Category: Reviews

1. What is happening at Hatton World this Easter?

   Posted on 7:35pm Friday 3rd Apr 2015

   I have to admit something. I am not a natural outdoorsy kind of person. There I said it!

   BUT .... I do love going to Hatton Adventure World with the children and that is a whole heap of outdoors for me, so when we were invited to see what was new for their Easter Eggstravaganza, I knew that is what we would be doing this half term.

   Easter 2015 sees the launch of a new feature at Hatton Adventure World, their Outdoor Laser Combat.  It is suitable for over 8's only (and the grown ups too) and it is great to see that there is something for older children now as I do worry about the tween getting bored. There is all the usual Easter fun for the whole family, from Easter Bunny Hunts to the Easter Garden where children can search for eggs to exchange for chocolate treats.

   My girls insist on going to see the animals before we do anything else and we had to feed the greedy goats first.

   

   Then check out how much the pigs had grown since our last visit.

   

   Not forgetting checking the baby chicks.

   

   Then with the weather turning a bit chilly, the girls decided it was time to warm up on the bouncy castle.

   

   There is a full programme on over Easter including the new Tractor Safari, the Code Crackers Challenge (which was great fun) and the usual favourite of panning for gold and pony rides.

   

   The tween wanted to go on the Laser Combat (so did my husband) but the temperature had dropped significantly by this point and the rain started to fall, so we all wanted a bit of shelter, unfortunately Laser Combat wasn't it. The tween just about managed to get on the tube slide at the entrance but that was as far as we got. The layout of the Laser Combat looks brilliant and really well organised and the tween was gutted to miss out, although in her eyes it is just another reason to go back!

   

    All the Easter activities are on until the 12th April, so there is still time to go and enjoy. The weather forecast is better for next week too!

   

    

   

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2. It's a bit parky outside : Vertbaudet Girls Parka Review

   Posted on 10:00pm Sunday 8th Feb 2015

   If you hadn't noticed, it has gone a little chilly outside recently. More than a little chilly and for some reason, 9 year old girls insist that they don't feel the cold. If you are the proud owner of one of those 9 year old girls, you will surely know what I am talking about.

   They know best.

   They don't "need" to wear a coat.

   They certainly don't need a new one with a hood!

   We have spent the whole of January trying on new coats, they have been too big, too fluffy, too long, too green (!!) and I had a reality check about who was actually the decision maker in our parent / child relationship, so when Vertbaudet asked us to review one of this seasons Parka's from their children's range, I said yes.

   You can see her reaction to this removal of her choice....

   

   The coat is well made, it is shower proof and despite it's rain proofing qualities, it is warm and cozy with its fur lining. We love the selection of winter warmers that Vertbaudet has and we *may* have lost an hour of life browsing round the site. 

   

   
   

   Winter warmers for children by littlelilypadco on Polyvore

   Girl’s Showerproof Parka, £31, Girl’s Beret, Snood & Mittens Set, £17, Girl’s Hat, Snood & Gloves or Mittens Set, £17, Baby Boy’s Hat & Scarf Set, £12, Baby Girl’s Hat Scarf & Mittens Set, £16, Boy’s Trapper Hat, £11, Faux Fur Neck Warmer, £6

   There is a great selection online and colours for every picky 9 year old to choose from.

   My word of advice when buying, is to pick a colour you know they like (or get ready for a battle every single morning) and in the case of this particular design, buy a bigger size. It does come up a little snug, so when the cold chill really does hit, it may be more than a little cozy if she is wearing a jumper underneath.

   So if you are the proud owner of one of those choosy, particular and down right adorable 9 year olds, have a little look at Vertbaudet, it might just make one of those parenting battles a little easier today!

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3. St Andrews Day : Buyahipflask.com Review

   Posted on 10:30pm Thursday 27th Nov 2014

   You may know that on November 30th the world celebrates St Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day. There will undoubtedly be parties galore in Scotland, events around the world and maybe a few wee drams to warm the cockles, given the cold November we are having.

   As I am now married to a Scotsman, this holiday is somehow now more prevalent in our calendar and he is very proud of his heritage. According to Scotland.org "Saint Andrew (who is believed to have later preached around the shores of the Black Sea), was an agile and hardy Galilean fisherman whose name means Strong and who also had good social skills. He brought the first foreigners to meet Jesus and shamed a large crowd of people into sharing their food with the people beside them. Today we might describe him as the Patron Saint of Social Networking!"

   It was through the power of social networking that I came across Buyahipflask.com. I have to admit that I *may* have historically thought that a hipflask was more suited to the older generation but after seeing a fellow blogger at an event with an uber cool hipflask, I suspected I should re-evaluate my opinon.

   Given the chance to review a hipflask, I spent ages browsing round the site and whilst I was tempted by a very cool one for myself, I knew that really I should get one for my very own Scotsman. I know it sounds ridiculous but I love that Buyahipflask are based in Scotland and even more so that their hipflasks are made in the UK.

   

   I chose the 6oz Tartan Round Flask  which retails at a very affordable £27.00 and you get the chance to personalise many of the flasks too. There are so many to choose from that it becomes a little mind boggling but I loved the stylish simplicity of this flask, whilst being a little different to the standard hip flask shape.

   

   All their hip flasks are made from 100% Pewter, which keeps its shine with minimal effort, perfect for me who has minimal time to polish the silverware. (word of warning don't put it next to an emery board in your handbag, as this *may* scuff your shiny flask ..... just a small suggestion). On the subject of my handbag, did I also mention that it fits perfectly in a handbag for a cheeky tipple on a night out?

   

   So what is our verdict?

   What we love:

   • The extensive range of designs
   • The quality
   • The fact they are made in the UK
   • The ease of the site.

    

   What we don't like:

   • That the Scotsman has a hipflask in MY handbag .... I may just fill it with Pinot Grigio instead!
   • !

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4. Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Disposal Review

   Posted on 3:55pm Monday 3rd Nov 2014

   There are a few things that you suddenly find yourself talking about when you become a parent and toilet habits are one of them! So when Tommee Tippee offered our baby blogger the chance to try their new nappy disposal unit, we thought we would give it a try .... here's what she thought.
   
   Nappies; not the most glamorous of topics, but the subject of changing our little ones bum's is one that often comes up in our household and I expect others too! I'd never thought about a way of disposing nappies other than chucking them straight into the bin outside. However, when I was given the opportunity to review the Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Disposal system, it was quite timely as nipping outside to the bin a few times a day in the winter months isn't quite so appealing, and with another baby due in December, it's only going to be a more frequent activity! 
   
   The new coloured design of the Sangenic tub comes in blue and pink so I chose the blue one in order to match my son's bedroom, and I'm very pleased to say it actually goes really well, for a nappy bin it probably couldn't be more stylish. This pleases me for starters!

   
   
   

    

   key features

   • Twists & wraps each nappy to lock in odour
   • Antibacterial film kills 99% of germs on contact and offers unbeatable odour protection
   • 100 times more effective at odour protection than nappy sacks+
   • Comes with one pre-loaded film cassette
   • Holds up to 28 nappies at one time*
   • All Sangenic Disposal systems now work with a one-size-fits-all type of cassette.

   It's simple to use, you just pop your nappies or nappy sacks into the top, spin it and the nappy disappears into the main tub. Can I smell anything after? Pleased to report no smell  ....... yippee! However when it comes to emptying the bin there is nothing to completely protect the senses so unfortunately this bin doesn't actually work miracles, but its good enough to mean that only one trip to the outside bin is needed per day or so. 

   I think this bin is useful but will really come in handy when I've got two little bums to change. Tommee Tippee advise that on average, each cassette will last approximately 3-4 weeks (tested using size 3 nappies (5-9kg) using 3 nappies per day). So anything that makes life a little easier on a day to day basis is always a winner, and it gets an extra star for being surprisingly very good looking! Well done Tommee Tippee!

   The new pink & blue nappy disposal system from Sangenic are part of an exclusive promotion at Mothercare and are usually £31.00 but currently on offer at £15.50! Go grab one while you can!

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