New Collectible toy series- BABY Secrets

This year L has discovered the love for collectible toys and of course requested few for Christmas! If you have been following my social media you have noticed that few days before Christmas we have received a cute gift box with a surprise for L inside- a new collectible toy series BABY Secrets.

"BABY Secrets is new on the scene and brings exciting characters with big personalities. From painter baby complete with a paintbrush, to party baby with a sash and a party hat, they each come ready to share their own secrets. Discover the cutest and cheekiest babies in town".

Whilst shopping today I have walked passed a little girl who looked at little dolls calling each of them her baby I thought it was so cute and exactly spot on with the new collectible range. The series is based on cute little baby characters (50 to collect) dressed in a nappy that changes colour- pink or blue once placed in a cold water.

Little L was super excited to receive her BABY Secrets single pack (£2.99) which contains: little baby with movable limbs, white bath tub, collectors guide and BABY Secrets birth certificate in a shape of a nappy.

Our little baby doll turned out to be a little girl with a paint brush in her hand and a paint bucket on her head- mischievous little one! The toy seems sturdy enough to be used and played with for a long time, it doesn't look cheap or tacky in my opinion and is perfect for those families who can't afford to pay more for a collectible toy.

Just for a split second I thought that these little babies could be a perfect addition for a surprise gender baby shower! 

The full range includes: BABY Secrets single pack mentioned above and BABY Secrets activity packs (£12.99)- 

"the pack come complete with two exclusive babies, one surprise baby, a bath tub, three birth certificates, collector’s guide and either a high chair, rocking horse, pram or bassinet".

BABY Secrets is available from The Entertainer, Smyths, Argos and Toymaster. To learn more about the new product line visit BABY Secrets HQ.

Disclaimer: We have received the product mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Last minute Christmas presents with Smiggle

I have been following Smiggle for quite some time now, just like any child (at heart) I love anything bright, colourful, trendy and this is what "the world's hottest stationery brand" is all about! 

"The world’s hottest stationery brand. Born in Australia in 2003, and now in the UK! The ultimate creators of colourful, fun, fashion-forward stationery!"

Have you ever noticed that stationery is colour coordinated in Smiggle shops?! It's fascinating to see and I think this is what makes a shopping experience at Smiggle more exciting!

With just few days away from Christmas and New Year celebrations I was pleasantly surprised to receive some great goodies from Smiggle: a5 reversey sequin notebook (£13.50) and dippy safe money box (£16.50).

I have seen sequin reversible items online but only got the pleasure to "play" with one thanks to Smiggle. If you just like me don't know how it works- stroke/flipp the sequins up or down and see them change the colour! The notebook has elasticated loop for a pen or pencil and elasticated closure. It almost changes with your mood and keeps you organised and unique as well! 

Money box has been a hit in many households- it keeps your pennies safe and helps you or your child motivated towards a nice goal or a gift. 

"Make sure your money is as safe as fort knox with our fantastic safe style money box made from coated metal featuring fun prints. with a working dial combination lock, you'll never have to worry about losing your money again!"

No matter if you are a teenager (or buying for one), teacher, friend, parent these funky, colourful items (available in few colour choices) could make a great stocking filler or present! 

If you are a big fan of sales, Smiggle have an online SALE with up to 50% off hundreds of goodies, hurry! 

Disclaimer: I have received the items mentioned above for the purpose of this feature. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Funtastic board game for Christmas holidays!

I have always been a big fan of board games and couldn't wait until L gets old enough to participate. This Christmas I am hoping we are going to have some fun with the a new drawing game from University Games called Googly Eyes (£14.99, suitable from 7+).

"Googly Eyes, the hilarious drawing game involving crazy, googly glasses that challenge your vision and leave you googling for more".

The game comes with a set of playing cards, timer, board, dice, 4 coloured counters, a notepad with a pen and a set of funky glasses with 3 sets of lenses. The principle of the game is very simple: you put Googly Eyes glasses with either green, blue or yellow lenses (depending on the level), set a timer and draw something whilst team players are trying to guess what that is.

"The googly lenses each drastically impair vision, making it much harder to draw, yellow is the easiest, then green and finally the blue lenses which leave the wearer struggling to find the paper and pencil".

L couldn't wait to open the game and was very interested to see what it is about and how to use counters, I think she understands the principle now. Even though it states that the game is suitable from 7 years old I think it can be played with kids younger age as they like to be included! 

We have also tried googly glasses with 3 different lenses, yes each of them make it more difficult to draw but I think I have found a loop hole :-) 

Googly Eyes certainly seem to be a fun game that will bring together family, friends and even generations! Just cannot wait to play it on Christmas or Boxing Day! 

Disclaimer: I was sent the product mentioned above for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Meet Santa and his Antarctic creatures at The National Sea Life Centre Birmingham this Christmas

The Sea Life Centre is a great and momentous attraction to visit anytime of the year, but throw in a chance to meet Santa (experience and visit is available to book until 23rd December) and it turns into a magical visit. All admission tickets  (starts from £12.75) to the Sea life Centre include Meet Santa experience with children under 3 going for free!

Our family has visited the Sea Life Centre a few times in the past but this time everything seemed much more exciting.

 As your enter the first segment of the attraction- the Gentoo penguins! However unlike previous visits they seemed to interact with us more than before, even though they are through the glass. L and I were particularly elated as one penguin took a liking to her and decided to move when she moved, like a cute mirror image.

I personally found the penguins elegant in the way they moved, with an element of playfulness and cuteness.

The general layout of the Centre is the same with some superb fishes and underwater creatures to see through the looking glass, ranging from "Nemo"- as L calls them (clownfish) to the streamline sharks and rays.

                                     
We also gave the starfish a stroke! A staff member was offering passing visitors the chance to touch the sea creatures. They vary so much to the touch, the first I stroked had a hard and rough surface, but the other starfish was soft and delicate, very interesting as I have never had the chance to stroke underwater creatures before, so definitely an experience I will not forget.

                                        
As we continued our walk we passed "Dory" and "Nemo" and the wonderful, yet slightly creepy giant octupus. L seemed too excited to stand still so it was a matter of taking a look when we had the chance whilst she dragged us to each window!

Next up were some very cool white and black spotted rays and a very strange fish with crab legs, it was very interesting and the topic of conversation for several minutes with L. As she too found it bizarre but that makes sea creatures so interesting.

We then passed the jellyfish which are elegant when you look at them in their glowing tanks.

Halting at something which we noticed people queuing for- a chance to have a 4D Polar Express experience. Now I am yet to have experienced anything in 4D, so this opportunity was not to be

missed. We were given prior warning of what to expect: loud noise, lighting and the possibility of water! I would say this experience would be more suitable for older kids as some of the noises and effects might seem too loud and frighting for little ones.

Back up the winding path passed the cute little frogs and turtles, we knew what was coming next- the awesome 360 Ocean tunnel with sharks, rays, fish and a turtle. You simply do not know where to look, there is so much going on around you that you end up spinning on the spot and forgetting to walk forward.

Eventually when we did manage to pull ourselves away from the brilliant tunnel, we arrived at a queue. We knew what this queue was for, but tried to keep it a secret for L for as long as possible, it

lasted about 10 seconds. L was very excited to see Santa in his "Antarctic" cave!! She already had a list of what she wanted, but tried to lower expectations a little. Just before we meet the man himself, there is a final opportunity to see the penguins again through a glass window whilst waiting to see Santa.

Santa was sat on his sleigh surrounded by Christmas trees, and it looked great! L got a little shy but happily interacted with us for the pictures and when Santa gave L a cute crab plush toy. The experience in general was brilliant and seemed to build on our previous visit.

Just to add- you can purchase the images (inc. a keyring and other printed items) for £20, which seemed reasonable.

Once we said our goodbyes to Santa we had a choice of either let L have a run around in the indoor play area or do some painting with her (2 separate rooms), we opted for soft play room as this seemed small enough to be able to watch L without following her everywhere.

L was quite literally drained of energy when we left the Sea Life Centre, exhausted by her incredible and energetic experience she had at this truly memorable attraction!

Would I recommend it on a normal day, yes, however add Santa into the equation and you have a "definitely"!

Disclaimer: I was offered to visit the attraction with my family for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Gift guide for avid gardeners and cooks: Elho herb station

Until recently I thought that my father-in-law is one of the hardest people to buy gifts for. I have previously bought him a collection of stamps to pursue a new hobby (just like my dad) but that didn't work, since then we have been buying something more practical and useful, something that will be used and appreciated, something that would make his hobby "bloom" literally- garden related gifts. 

If you know someone who likes to cook tasty meals from scratch or even create their own mini garden in the kitchen Brussels herb station by Elho (£9.49- £10.49) could be just the right gift! 

"Using fresh herbs is more popular than ever. With this in mind, elho has extended its brussels collection with a brussels herb station. A spacious planter to mix and match all your favourite herbs of different container sizes and shapes together. Everything together, close at hand, ready to use. Of course there is a pair of handy herb scissors included. The herbs can be quickly and easily cut, without losing any of their flavour".

The moment I saw the herb station I knew it would fit in nicely in a kitchen full of different spices and plant pots. It has a holder for herb scissors (included) and 2 holes on either side for hanging if you choose to do so and ideally can fit in 2 small plat pots of different shapes.

The herb station comes in 3 colours: white, anthracite and nude, which could be ideal for any interior and is made of a sturdy, heavy duty material. 

I just cannot wait to see what my father-in-law thinks of it, should be a hit! 

"Elho pots and planters are widely stocked at all good garden centres and are available online at Amazon and The Worm That Turned website".

Disclaimer: I was sent the product mentioned above for the purpose of this feature. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Christmas gift guide for a healthier New Year :The Diet Plate

Couple of months ago I have realised that I became obsessed with scales even though the weight was going up or down every single day I was hoping for a miracle that will speed the process. I had a glance at a website selling quick fix methods of losing weight, have re-read articles on healthy eating and realised again that it is only my will and desire that will help and fix the issue. 

As we are just less than 2 weeks away from Christmas I thought that it would be perfect to introduce you to The Diet Plate- complete weight management system.

The Diet Plate offer a great range of portion control plates for female or male users or even kids as well as calories counting bowls for breakfast, yogurts or desserts. 

"The female and children's version of the plate and bowl will provide approximately 1200-1500 calories per day, allowing 300-400 calories for lunch. The male version of the plate will provide approximately 1500-1900 calories per day, allowing 400-500 calories for lunch".

With so many people struggling to find the best way to keep fit and lose weight I think I have found a great middle ground for you! Instead of starving yourself, trying new diets, eating powder meal replacements or giving up due to no results, you can lose weight without giving up the food! And that's not all- The Diet Plate is a good aid for those who have been diagnosed with Diabetes 2 and don't know where to start with their new nutritionally balanced diet lifestyle. 

As some of you may know I have been eating healthy for most of this year, within first 5 months I have lost 2 stone and since then have been maintaining the weight by restricting myself to certain foods that I discovered are a way forward for me as well as keeping active. Like any human being I would have a day where I feel like I have been so stressed that I need to have a square of the chocolate or maybe even a few. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see how big is the Diet Plate (£19.99) (this is something I am used to- big plate, big portions), the plate is divided into sections for carbs, salads, sauce and essentially directs on portion size and amounts. The plate is dishwasher and microwave safe which makes it an ordinary plate but with a twist.

The same principles apply to Calorie Counting Bowl (£14.99) which has its colour band method indicating the appropriate size of the portion allowed for certain calorie intake. With the booklet provided you can find all information on how to use the bowl as well as cereal chart, I was really surprised to learn that I eat perhaps too much of porridge.

"The Diet Plate is not about total healthy eating but about "a little of what you fancy does you good!" The Diet Plate by default alters the nutritional values of the food groups, directly at the point of serving hot food. This means that if you want chips, you can have them but don't go over the starchy carb section, if you are having chips and peas, then both are starches and both sit together as one portion in that area. 

Once you have your starch and protein or starch and sauces measured then just move the entire meal to one side and fill with free veggies, like; cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, pak choy, leeks, carrots etc. So you get a nice big plate of food but it is all calorie counted for you, regardless of whether it is salmon, new potatoes and veg or a chicken curry from the local curry house".

It may seem complicated at first but once you start you can easily get used to and "hooked" up to using both plate and bowl. To support you weight loss journey you can also sign up to The Diet Plan online (accessible form any device) membership where you can enter all your personal information including weight goals and daily meals to be able to track how and what you eat and if something needs adding or adjusting to move forward with your weight loss. 

From the image above you can see that I am used to big portions and the food pretty much overflowing sometimes, depending on what is on my plate and now that I am not eating rice I feel hungry quicker or don't get full as much, the process of getting used to new Diet Plate wasn't too painful. I noticed that even though I want to "cheat" and put a tall tower of vegetables I try to avoid it now as portions are sufficient enough. Due to the foods I eat and portions I do not feel bloated anymore (Yay!) and feel less heavy in myself! 

I believe that The Diet Plate could be a start of something new and exciting for yourself or even make a perfect present for someone who has been struggling with weight gain. 

Here is to a healthier, happier New Year with The Diet Plate!

Disclaimer: I have received the product mentioned above for the purpose of this review/feature. All thought and opinions are my own.

Christmas stocking fillers gift ideas

Living in a small town and going to the same shops sometimes means that there could be a chance of buying duplicate presents or items of clothing which one of your family members already own or bought for us, this did happen few times in the past. To avoid disappointment and to put more thought into what you buy for your loved once, I have compiled a list of unique, thoughtful stocking fillers gifts.

1. Elizabeth Shaw Luxury Biscuits (£1.79 for 140g box, available from major supermarkets). Do you know someone with a sweet tooth?! Well these biscuits could be just the right treat for them.

"We have been devoted to making quality chocolate since 1881. Using our expertise we have now developed a range of decadent and delicious biscuits for you to enjoy  covered in Elizabeth Shaw chocolate.

With tempting flavours to choose from there is a biscuit for every taste: raisin & hazelnut, coconut & hazelnut, mint & cocoa, and raisin & cocoa".

2. Superdrug Foot Packs (reduced to £1.49 at the moment). 

A perfect treat for someone who have worked to hard and need a little spa treatment for their feet. Comes in 2 flavours: tea tree & peppermint and honey & almond. Smells beautifully, length can be adjusted depending on a shoe size, keeps feet soft and smooth! 

3. Tiana Coconut Butter ( £4.99 for 350ml jar). Do you know someone who is health conscious?! This little jar could be a perfect and a very practical gift! 

"TIANA Pure Organic Coconut Cooking Butter is a cost effective alternative to virgin coconut oil. It is also an excellent substitute for cooking oils, margarine or even goose fat and will change your way of cooking and baking forever!

Its smooth and creamy texture is perfect for roasting and stir-frying your favourite dishes, without any distinctive coconut aroma or taste.

It is cholesterol and trans-fat free, has excellent heat resistance, so it is a healthier choice".

4.  Sheaffer Star Wars inspired pens (roller ball £16, fountain pen £18 available form John Lewis, The Pen Shop and Cross website).

"If you prefer the Death Star to baubles and the Millennium Falcon to Santa’s sleigh, Sheaffer have got the perfect gift for the Jedi in your life.Featuring bold artwork 

of fan-favourites Yoda, 

R2-D2 and Darth Vader, the new 

Sheaffer Star WarsTM Pop Pens are 

ideal for Luke’s and Leia’s alike".

5. 

Dead Sea Body Scrub with Frankincense Oil (£7.79 for 300ml pot, available from Boots).

Who doesn't like a good scrub?! I absolutely love my scrubs and would normally use body scrubs even on my face even though it is not recommended if the product is not suitable for face. 

"Malki’s new Dead Sea scrub banishes dull dry skin, leaving you silky and soft. From now on fabulous skin is only a fingertip away.

 Dead Sea salt scrub is a deliciously buttery, two-in- one exfoliator and moisturizer. Created by fusing nutrient-rich Dead Sea salts with Frankincense aromatherapy oil. The detergent and chemical free formula is soft but effective on all skin types so it won’t upset sensitive souls. 

You don’t have to travel thousands of miles to reap the rewards of the Dead Sea, just one small pot can transform a boring bathroom into your own secret spa. Shut the door on the world and give yourself and your skin a deserving treat.

Disclaimer: I was provided with product samples for the purpose of this feature. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Christmas gift guide for parents struggling with bedtime: Children’s meditations in my heart book by Gitte Winter Graugaard

The "Children’s meditations in my heart" book by Gitte Winter Graugaard (£14.95) has arrived perfectly on time as L was going through yet another developmental leap struggling to calm herself down, getting overstimulated due to lack of day nap and loads more. It was a really tough period for us as no matter how hard we tried to help L with her anger and tiredness nothing worked until this magical hard back book turned up! 

"The Children’s Meditations in My Heart is a collection of meditations designed to help children drift off to sleep within minutes.

A collection of four meditations for parents to read to their children, Graugaard’s book shows parents how to teach their child the importance of self-esteem and self-love, enabling them to drift off into calming, reparative sleep, their hearts full with love".

The book is designed in such a way allowing a parent to interact and read stories (4 stories overall) that help a child to create vivid pictures in their head all related to love, heart, warmth, being loved and sharing the love with others.

The book's paragraphs are divided and mostly start with interaction where you ask how the child's day has been, how's the heart feeling right now or holding hands activity that is helping to send love from one to another and laslty 2 endings to each story for day time story or night time story.

When reading the book for the first time L showed lots of interest and answered all questions I have asked her about her heart and how the day has been. It was interesting to watch but perhaps made L more lively than asleep, so once I have realised that each story involves a question and answer scenario I started to skip them.

I have noticed that L is interested in the book, every evening she asks to read a book about heart, likes to listen to my heartbeat and asks me to listen to hers, she became calmer ( I don't know if this is a coincidence), she follows the instructions from the book telling her to close her eyes, breath calmly and listen to the story. 

I do think this book made a difference in my child which is a sole reason why this book was written on the first place.

I have mentioned this book at L's nursery as one of the stories works not only as a bedtime story but also may help with separation anxiety which L in particular has at drop offs at nursery. I do like this story but try not to read part that involve or mention death or dead people as find in unnecessary at this age plus after losing my father at such a young age I am just not prepared to explain what that means.

In few words the story is about a cloud that lives where the mountain is that leads to L's (your child's heart is) lovely heart, this cloud is full of love-the love from loved ones and every child has it even though they may not be aware of it. The cloud is attached to a string and when I am away from L she can move the string closer to remind her that I'm always there and my love for her will keep her safe and warm, once I am around L she can release the string until the next time she needs it closer. 

It seems a very symbolic story that reminds L that I am always there, as nursery staff mentioned to me it may be a little bit to difficult for her to understand the full meaning of it but I believe the more you read it and the more you mention it, it can make a different long term!

"Children’s meditations in my heart" book is a new, gentle take on a book that will relax or send your child to sleep.

"Now available in the UK “The Children’s Meditations In my Heart” is available from www.amazon.co.uk priced £14.95 for a hard copy, £4.97 for a kindle copy, and £5.09 for a pdf download from www.roomforreflection.com".

Disclaimer: This product was sent for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Forth with Life finger prick test subscription box

Sometimes even the healthiest of us can can have aches here and there, I certainly try to avoid seeing GP unless I have an urgent enquiry or something bothers me. Lately I have noticed that I feel more tired after lunch time, every single day I felt so tired and I couldn't explain it. 

I knew if I were to go GP about it they could brush it off so I started my own investigation: I considered that lack of exercise could be the reason, that I don't drink enough water during the day, stress could be another factor or even iron deficiency could be one of main reasons. 

When Forth with Life got in touch offering to review one of their finger prick test I knew it could bring me the answers I was seeking for some time. 

"We are a group of clinical and digital experts who are passionate about healthcare. We’re part of a new breed of digital healthcare companies who are transforming people’s relationship with their health by using technology to give them more information and help them gain greater control"

.

I was offered to review Baseline kit (£59) which is a part of the subscription package allowing you to test your blood every 3, 4 or 6 months. As my kit was one off I could easily cancel or pass my subscription in case if I change my mind. 

The ordering process as well as website navigation is quite quick and simple, I quickly found the right test, registered, typed my basic information including name, DOB and my weight goals. It took 2 working days for the test to arrive and 2 working days for results to come through after I posted my blood sample back.
                                           
As part of the Baseline test kit you receive four finger stick needles, an individual plastic"vial" and some plasters.

The finger sticks are easy to use, simply remove the cap and push against your chosen finger. I gently ran my hand under warm water to get a better blood flow and loosen the blood for better droplets which was suggested in the instructions leaflet.
Then simply squeeze/massage your finger to fill the vial with your blood, ready to be inserted into the enclosed pre-paid packet, sealed and shipped off to the laboratory. Once that was done I logged in and ticked the box stating the the test was posted so the Forth With Life can track the parcel. 

After I have managed to do the finger prick test for the first time in my life I certainly started to appreciate skilled nurses at the hospitals who take our blood as it did took me around 30 minutes to fill up a tiny container.

The Base line test checks several aspects of your internals:
1) Cardiovasular issues (such as Triglycerides and total cholesterol levels), which is excellent if you are worried about your heart and any coronary diseases.
2) Kidney issues, specifically your albumin levels
3) Liver issues (such as Gloulin levels and total protein in your system)
4) Metabolic issues, specifically the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (which controls the production of hormones in your system)
5) Vitamin & minerals, either being at a high or low rate (focusing mainly on Vitamin D and Ferritin).

As I am sure you will agree, each of those sections above cover areas which are crucial to our general well being.

You can also pay for a lower/higher test (lite/plus) and also Forth offer hormonal tests , screening and specific essential tests (focusing on either the liver, vitamin D etc...).      

The test results arrived within a few days (I received an e-mail notification like I did for every step of the process starting from purchase) and help you act on any issues you may have from the Forth with Life test results. You can access your result by simply login into your account and going to "My results" section. My results came back with a low level of Vitamin D and high level of Ferritin, knowing this confirmed my fears, allows me to plan for the future and remedy the issues with haste.

I know some of you maybe be a little skeptical to the home based method and it's accuracy, but I do believe that if you follow the steps from the instructions accurately there shouldn't be any flaws.

I would definitely recommend the Forth with Life health test kits for any health conscious individuals.

Disclaimer: I have received the product for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.