Me & Mine - June 2015

I cannot believe that come tomorrow, we'll be in July. That means it's just over 2 months until the kids birthdays and 5 until Christmas!

This month has finally seen us have sun so we have been enjoying plenty of park trips and ice cream shop visits with the kids! Chris finishes work at 5 so we get to make the most of the daylight.

I always forget to take a special photo for this post. I'm usually behind the camera so I really need to up my game for next month. 

This month we have reluctantly taken another year's lease on our house. I hate living in a rental property but we just need a little more money behind us at the mo plus we don't want to just settle for the first house we see. Hopefully we can find somewhere suitable soon. 

Next month, we are looking forward to more day trips out and playing in the paddling pool (if the great weather continues!). The Tall Ships are in Belfast this weekend so we are wanting to visit that and we also are planning a trip to the beach! C hasn't been since he was around 9 months old and E has never been! I'm sure they'll love it. 

Boj 'Blast Off Buddies' DVD - Review

CBeebies is the only kids TV channel that gets watched in our house and Boj, without a shadow of a doubt, is C's favourite programme. I remember seeing the adverts for it only beginning in around April/May last year and we eagerly waited on it being shown for the first time. We instantly loved it and it became a firm favourite in our house. Every time the theme song comes on, C stops what he's doing to watch. It's not only the kids who love it, Chris and I do too. I defy anyone to listen to the theme tune and not feel happy afterwards!

Boj the bilby and his adventures in Giggly Park with Mimi, Pops, Denzil, Gavin, Mia and the rest of the gang have reined in half a million views in just over a year of being on air. If you're not a CBeebies watcher, you can now watch the adventures whenever you want thanks to the release of Boj's first DVD - Blast Off Buddies. C is a very lucky boy and he has recently had the opportunity to give the DVD a watch.

When it first arrived, he was so happy and excited and shouted, "BOJ!". We popped it on and you can choose to watch in English or French which I thought was great if you are a bilingual household. C tried his hardest to sing along - it's the cutest thing! The DVD has ten 11-minute long episodes including the episode 'Blast Off Buddies' taken from the DVD title where Boj tried to fix his friend Gavin's rocket and blast it to the moon.

The premise of the show is that Boj, alongside his parents Mimi and Pops (voiced by Jason Donovan of Neighbours fame!) and they live in an underground burrow. We also see a whole host of other characters such as Boj's friends Denzil Woof and his parents Mrs and Dr Woof, Gavin Bleat and his parents Mr and Mrs Bleat, Mia Twitch, her parents Mr and Mrs Bleat and her brothers The Twitchlets, Rupa Nibblit and her parents Mr and Mrs Nibblit and finally Mr Cloppity who is the keeper of Giggly Park.

Each episode is so much fun and we see lots of messy fun and creativity.  Boj always finds solutions to situations or dilemmas with his 'Boj-a-boom' ideas! I think that this teaches children a lot about how to fix things and think for themselves.

The fact that the episodes are only 11 minutes long means that your child doesn't lose interest and can remember everything that's gone one in the one episode. C actually sat through all of them on first watch - he loves it that much! Alongside the episodes, listed in full below, you can also find the Boj theme tune karaoke video, The Duckling 'Home To Me' karaoke music video, Keeping Mr Cloppity 'Altogether Now' karaoke music video and even printable colouring in sheets of Boj, Denzil, Mia, Rupa and Gavin.

The episodes on the DVD are:

Blast Off Buddies
Denzil accidentally breaks Gavin's new toy rocket so Boj comes up with an idea that will make the spacecraft fly. 

Hoppy Birthday

It's Rupa's birthday and Boj has a boj-a-boom idea to help Mia get her an amazing present. 

Flat as a Pancake

It's a hot day in Giggly Park and Denzil has invited some friends over to play. Boj gets a boj-a-boom idea how to mend the leaky paddling pool with Mrs Woof's extra sticky pancakes. 

Carry On Carrot

Mrs Woof makes her big soup but is missing Me Cloppity's carrots because his crop has failed. 

Giggly Park Rescue Squad

Denzil, Gavin and Boj rescue the residents of Giggly Park from a variety of mishaps and create a game they can all play happily together. 

The Giggly Dig 

The friends want to bury their own time capsules but soon begin to miss the items they put inside them. 

Denzil's Lost Teddy

Denzil has lost his treasured teddy bear, Snugsy. The Twitchlets have Snugsy but they won't give him back! How can Boj get him back to Denzil and keep the Twitchlets happy?

Boj the Collector

All Boj's buddies have collections and Boj wants one too. But he loves everything in Giggly Park so much that he can't decide which things to collect. 

Sneezy Snufferoos 

To keep birds away, Mr Cloppity hangs out yoghurt pots on strings over his seeds and Boj's friends are ill so can't come out to play. 

Keep On Going

Boj, Rupa and Gavin are trekking for their Ranger survival badges. When Gavin's satnav boots go on the blink, Boj has an idea to get them back on track. 

Blast Off Buddies is available now from Sainsbury's (RRP £4.99), ASDA (RRP £5.99) and Amazon (RRP £7.25). 

You can keep up to date with all things Boj at the website, Facebook and Twitter. The next DVD release, Giggly Holiday, will be released in July so keep an eye out for that too! I think I'll have to purchase it for C and E! 

(Disclaimer: We received a copy of the DVD for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Mummy & Me #4 - June

I cannot believe we're in June already. That means it's only three months until C's 3rd Birthday and E's 1st birthday and six til Christmas - argh!

May's Mummy & Me til now has seemed like the longest month ever! Nothing overly exciting has happened though. We have had some lovely weather so we've spent most of our time outdoors!

My aim last month was to take more pictures of me and C which I managed to do, but in true 'me' fashion, they are mostly iPhone selfies! Next month's aim to get Chris to take more photos of me and the kids. On days out, I am usually the photographer so I miss out on pics of me doing fun stuff with the kids. I'll have to get him snapping!

Until next month!

Look in my Letterbox #12

This week the postman has been pretty good to me! Take a Look in my Letterbox:

Wins:

I won this gorgeous handmade 'Wee Wanderer' romper & head wrap set from Lil Luscious on Instagram - all the way from Australia!

Our first Ed's Easy Diner opened here last Friday and to celebrate they were giving away 10 vouchers. I was lucky enough to win one and I cannot wait to go!

I won these two beautiful Merci Maman bracelets in their Instagram Father's Day competition. They both say 'Caleb & Erin' on the front. The black one has 'Rebecca' on the back for Chris and my blue one has Chris's name.

Reviews: 

Karma Se7en have sent me a lip ring and earrings to try. I love new body jewellery but I very rarely buy myself any anymore.

BuyDirect4U sent us this safari Toy Storage. Excuse the stock photo, it only arrived yesterday and I haven't had a chance to build it yet!

Natrasan First Aid spray. I imagine this will come in very handy with a toddler who is always running around and injuring himself! I'll have a giveaway going up with this review too.

How cool are these Infruition bottles!? Can't wait to give them a go with loads of different fruit combinations. 

We got these fab bath and beach toys from Cheeky Rascals. Perfect excuse for a beach trip! Just need the sun to come back now.

Others:

I got this tropical flavoured Redbull from SoPost. I liked it but I'll always prefer the original!

I'm running a giveaway for some J2O Spritz at the moment so they sent me a set too! They're so yummy, Pear & Raspberry is my fave!

Again, I'm running a giveaway for some -TEN- Skincare products and got a little sample to try ourselves!

Did you get anything nice this week?

C's First Encyclopedia from Personalised Gift Solutions

There's nothing I love more than buying C books. He absolutely loves being read to and he has an impressive collection for a child who isn't even three yet!

Personalised Gift Solutions do a fabulous range of kids books and I was excited to be given the opportunity to review one. Honestly, C would have loved any of the books which made it so difficult to choose. There are two options to choose from; Disney books or Educational books. After a long deliberation I opted for the Personalised Encyclopedia from the Educational range. All you have to do is fill in your child's name and a personalised message and they do all the hard work.

C is at that age now where he just loves to learn. He likes to hear us explain things to him and you can really tell that he is absorbing all the information. 

When his book arrived I loved how bright and colourful it was which is great to capture a child's attention. I pointed out his name on the front and he was delighted that he had a book that was specially for him.

Each page has a letter (going alphabetically, A-Z) with words beginning with that letter alongside illustrations and blurbs about the word. Some of the pictures have his name on them which is a lovely touch. On first read, I pointed at each picture and asked C what they were. He knew about half of them which made me really proud and tried to guess the others. When I told him the right answers, he repeated them and they have now stuck in his mind so I'm glad that he is learning.

The blurbs are short enough that he doesn't lose interested when I am reading them to him. PGS have added a fun wordsearch to the back which even includes C's name. He is a little young for this at the moment but I will definitely get him to try it when he is a bit older.

The Personalised Encyclopedia is available in both softback (£11.95) and hardback (£16.95) with free delivery in the UK.

You can browse the full range at the Personalised Gift Solutions website and you can follow them on Facebook.

(Disclaimer: We received a book for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Huggies Little Swimmers Review & Giveaway

I am not a big swimmer at all. I have a huge fear of large bodies of water but I've always been determined that it won't affect my children so I happily take them swimming (as long as Chris is with me). 

I find swimming really stressful. My phobia combined with the fact that I have two children to get there (I don't drive), changed and looked after in the pool means that I'm a nervous wreck! Huggies very kindly sent me some Little Swimmers nappies to try out with the kids to see if they could help alleviate some of my worries. 

I received two packs of size 3-4 (14-34lbs) E and two packs of size 5-6 (26-40lbs) for C. 

Firstly, I loved the designs on the front. No one likes a plain nappy and C was especially chuffed to see Nemo as it is a movie that he has been recently introduced to so he recognised the character. This is a lovely touch and a great way to get kids excited about wearing them. 

Size-wise, they're absolutely perfect and not bulky underneath their swimming costumes. I'm not sure on the kids exact weights but I chose the sizes going by what size regular nappy they wear. 

I take the kids to visit my parents at the weekend and on some occasions in the past, it's been hot enough to get the paddling pool out. If I have nothing with me, I let the kids go in in their regular nappies but they absorb water so quickly and they come out looking like punchbags. The Little Swimmers nappies  don't absorb any pool water, leaving them flat against your child but still absorb wee. 

They go on like pull-ups and they even have stretchy sides so your child's movement isn't restricted in the water. Removing them is super simple too. There are adhesive strips down the sides so you literally pull them off and you're ready to go! Huggies are the UK's number one swim pant and it's not hard to see why.

The Huggies Little Swimmers retail at £5.90 per pack and they are available from most major supermarkets.

Want to try them for yourself?

However you and your children plan to have fun in the water this summer, I have the perfect prize for you. Huggies have teamed up with Mum of a Premature Baby to offer one lucky winner a year's supply of Huggies Little Swimmers.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter widget below.

T&C's:

• The giveaway will run from June 25th until July 9th
• One winner will win a years supply (4 packs) of Huggies Little Swimmers
• Open to entrants aged 18+
• UK residents only
• Prize will be sent directly from the PR company, please allow 28 days for delivery
• No automated entries
• One entry per person

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Competitions at ThePrizeFinder

Win a Child's Harry Potter Costume

I love seeing little kids out and about, all dressed up like their favourite characters. It's so cute and I always said that anytime C wanted to go out in a costume, I'd let him. He was never really into costumes until World Book Day this year when he got his Jake & the Neverland Pirates one. Since then, I've bought him a Musketeers one as he loves the Mickey Mouse 'The Three Musketeers' movie and I will definitely be buying him a dressing up trunk for Christmas.

Red Star Fancy Dress stock a wide range of costumes not only for children but for men and women and even accessories too. They even have 'Theme' and 'Occasion' tabs so if you have a stag do to go on or want to dress up with your other half in a couples costume, these are easy to find.

Red Star Fancy Dress are very kindly giving my readers the chance to win a child's Harry Potter costume in the size of their choice. The costume includes a Soft Velvet Feel Robe, Neck Tie, Plastic Glasses with clear lenses and a Wizard Wand. It is available in sizes Small (4-6 years), Medium (7-9 years) and Large (10-12 years).

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter widget below.

T&C's:

• The giveaway will run from June 24th until July 8th
• One winner will win one Harry Potter child's costume in a size of their choice
• Open to entrants aged 18+
• UK residents only
• Prize will be sent directly from the company, please allow 28 days for delivery
• No automated entries
• One entry per person

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Competitions at ThePrizeFinder

Babywearing with Rockin' Baby

Babywearing was never something that I got into when C was little. When I was pregnant with E, I looked into it a little and bought a wrap. I absolutely loved having her close to me but as she got bigger, she began to feel uncomfortable. I am still a bit of a newbie when it comes to babywearing so I was over the moon when Rockin' Baby sent us one of their slings to try out.

Rockin' Baby sell a range of babywearing slings and pouches. For each item sold, another one will be donated to a mother in Haiti or Kenya. Haiti has the highest infant mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere so the slings make a massive difference to the parents lives as they can keep their babies safe and hands free. In addition to making it easier to nurture and love, as well as bonding and breastfeeding, the donated slings allow mothers to continue to gather food and water for their families.

I received the Rockin' Baby Sling in Orange Hero. When I first opened it out I thought, "Dear goodness, this is like nothing I've tried before!" It did look very complicated and I am rubbish with diagrammed instructions so I chose to view the 'how to' video on YouTube lots of a few times. I knew that I had to follow the TICKS rules too.

Honestly, I tried it lots of times with E and she sat well but I knew that it wasn't tight enough and I didn't have the strength in my left arm to tighten it whilst I had E's weight on the sling. Chris, however, tried it once and got her in it perfectly. Over the next few days, I practiced and practiced and found that the only thing holding me back was the tightening.

If I have Chris here to hand E to me to put her in the sling and to help me tighten it, she sits securely. It was easier to hold E up with my right arm and tighten it with my left. When I felt comfortable, we ventured out to the park pram-free; C walking and E in her brand new sling. I had the sling capped on my shoulder so that it didn't strain my neck and made sure that E's bum was sat deeply in the fabric and that her legs were in the froggy position.

Both of us were extremely happy and comfortable throughout our whole trip out and it was so lovely having her so close to me. She enjoyed having a nosey around too!

I chose to stick to the Hip Carry as it's perfect for E's age and weight but you can view the different carry styles on Rockin' Baby's YouTube Channel.

The sling itself is fantastic quality and I didn't feel anxious about carrying E at all, I knew she was safe and she felt secure. It is made from 100% ultra soft breathable cotton and it even has a pocket for keys etc. which means it is perfect for being out and about and you don't have to worry about carrying a heavy changing bag too.

The Rockin' Baby slings retail at £49.00 and the pouches are £59.00. Once I got over my initial worries and drawbacks, it has been an absolute dream and perfect for taking both children out it the warm weather as I don't own a double buggy! It is suitable from newborn to children up to 40lbs in weight. 

You can find out more at the Rockin' Baby website and you can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: We received a Rockin' Baby sling for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

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