areas of development, like motor,language,cognitive and social skills.children with it develop at different rates in different areas . They may have large delays in language,social and cognitive skills yet their motor skills are about the same as other children their age.they may be good at puzzles or problem solving but not at things others find easy like talking and making friends.you might also find they can learn a skill but then seem to forget it again.

All kids are different whether they have a disability or not all these children want is to be like everyone else they just need a little bit more help  than others the same age.

So the next time you see a child screaming its head off on the floor or hitting out,or like my son did the other day at the bus stop he without warning pulled his trousers over his bum exposing it shook it and shouted at top of his voice my bum baby yours is big!! 

plz don't judge we have a hard enough time as it is helping our children to learn right from wrong(although i must say i struggled not to laugh as this woman kept staring at him for talking funny for his age!)

Autistic children are not a burden they are a blessing with a hidden disability :)

Easter with the kids

Friday 30th march 
Easter egg hunting at school.

Well ethan has been really looking forward to this day talking about egg this and that non stop all week!and the day was finally upon us would it be a success or a failure i wondered?

well to be honest it was a bit of both, it all started off well ethan and his little sister alisha was both handed a piece of paper and a pen on the paper there where shapes that they had to match up to the ones hidden around the school and on the field and we had the put the letter that was on each shape into appropiate shape on the paper to make up a special easter message...easy right?....wrong! it was crazy and manic ethan loved it running off and hiding at every oppurtunity while alisha ran in the opposite direction and i was there trying to keep an eye on both while also looking out for the darn shapes which where well hidden i must say.
All in all it took us 1 1/2 hours and even then only because another parent told us the last 2 which i was extremely grateful for as by now alisha was crying constantly due to being awoken from nap to collect ethan and start the hunt and ethan getting tired due to his routine he has to stick to.
however he seemed happy to win his chocolate egg :)

Next up was the easter hat contest, they all had to stand in a line for 10 minutes while the judges checked out their eggsallent creations easier said than done as ethan dont tend to like standing still for more than a minute and started to get bored of waiting.they didnt win which is fine as im hopeless at helping them with arty projects so didnt expect them to, unfortunatly ethan had a meltdown not understanding why he didnt win  and by time it had ended he and his sister missed out on a lolly for taking part as the lady given them out had disappeared this in turn started him off again upset about that only this time alisha got upset over it too needless to say i was at the point id had enough and we decided to leave for the park right next to the school where ethan and alisha both perked up played and ate their eggs resulting in a lovely end to the day.

All in all a successful day!  :)

April: Bowel cancer awareness month

Did you know some1 dies from bowel cancer every 30 seconds?i could not believe it when i heard that i mean you dont even stop to think about it really just take these things for granted,well i can tell you now it has certainly opened my eyes!


Bowel cancer happens when the cells in your bowel multiply and attack the surrounding tissue it can then spread to other areas of the body.
Another name for it is:  Colen cancer.




Most people can have a really good chance of recovery if caught early but unfortunatly only 9% are caught at the early stage!


Signs to look out for:

• A pain or lump in your stomach
• Feeling more tired than normal
• Losing weight for no obvious reason
• Hving blood in your poo for the last 3 weeks

These symptoms do not mean you have Bowel cancer but it is still best to be seen as it could still be the sign of another problem.

All i can say is you have nothing to lose but Everything to gain! so if you spot any of these do get checked.

300 likes suprise

ok my wonderful followers i have decided to do a random small giveaway to one random follower but first id like to reach 300 blog followers so plz share and spread the word anywhere you can and my blog link and leave a comment below telling me you have to get 1 extra entry(dont forget facebook or twitter name in case you win) xx

Easter ideas

Its Easter!! time for fun! chicks,chocs and Easter gifts and here is my run up of some great finds that i personally and you might love :)

                               Thorntons  Chocolate bramble egg £1.99 or 3 for 2*if you buy online 

                                    Thorntons carrie clutch bag model £6.49

                                     Find me a gift  jellycat bashful bunny currently on sale for £5.99

                                      Find me a gift Happy Easter chocolate pizza £11.95

                                     Not on the high street.com £12.00

                                  Hotel chocolate Easter chicken coup £9.00

                                  delights.co.uk  £19.49

Caption saturday

saturday is caption day

BuggyTug

We were sent the BuggyTug to test and review by the lovely Di from the BuggyTug facebook page
It was sent out pretty fast(shame the same couldn't be said for the postie)


"Made by a mum to make your life easier and your child safer"
The BuggyTug is designed to connect you to your buggy and as such result in your baby being safer as you have total control all the time.

My thoughts:


The first thing i noticed was how there was hardly any packaging involved just enough to safely send and protect the product,this for me was brilliant as i not only hate fiddly,masses of plastic ect i also like to know im doing my bit for the enviroment so this alone gets the big thumbs up from me.
i loved how it felt strong and stretchy.When attaching it was a piece of cake simply wrap it around  the buggy handle and put one end through via the metal hoop and you are ready to go.Upon putting on i was really suprised by how comfortable i found it no rubbing whatsoever.
The only prob i did have was when my 4 year old decided to have a meltdown or run into the road as i had to remove from hand before i could grab him,however a mummy friend has suggested using it for him to hold when hes with me and on my wrist when hes not which is what im going to do from monday :).
All in all i really like the BuggyTug it really is a good idea and a very useful product and for the price you cant go wrong!.

You can buy the BuggyTug directly from the website it costs just £3.99 plus £2.00 p&p
You can also bu from stockists such as:
Boots and john lewis to name a couple.


  
Also coming soon is the TugTrio :)


To visit the BuggyTug website please clickhere
To visit BuggyTug on facebook please click here
To visit BuggyTug on twitter please click here

What was number one when your child was born?

I have recently been tagged in a very simple meme by
Trials and Tribulations of a Brummie mummy   to let you know which song was number one when Carla was born


I can honestly say i didnt know they were number one let alonf for 2 weeks,However i must say i loved(still do infact)this song it was:


Lou Bega and Mambo No 5(A little bit of...) august  29-12 september 1999.

Im tagging the following people to share their first child's number one song.


Tiger Tales
Charlie monsters fun house
Bubbaslovesblog page

Caption saturday

Kalide game

I was sent to test/play and review Kalide by Imagination




Contents included are:

• Game mat
• 12 magnetic pucks
• Rules

Suitable for ages 8+

for 2+ players

Rrp: £various(tesco are currently selling for £14.97

Aim of the game:

To put your skills to the test as you flick,slide and collide your magnetic pucks to score points and win games.

Create puck clusters to double,triple and even quadruple your score and blow the over players away!

Played over 3 rounds.

Our thoughts:

Myself and my 2 daughters aged 11 and 12 played this game,we set it up easily i noticed how bland and boring it looked(all black) when you took the lid of the box and looked inside however upon opening up the game mat this opinion soon changed as it was soo vibrant and bold we couldnt wait to get started.we played for over 2 hours and only stopped as it was the girls bedtime(and the fact im a sore loser as didn't win a single game!! lol)

We have since played this game tons of times just cant get enough its fast and furious and fun what more could you possibly want?

Overall thoughts:

Great game,tons of fun,good value for money the only bad point was how bland it all looked in box as everything looked soo black!.

saturday is caption day

 

yoomi giveaway

I keeping with my Yoomi review which you can see here i have very kindly been given a 8oz Yoomi bottle and warmer featuring a limited edition coloured collar that the winner will be able to choose to giveaway rrp: £23.50

The choices of coloured collar are:

                                                      RASPBERRY

                                                         APPLE

                                                            RED

                                                         TURQUOISE

To be in with a chance of winning one firstly be a blog follower there is a join this site with gfc at top right hand side.(you must do this or your entry will not be validated)

Then answer the following question:

Yoomi are launching a range of limited edition coloured collars to brighten up your yoomi bottles this Spring. A lot of research has been done on the effects of colours on humans and yoomi has provided info on what their colours mean.

To enter, tell me which colour helps to reduce tension and anxiety and promote a good night's sleep?  

Answer a) orange b) red c) pink

Visit http://shop.yoomi.com/pages/power-of-colour to find out

 Leave a comment below telling me you are following blog and by what name your answer and the best way to contact you if you win.

Competition will close on the 12 march and the winner will be announced shortly after wards.

The winner will have 7 days to claim prize or another winner will be selected

Good luck everyone!


COMPETITION CLOSED.


The winner chosen at random is:


Gemma cook


congratulations hun please use the contact me tab above and message me via email with your address and choice of coloured collar.  :)


If no contact has been made to claim within 7 days a new winner will be drawn.

200 fb likers winner

ok all names have been given a number and put into random org and the winner drawn at random is:

Hannah clemenston

congratulations and ty everyone i will do another giveaway soon so keep liking and spreading my page and look out for my blog post competition going up on here tomorrow :)

hannah plz use my contact tab to get my email and contact me with details :)

yoomi review

The lovely people over at Yoomi have sent me to test and review one of their fantastic Yoomi self-warming baby bottle.


Contents included are:

1. 8oz Feeding bottle
2. Warmer
3. Medium flow teat.

A bit more about the Yoomi bottle and warmer:


At  just the touch of a button,Yoomi warms your baby's milk to natural breast milk temperature in just 60 seconds.


you can use with or without the warmer.
It is all you will find you will need whether out or at home.
It has a super soft teat to help with easy latching on
Lets your baby feed at normal breastfeeding temperature
Its is great for use with combination feeding or follow on feeding.
The warmer recharges x 100 times.


It was inspired by a mum,designed by a dad.


My thoughts on the Yoomi self-warming bottle:


When i got the chance to review this miracle product i was really excited i couldnt wait to try it out,like many other parents i get frustrated when stuck out somewhere with nowhere to heat up my little mans bottle you tend to have to rush home to feed them or buy a ready made milk carton which to be honest my son's not too keen on as he likes his milk warm.
But then along cam the Yoomi self-warming bottle which solved all of my problems.
All i need to do is firly push the orange bottle,wait 30 seconds until button turns blue put the lid on and turn bottle upside down so the milk fills the teat,then i just feed my son while ensuring the teat remains full.


I was happy as it done exactly as it says it does as it heats the milk as it goes past the warmer and into the teat. The bottle has also been cleverly designed to help keep the milk warm by up to an hour...result:


1 happy baby and 1 very happy mum! :)

The only thing i will warn you of is.....  Preparation is the key!


You need to warm the warmer for 25 minutes in constant boiling water then allow to cool for about 70 minutes before using so it is time consuming to prepare no good if you are in a hurry.however it is fantastic if you know in advance such as the day before you are going out as you can get it ready in advance then you just grab and go on the day.


I personally love the Yoomi and plan to use it on every day out(will just need to make a mental note each time to heat the warmer)
and i will continue to tell mummy friends about it.


To visit the Yoomi website please click here
To visit Yoomi on facebook please click here
To visit Yoomi on twitter please click here

Vital baby review and competition

Vital baby


Vital baby offers a wide range of products from birth- 15 months+
They have 4 stages.
 Stage0,0 months+
Stage1,4months+
Stage2,6 months+
Stage 3,9 months+
Stage4,12 months plus and Stage 4+,15 months+.


within their the stage ranges the products consist of:
baby bottles and teats,trainer cups,weaning kits,cups,tumblers,wipes,spoons and many more you just have to check their full range out there's soo much to choose from you will be spoilt for choice!!.


I was sent to test and review the Two handled tainer cup in blue from their stage 2 range for my 7 1/2 month old to try.

Specifications:
£3.49
soft spouts for baby's gums
easy grip handles
spout cover
200ml 
bpa free
pvc free
latex free
you choose non-spill or free flow


What we thought:


After separating the bits and washing and sterilizing i gave my son some very diluted squash in his cup with his dinner,his first reaction was to pull a face as it went into his mouth and to be honest he seemed to chew on it with his gums at first,clearly this was to test the completely new texture out as hes only ever had teats upto now.

After a few minutes he started sucking he did however keep whinging so i took the valve out and tried again,this time he was perfectly fine clearly he was just being too impatient.He seemed to really like drinking from it and even started holding onto the handles and using it himself.after finishing he seemed to like rubbing his gums on the spout....having soft spouts are obviously a very good idea for teething baby's.


It was a good size just right for his age and the amount he would generally drink.
The only thing i didnt like was the spout cover as it came off too easily in my oppinion not great if traveling as you would have juice spill into the changing bag,its ok while using the valve but my son obviously will only drink with it off  just think one that attached a bit more securely would of been better.

To visit Vital baby on facebook please click here

To visit Vital baby on twitter please click here

To visit the Vital baby webpage please click here

And now for the fun bit.....

Vital baby have given the chance for 1 lucky blog follower to win one of their fantastic feeding bundles!.

Vital baby believe that "age progression" is key to the philosophy of their award winning range and as your baby starts to show interest in self feeding their range of products have been specially designed to make the transition from weaning to feeding an easy and pleasurable experience both for baby's and parents alike.


Included in the feeding bundle prize is:

•  Vital baby soft tip feeding spoons
• Vital baby two handled trainer cup
• Vital baby large press n pop freezer pots
• Vital baby feeding bowls
• Vital baby fruity hand and face wipes

You will get to choose whether you would like a pink,blue or orange set.


To win this great prize:


leave me a comment below saying you are following me blog and by what name(you must be following in order for entry to be accepted) and also what colour you would like if you should win


For a bonus entry like by blog facebook page by clicking here and sharing the comp link for this prize that is posted on my wall


COMPETITION ENDED.


Winner is:


Redrawn due to winner not coming forward the new winner is:


ANNA DEANE
congrats please go to my contact tab above and email me your contact details so i can pass on to Vital Baby so they can send your prize out to you(will be redrawn if not claimed within 7 days)

crazy soap review and competition

I was sent a boxful of lovely products to review by the lovely people over at Crazy soap.
Included was:

• Bath goo(yellow) 250ml  £2.99
• Bath foam(green) 225ml £2.00
• Bath foam  225ml  £2.00
• body paint(red) 150ml  £2.49
• body paint(blue) 150ml  £2.49

If you struggle like myself with bathtimes then you really should try out crazy soap fantastic bathtime range.

Here's what me and my 2 youngest children aged 2 and 4 thought:

Their products have been designed to be kind to the skin which is great for young children and exactly what every parent wants and looks for.

Bath goo,my son didnt want this added while the bath was running instead he grabbed it out of my hand and shoved his hand in quickly grabbing over half of the pot out,needless to say he had loads of bubbles that he managed to lather out of it.it 

 I for one also loved the gorgous fruity smell that it contains :)

Bath foam my son loves this he wont use the blue one in the bath he dont want his hands to go that colour(his older sisters fault no doubt as when he was about to use it they said oooh ethan you are going to turn into a smurf!!

Bath paint,whoever thought u could get messy,create works of art on your body and clean yourself in the process!!
both of my kids loved this starting off with smiley faces which soon turned into a gooey drawn mess before rinsing spotlessly clean :).

We totally love this product and will keep using when we finally run out lol.

Now for the fun bit:

To win a tube of body paint leave a comment on here with your name and best way to contact you if you should win.

For bonus entries: 1. share my competition on facebook

                            2. follow my blog and tell me below you are and by what name

                            3.follow my facebook page by clicking here

please leave a seperate comment for each thing you have done.

good luck there will be 3 winners ends on 1st february

to follow Crazy soap on twitter clickhere

to follow Crazy soap on facebook click here

COMPETITION CLOSED.
Winners are:


olivia kirby
kayleigh louise
claire grigg


Congratulations!
please send me your contact me via the contact me tab above and send my your adresses dets and i will get your prizes sent out asap