Peppa Pig Party Book from Penwizard

C is going to be three years old in just four months time - how quickly did that go by!? He is a proper little boy now with all his favourite toys and TV shows, Peppa Pig being the ultimate favourite.

Penwizard, home of personalised books, do a Peppa Pig range and when I saw 'Peppa Goes to your child's Birthday' I knew I had to get it for him. 

Ordering and personalising the book is easy. You simply click on the book you want and whether you want hardback (£19.99) or softback (£14.99). Then, you have the option to fill in some personal details about your child; gender, name, age, an optional personal message to your child, hair style and colour, skin colour, eye colour and whether they wear glasses or not. I was so excited to receive my book as I thought the little image really resembled C. I was right! 

Personalised message to C

The story follows your child going with the postman to deliver birthday invitations to his friends (the Peppa Pig characters). Everyone receives their invites and send RSVP letters back and at the end, your child has a wonderful party with all of his friends.

The fact that all the Peppa characters are there means that it's perfect for Peppa Pig lovers. C can name all of them when I point so he is absolutely delighted with this book and it is so exciting for him to be involved in something with them. The illustrations are true to the cartoon so it seems like he is really there - in cartoon-form! I love the addition of the '3' on the balloons! It is only 24 pages long so your little one won't lose interest.

This book would make the perfect gift for any Peppa lover and it is sure to make their birthday extra special. You can find out more at the Penwizard website or you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

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

Look in my Letterbox #7

I'm a little late with my Look in my Letterbox post this week - apologies! I've been so busy. Better late than never though! Here's what I got this week:

Purchases:

It was my niece Willow's 1st party yesterday so I ordered her a gorgeous personalised card from Funky Pigeon. I forgot to take a pic of it before giving it to her but I chose this one.

I ordered some bits from Achica as I had a voucher code. 

C got this wee Peppa Pig plush. I had planned on keeping it for his birthday but I knew he'd love it so I gave it to him early. I also got a wooden John Crane set and Glow in the Dark Stars for his room.

I bought this outfit for E from an Instagram boutique. I'm obsessed with them at the mo!

Reviews:

Flashsticks

I did French and Spanish at University before deciding that I wasn't enjoying the course. I speak them quite well but not fluently and I'd love to be able to do that. We've got the French ones to review and I can't wait to use them with C.

Ella's Kitchen

I've worked with Ella's Kitchen quite a lot and they are my favourite baby food brand. We are doing the Finger Food Challenge so E was sent lots of their finger food range alongside some toys to help her development.

  

Father's Day tea

This is part of my Father's Day gift guide. Chris is a tea fiend so he is eager to try it out!

Wins:

T-shirt

I won this t-shirt from Give As You Live on Facebook alongside a £20 charity donation. I chose Bliss as they helped out lots when C was born prematurely.

Galt Songbird 

I love Galt toys (we own quite a lot!) so I was delighted when I won this beautiful Songbird toy on Twitter. I've put it away for E's birthday.

What did you receive this week?

#SlimFastChallenge - Week 2

I have now finished my second week of the #SlimFastChallenge. 

This has probably been the only "diet" that I've found is easy to stick to. As I mentioned in my previous post, it is a 321 plan so you are allowed 3 snacks (2 Slim Fast ones & 1 healthy option of your own), 2 meal replacements and 1 balanced dinner. 

The Slim Fast range consists of:

Snacks

• Sour Cream & Chive Flavour Snack Bag
• Cheddar Flavour Bites Snack Bag
• BBQ Flavour Tortilla Snack Bag
• Chocolate Caramel Treat Snack Bar
• Heavenly Chocolate Delight Snack Bar
• Chocolate Nutty Nougat Snack Bar

Meal Replacements

• Powders (similar to milkshakes) in strawberry, banana, caramel, vanilla and chocolate flavours
• Chocolate Crunch Meal Bar
• Chocolate Peanut Meal Bar
• Summer Berry Flavour Meal Bar
• Pre-made Shakes in mocha, chocolate, banana, strawberry, vanilla and café latte flavours

All of the Slim Fast range is so full of flavour so although you are trying to lose weight, you don't have to ditch foods that taste good. The snack bags and bars are smaller than your regular bags of crisps and chocolate bars but they really satisfy your cravings so you won't care. I liked that I had the freedom to add one extra snack. I stuck to fruit.

The meal replacements are very filling - something which I didn't expect. Again, you are giving up flavoursome foods. I did miss sandwiches though. I would usually have a sandwich or toastie for lunch so it was very odd giving those up. It made me realise that I eat far too much bread though.

I loved that I could eat the same dinner as the rest of my family. Slim Fast have a selection of recipes if you are unsure of what types of meals you can eat alongside the 321 plan. The combination of 3 snacks, 2 meal replacements and a dinner made me feel like I was eating quite a lot and I didn't feel myself get hungry at all.

Now for the moment of truth.
I started my Slim Fast journey weighing 11st. After one week, I was down to 10st 8.5lbs. Now, after a second week, I weigh 10st 5lbs. That's a total of 9lbs lost in two weeks. That's pretty amazing.

I was shopping in town last week and I noticed that the Slim Fast range is available to buy in Superdrug so I will definitely be picking more up!

(Disclaimer: I received two weeks worth of Slim Fast products in exchange for an open and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own).

Father's Day Gift Ideas: Qwerkity

Qwerkity is an online retailer of unusual gifts and I think that suits both Chris and my dad down to the ground. I'm not a fan of buying the usual stuff off the high street and I like to put a bit of thought into my gifts and buy them something that I know they'll love. Qwerkity have a fabulous range of gifts for Father's Day so you are sure to find one that your dad will love.

If your dad (like Chris) is really into his facial hair looking on point, why not buy a bottle of Beard Oil (£9.99)? It nourishes and conditions the beard and the blend of argan, coconut and almond oil will leave it smooth, soft and glossy.

Similarly, you could opt for some Moustache Wax (£9.99) to keep it groomed and tidy with a firm, natural finish.

If he's the cook of the house, the Meat Cuts Apron (£17.99) would be perfect and educational too!

Does your rugby-crazy dad still take a packed lunch to work? The Gilbert Rugby Lunch Bag (£19.99) is the answer to his prayers. It is an Official Size-5 rugby ball lunch bag, it's insulated and can be wiped clean.

If your dad is partial to a beer or two, the Freeze Glass (£17.99) is a genius idea. You keep the glass in the freezer then when you want a drink it keeps it cold for you, even in the hottest weather. It holds 1 pint and even has a rubber grip to prevent your hand from getting cold.

Chris is a big bacon-fan and most men (as stereotypical as it sounds) feel the same way. You can buy your dad his very own Bacon Curing Kit (£21.99) so he can make his own in just 7 days, all he needs to do is add the pork belly!

Is Dad a keen gardener? The Gardener's Gubbins Pots (£19.99) are great for keeping all of his bits and bobs tidy and together. Each of the little metal pots are labelled so everything can be found quickly. 

Additionally, you could treat him to a Mini Seed Tray Tamper (£4.99) which makes sowing seeds in cell trays easy peasy.

Everyone has their own chair at home, right? Help your dad personalise his with his own Mr Cushion (£19.99). Very cute!

Finally, nerd daddies like Chris will go crazy for the Storm Trooper Mood Light (£14.99).

Chris loves Star Wars and he is absolutely over the moon with his. He was like a kid at Christmas opening it. It's battery powered (not included) so no need to use up electricity and it gives off a lovely soft glow. It is a lovely addition to the "mancave". He has spotted that they sell a Darth Vader one too so that will be next on my list to buy!

You can find out more at the Qwerkity website or you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: We received a Storm Trooper Light for the purpose of this post.)

Palmer's Skincare

I first came across the Palmer's range whilst I was pregnant with C. I bought one of their stretch mark creams but to be honest, I ended up using it for a few days then completely forgetting about it.

A couple of months ago I was given the opportunity to try a few items from the Palmer's range and now that I've used them all up, I wanted to share my thoughts.

Firstly, I received the Massage Cream For Stretch Marks (125g). After having two children, I have horrid stretch marks on my tummy. I'm not one of those ladies who have amazing genetics and didn't get a single one. My tummy is covered in the silvery ones.

This cream has an amazing cocoa scent and leaves your skin feeling soft and smelling beautiful. It is recommended that you massage it onto your tummy, hips, thighs and other areas prone to stretch marks in a circular motion. I'm awful at remembering things so I aimed to do it every night before I went to bed. The cream is thicker than I thought it would be and it absorbs into the skin easily. It doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy, sticky or wet. The Elastin helps your skins elasticity and the combination of vitamin E, shea butter and cocoa butter leaves your skin feeling supple and soft. After around two months of usage, my stretchmarks don't seem as ugly and horrible as they once were.

Secondly, I tried out the Bust Cream (125g). I didn't get any stretchmarks in that area with C but I got lots with E. This cream differs from the regular stretch mark cream as it has been developed specifically for the delicate skin around the bust area. It's a little runnier than the stretch mark cream and I did find that my bra or t-shirt would stick to it if I put it back on right away. This cream doesn't have that strong cocoa smell, it's more of an aloe one but it is just as beautiful.

Finally, E has been trying the Bottom Butter (125g). E at 8 months old is silently teething and due to that, she has had a bit of a nappy rash. This bottom butter is really thick but it does spread okay. I thought this might a bit of a problem. It's a brownish-grey colour which may put people off (alongside the strong cocoa scent) but it really has worked wonders for her. Within a few days, her rash had cleared up and her skin was nice and soft again due to the Pro Vitamin B5. I would definitely recommend it.

You can find out more about the range at the Palmer's website or you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

(Disclaimer: I received this items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)