Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from my little pumpkins and I!

We are off on a trick or treat trail later round some local shops and will be sporting skeleton onesies and devil horns.  Have a spooktacular day!

Read more ⇨

Halloween Party for Toddlers

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.

I have always loved Halloween; the excuse to dress up and eat lots of sweet treats, and although the boys are still too young to really appreciate it, I decided to throw a little party for them and a few of their friends.  It seemed a great excuse to get them together and a lovely Sunday afternoon activity.

A trip to Tescos for supplies and a few home-made touches, and here are the final results.

I made hanging white ghosts using

Read more ⇨

Buggy Snuggle

With winter on its way, my priority is keeping my beautiful babies warm.  We love to be out an about come snow or sun and so a footmuff is an essential.

I have previously bought the footmuffs that go with our pushchairs but as Dylan has grown, he has grown out of some and we also have a few new pushchairs since last winter, so I have been looking for some universal footmuffs that we can transfer between double and single.  

Buggysnuggle are known for their funky designs and adaptable footmuffs and we were not dissapointed.  I went for the same print but in different colours and I love how they look in the double buggy.

Read more ⇨

Personalised Book Bundle Giveaway

My children have a lot of books.  They have them in their playroom, in their bedrooms and in the nappy bag for trips out.  I loved books as a child (I still do) and I really want to instil in them a love of reading, an imagination and an appreciation of the written word.

A book can transport you to a magical place, it can give you time away from reality, it can teach you, it can show you how to express your feelings.  We have books that have been read to death, with bent corners and tatty covers, and books that live on the top shelf as they are special, ones that come out only for bedtime stories.

I have a wonderful giveaway for you this week, to win your choice of personalised story as well as a bundle of themed books to go with it.  What's more, is that the winner will get their books in plenty of time for Christmas - the perfect present for a special little person.

Read more ⇨

Aunties

I am lucky enough to have lots of amazing aunties in my life.  I grew up in a very close family and I want the same for my boys.  I want them to have relatives to play with, learn from and turn to and they are very lucky to have a special Aunty in my little sister.

Aunty NatNat loves
the boys and they love her too. She doesn't live close by any more but we love an excuse to go and visit her, and when she comes down here for a few days.

Read more ⇨

Pampers and Unicef

This month I got to tick something else off of my bucket list.  I got to meet a real life spice girl!

Yep, that's right, I met Emma Bunton and she is quite possibly the most down to earth celebrity I have ever met!

Emma is an ambassador for Unicef and they have teemed up with pampers for their 1 pack, 1 vaccine campaign.  For every pack of pampers bought, they will donate one vaccine to protect against maternal and newborn tetanus to a country that desperately needs it.  Newborn tetanus should have been wiped out already, but poor access to healthcare means it is still a killer in far too many countries.

Although I am primarily a cloth nappy user, we do still use disposables on occasion and this is a campaign I fully believe in.  As a mother, my instinct is to protect my children, and I will do everything in my power to keep them safe and well.  Knowing that other mothers can't do this for their children and are helplessly watching them suffer is absolutely heartbreaking.

Since the campaign began 8 years ago, they have successfully eliminated maternal and newborn tetanus in 10 countries, helping to protect 100 million women from the deadly disease.  There is so much more that can still be done though.

Not only are pampers donating one vaccine for every pack sold, they are also donating a vaccine for every view of this video, so if you have a minute, then please take a look

Disclaimer:  I was invited along to an even with Pampers to learn more about this campaign

but I have chosen to write this post as it is a campaign I really believe in.

Read more ⇨

The Toadstool - Haba Toys Review

With Christmas looming, I think we are all starting to think about what to buy the little people in our lives.  As both our boys are still so young, we have decided not to go overboard this year and choose a few special things to buy.  I know they will be spoilt by family and friends but I love choosing things that I know they will love and I have been keeping an eye out for the perfect gifts.

As Toadstool Toy Testers, we were sent something to review for each of the boys and they have both enjoyed their wooden toys.  Dylan is puzzle mad and always have been, and this wooden pirate puzzle from Haba is exactly the kind of thing I will be getting him for Christmas this year.  He has progressed from the wooden board puzzles, but often the next stage puzzles are flimsy and easily broken (especially with a teething baby around).  This puzzle features 9 wooden pieces which are much more robust and can handle a little chew now and again (although we will be much more vigilant once Archie gets some teeth!)

Dylan loves all things pirate so this was an immediate hit.  The puzzle says suitable for ages  2+, and at 26 months this is perfect for my little man.  He is particularly interested in puzzles though so I would say that this would be a perfect present for a 2.5/3 year old this Christmas.  The pieces are easy to slot together and once you have the puzzle mastered, you can play spot the difference between the completed puzzle and the image on the board.

 What I really love though, is that as the puzzle fits into the board it is easy to store, with no loose pieces or bulky boxes.  The puzzle is a great price at £8 which I think is very reasonable as this is a puzzle that will last through several children.  For parents like myself that want to choose a few special gifts, I would highly recommend this.

Archie is well into teething territory yet his smile is still gummy.  Every toy is thoroughly explored with his eyes, hands and mouth and he has been testing a  toot toot clutching toy from Haba.

This wooden ring features cars and signs and has a little bell that rings when it is shaken (or thrown as he has a tendency to do).  Archie seems fascinated with it and it is not exciting enough for his big brother to decide he 'needs' it as soon as it comes out to play.

It is an easy toy to pop in the changing bag and great for little gums.  I really love wooden toys and this is no exception.  I have no idea how it will hold up once teeth are added into the equation but we haven't had to worry about that yet.

If you are looking for inspiration for the little people in your life, then these wooden toys are beautiful and well made and I certainly prefer them to their plastic equivalents.

Disclaimer:  We were sent these products for the purpose of this review as part of our role as Toadstool Toy Testers

 but all thoughts, opinions and photos are completely my own.

Read more ⇨