Category: Reviews

1. L.O.L. SURPRISE! SERIES 3 Review

   Posted on 8:00am Wednesday 14th Feb 2018

   What better way to celebrate Valentines than with your BFF and a L.O.L Surprise!  (Or Galentines on the 13th February, which is the new way to celebrate those girl friends you love). Even more exciting is to share the love with the NEW L.O.L Surprise Series 3 and the introduction of the Confetti Pop!

          

   This Spring, L.O.L. Surprise! Confetti Pop launches in the UK on the 14th February with nine brand new surprises including new dolls, new accessories and a new surprise water feature. The L.O.L Surprise! Confetti Pop looks similar to the first two series in shape and style and although you have your zips to "unlock" the treasures inside you suddenly get to the balls which has a "spin me" instruction to reveal sets of doors. (excitement levels definitely increased at this bit)

   

   Not only does the L.O.L Surprise! Confetti Pop have outfits, accessories, shoes and dolls - hidden amongst the layers is a ribbon, inviting you to pull and reveal a confetti pop! surprise which can be enjoyed over and over again. (we struggled with the over and over again bit but to be honest, once the doll is out that is all they care about!) The "pop" feature is exciting but definitely needs a little adult or older children's help to actually make it pop but the little LOL Surprise! jumping out is great fun.

   

   So once you have "popped" the LOL Surprise! Doll out of her ball (be prepared for the confetti) you can create your cute little character. At £10.99 the Confetti Pop is slightly more expensive than the previous series but I think that they have definitely injected a new excitement for little ones to enjoy.

   

   To compliment the Confetti Pop, they are also launching the series 3 L.O.L Surprise! Lil Sisters. They have five surprises and the clue hints at which doll is hidden inside. Reveal stickers, accessories and a doll. The surprises don’t stop there – bathe your doll to reveal her colour change water surprise. Her ball can become either a keyring or bath set. Mix and match the adorable accessories with both the L.O.L Surprise! Confetti Pop and L.O.L Surprise! Pets. There are 35+ L.O.L Surprise! Lil Sisters dolls to collect in series 3. 

   

   We have previously had LOL Suprise! Dolls as gifts and used for rewards and every time there is something new to find and discover. They are great collectables and my daughter and her friends will play with them for hours, so at the same price you can pay for a couple of magazines, there are so many more hours of fun to be had!

   The new Series 3 get a huge thumbs up from us and are no doubt going to be popping up on most little ones wishlists this year!

   L.O.L. Surprise!TM Series 3 is for children aged 6+ and is available from all good toy retailers including Smyths and The Entertainer. For more information, visit https://lolsurprise.mgae.com/

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2. Win a Mini Hornit Helmet - RRP £29.99

   Posted on 8:00pm Sunday 4th Feb 2018

   

   I don't really remember learning to ride a bike, it just seems like something I have always known how to do but when teaching my own girls to ride a bike, I am all about their safety, with a helmet and knee pads. I honestly don't think I personally ever had a helmet on to ride my bike as a child and I don't know whether it was because we are more safety aware now or whether helmets were not "cool" back then!

   

   Mini Hornit helmets are a bit, no a LOT, cooler than most kids’ bike helmets! Painstakingly designed to look stylish & fun (or quiet understated in the case of Stealth!), they are fully adjustable, comfortable, lightweight and actually something children will want to wear. They will also love the integrated LED which is an added safety feature, useful for riding home after school in winter.

   

   There are lots of designs to choose from but we went for the Minnie Mouse inspired Mini Hornit Lid for our little bike trainee and she squealed with excitement when she saw it, which was a good start. She is usually found sporting pigtails in her hair, so we had to have a hairstyle change to ensure a comfortable fit but she couldn't wait to try it on. It took us a little while to find the best and most comfortable fit but it is really easy to adjust and I personally love the LED light at the back.

    

   The Mini Hornit Lid is fully adjustable (for when she gets a big head after learning to ride a bike) but as an overview:

   • M and S sizes fit almost all children:
     • Small: 48-53cm
     • Medium: 53-58cm
   • EN1078 and CPSC tested
   • Head adjuster, 11 air vents

   LED Light:
   

   • 3 modes
   • 2x AG3 cell batteries
   • 10 hours constant
   • 20 hours flashing

    

    

   So if you would like to be in with a chance to win one for yourself, all you need to do is enter below! Good luck!

    

   a Rafflecopter giveaway

   Terms & Conditions

   The Prize: Mini Hornit Lid RRP £29.99
   The winners will be chosen at random by the random winner generator on Rafflecopter and notified within 7 working days by email
   By entering this competition, you understand that your details may be retained for future mailings. You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.
   There is no monetary equivalent.
   Little Lilypad Co take no /responsibility for loss or damage in the despatch of prizes
   If the prize is unclaimed within 7 days we reserve the right to redraw the winner.
   End Date 26/02/2018 at 12am

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3. Restaurants That Compost Their Rubbish Removal Are a Hit With Consumers

   Posted on 8:00am Wednesday 31st Jan 2018

   Waste is big news at the moment and one of the worst rubbish removal problems we have is uneaten, unused food waste. It is estimated that world wide, about one-third of all food produced ends up wasted! Moreover, most of this wasted food ends up in a landfill where it produces carbon dioxide and methane, both major contributors to the greenhouse effect. Methane gas also bubbles through the ground, sometimes causing dangerous explosions far from the landfill.

   

   
   Restaurants often produce so much food waste, they can't keep enough rubbish removal bins, especially during their busiest seasons. However, a few UK restaurants have decided to make as part of the central theme, an effort to compost their food waste to keep it out of the landfills. In fact, most of these same restaurants go a step further in trying to produce less food waste.
   
   Silo, a restaurant located in Brighton, has placed as a center attraction, as soon as you walk in the door, a special composter, called a digester, to compost all their food straps. It's specially equipped to "digest" meat, dairy, and oil, unlike most garden composter or garden compost pile where these items are typically excluded. Beyond the composting of food scraps, their plates are made from recycled plastics, their drinks are served in recycled jam jars, and they even mill their own flour and brew their own beer. Their restaurant furniture is made from rustic repurposed materials that serve as a constant reminder to their dedication to getting as close to zero waste as possible. All of these efforts combine to create a lot less rubbish removal and they very proudly boast about it -- and they should!
   
   Poco, a restaurant with locations in London and Bristol, not only composts their food scraps, they take avoiding food waste to a whole new level! For starters, they actually keep track of the food that is left on their patron's plates. If a particular menu item gets left on their plates too often, they take that item off the menu so they don't generate as much rubbish removal with the food they serve -- smart! The owners of Poco also choose their vendors in large part based on who can deliver with the least amount of packaging. This is better than recycling your packaging -- when you have nothing, or at least a lot less, to recycle! On the Poco website, they proudly state, "95% to 100% of our waste is composted and recycled."
   
   Other UK restaurants follow a similar ethos to minimize their rubbish removal as much as possible. These include The Modern Pantry located in London, the Tiny Leaf also located in London, and the River Cottage HQ in Devon. Of all of the methods used to minimize rubbish removal in restaurants, composting is the most successful in terms of the volume of rubbish diverted from landfills.
   
   FERN, which stands for Food Establishments Recycling Nutrients, is an NGO based in Lebanon with a mission to reduce the food wasted in restaurants. On World Food Day last year, they hosted a lunch that was made entirely out of food left over from that day's breakfast buffet. How's that for no rubbish removal of food! They also consult with restaurants all over the world to help them learn how to reduce their food waste and how to compost their food waste rather than tossing it in the rubbish removal bins where it will likely be taken to the landfills. FERN facilitated an experiment with ten McDonald’s in London, who agreed to separate out their food waste so it could be taken to a composting company. The experiment was a huge success and has been highlighted to show other restaurants what's possible.
   
   Judging from the consistently high scores and high praise these restaurants get on their online reviews, they are among the most popular restaurants in their respective geographic areas. Consumers flock to them not only for the quality of food they produce but for social commitments they've made to keeping food and other items out of the landfills and reducing their waste overall. While some of them bill themselves as "zero waste" restaurants, they probably don't quite reach that goal but they do seem to attempt to get as close to that noble goal as possible.
   
   Clearabee, a rubbish removal company with a shared ecofriendly mission, has been promoting their services to restaurants, not with the goal of taking their food waste to the landfill, but rather with the goal of keeping it out of the landfill! One of Clearabee's top missions is to divert as much rubbish from the landfills as possible. To this end, they find places to LEGALLY take the rubbish they clear for recycling, upcycling, or reuse. In the case of food, composting is the best way to recycle it!

   This is really "food for thought" and takes me back to my childhood where we used to rolle our eyes at my Mum for wanting to recycle everything or compost the leftovers. Little did I know that my Mum was ahead of the trend! Shhh don't tell her that though!

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4. New Year, New You, New Skills ......

   Posted on 7:00am Friday 12th Jan 2018

   If you listen oh-so carefully, as soon as the clock strikes midnight on NYE, there is a simultaneous clatter of glasses. All adults across the land abandon their prosecco flute in favour of quinoa, salad and paleo bars. And never shall it be seen again… until day 23 of the diet.

   We all know that eating a varied diet with lots of fruit and veg, and a good portion of protein is good for us. We all know we need to cut back in January to rid the Christmas pud tum. So, if we all know the sugar-free score, let’s ditch diet resolutions. Let’s focus on feeding our souls some good stuff instead.

   Skills to soothe your soul

   There’s no denying it, the new year is tough going. So many expectations, the unknown awaits… also, it’s baltic outside and you can’t remember the last time you saw daylight. Is there anything worse than dragging yourself back into the term time routine after two weeks of indulgence? I think not.

   So, rather than starving yourself this January, choose to soothe your soul instead. Feed it some good stuff by throwing yourself into new endeavours. Learning new skills is a great way to distract from the monotony of the daily nine while five. What’s more, the contentment you feel from accomplishing a goal, investing in interests, and refining your skills, is boundless.

   At a time when everything from your work to your weight seems to be dragging you down, do something for you. Have a think about what makes you happy, what ignites a spark of passion inside you. And go for it. Your choice doesn’t have to be ‘wholesome’ or ‘healthy’. Simply engaging with your chosen activity is enough to cleanse the mind and satisfy the soul.

   I have had the opportunity to review the Digital Marketing Diploma with New Skills Academy this year, to develop my own skill set and expand my mind! I have used online training courses before but this is the first time I had tried the New Skills Academy, so was interested to see how the course would be delivered.

   

   Online studying is a massive benefit for folk like me who want to fit around other life commitments (you know the ones .... the school run, work, ironing and all that jazz) and you can pick it up and do a module when it suits you. Other online providers have webinars at set times but the New Skills Academy is very research based and gives you tasks to complete in your own time.

   The benefits to these type of online course are:

   • Wide range of courses that are CPD accredited
   • You can study anywhere and any time
   • You get an actual recognised qualification
   • Helps to improve career prospects around your other commitments
   • Online support
   • Ability to download the materials for future reference.

   The downside can be ensuring you stay motivated to get yourself through the course but there is a definite sense of achievement when you click through each module and mark it as completed. There are no tutors looking over your shoulder (or indeed monitoring your progress), which can be a blessing but equally it is nice to get some reassurance at times too.

   There is a final assessment to ensure that you have actually absorbed all of the information but again, this is done online and your certification emailed to you immediately, so if you are considering online learning, the only thing you need to do is decide on what subject!

    Selecting your new skill

   When it comes to selecting your skill, it may be that you have an idea in mind. Perhaps you have always wanted to upcycling shabby furniture finds? That being said, it isn’t unusual to want to invest time in developing a newfound interest, either.

   If you’re looking for inspiration, here’s a handy list of 15 skills to consider. 

   1. Attend a yoga or Pilates course
   2. Craft stunning cake designs from fondant
   3. Keep a bonsai garden
   4. Learn a new instrument: the piano, violin, ukulele, bongos…
   5. Give rock climbing a go
   6. Master a competitive card game or another mind sport
   7. Develop your photography skills
   8. Create scented candles
   9. Practise mindfulness and/or meditation
   10. Start a blog
   11. Clear and feng shui your home
   12. Grow your own in the garden or on an allotment
   13. Pursue your hidden talent for the stage
   14. Get arty – try needle felting, watercolour painting, pottery…
   15.  Become a star baker at a pie-making or bread baking workshop

   P.S. I already gave you upcycling furniture, so you can have that one for free. It’s on me. Online learning isn't free but there are lots of offers on at the moment, so why not take a look (although I don't necessariy think you need a course for becoming a star baker ..... just remember to share the cakes with me!)

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