Happy National Grooming Day (+ your chance to win!)

Did you know that today, 19th August is National Grooming Day? To celebrate, Braun have launched a range of six new products called the Braun Styling Range which deliver precision and agility to help every man achieve his own uniquely groomed look.


My partner Chris isn't one who is obsessed with grooming but his does take care of his beard and skin to ensure he looks and feels good about himself. You may have seen a few of our past Braun posts on the blog. He loves the range and I don't think he'd ever use another brand.

In the new range, Braun has catered for every man. From beard trimmers to hair clippers and even tools to groom all over your body. You can find out more about each specific item in the range as well as where to buy at the Braun website.

To celebrate National Grooming Day, Braun have very kindly offered my readers the chance to win one of their fab Beard Trimmers which retail at £39.99.

The Braun Beard Trimmer makes it easy to achieve an exact trim length and precise contours for a perfectly groomed beard. 

• It has a lifetime lasting sharp blades and 25 length settings for 4 x more precision styling
• The ergonomically designed dial gives you complete control over texture and style
• The Precision Comb cuts hair to between 1mm and 0.5mm steps, whilst the Long Beard Comb trims hair between 10mm and 0mm in 2mm steps
• The slide out Detail Trimmer works even with the comb on for easy and efficient styling of beard lines
• It can be used either corded or cordlessly so it never runs out of power (the battery takes 1 hour to charge for 50 minutes of cordless grooming)
• It is also 100% washable under running water

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

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

T&C's:

• The giveaway will run from 19th August until 4th September
• One winner will win one Braun Beard Trimmer
• The prize will be sent directly to the winner from the PR
• Open to entrants aged 18+
• UK residents only
• No automated entries
• One entry per person

Look in my Letterbox #67

Wow, this week was a busy one! On more than one day this week, I had what felt like every courier company knock on my door. I honestly think Chris is going to flip over the amount of packaging and cardboard that is in my house right now. Anywho, here's what I received in the post this week.

Wins:

Pregnancy milestone cards

You may have seen that I've been entering (and winning!) lots of baby bits recently. My lovely friend Jenna has just announced her pregnancy so they've been for her. She is the friend I've been sending stuff too and these have also been sent to her!
 

Suicide Squad hat & cards

I have been desperate to win some Suicide Squad merchandise! I spotted LA Muscle promoting their Facebook competition on their Instagram account so I popped straight over to enter. It ended up being really low entry and they had five sets to give away. It pays to take the time to search instagram for comps! 

Harley Quinn Funko Pop

This was another Facebook giveaway that I found being promoted on Instagram, this time from UK Film Review. It was also low entry!

Beard oil

Napiers teamed up with Mr Hyde to give away 300 of their beard oils. Chris uses so much beard oil so I was chuffed to win one. They can be expensive!

Um Bongo goodies

 Um Bongo were giving away some "goodies" on Facebook. I wasn't sure what that entailed until they arrived but it's a nice wee win! I haven't actually had Um Bongo since I was a kid!
 
Purchases:

Lego Star Wars watch

John Lewis had a bit of a sale on some Lego bits. I didn't really see anything I liked for C but I spotted this watch and knew he'd love it! He loves both Star Wars and Lego.
 

Remote control Noo Noo

The kids have recently become obsessed with the Teletubbies so I thought I'd browse Argos for some character toys for their birthdays or Christmas. I saw this and knew both of them would have so much fun with it.

Iron Man figure

 I picked this up from Argos for C's birthday. He's superhero crazy at the moment and he loves his Spider-Man action figure so this will go down well.
 
Reviews:

Paw Patrol Weebles

 C (and E actually) have been watching Paw Patrol on Netflix a lot recently so we are chuffed to be getting the chance to review the Paw Patrol Weebles!
 

Noo Noo

Yep, I buy a remote control Noo Noo then we get a big Noo Noo to review! This one is very different to the one I've purchased so keep an eye out for my post!

Other:

Trunki

 As a thank you for all the baby items that I won for Jenna, she sent me a code that she had won for a custom Trunki. I sat with C and let him choose the colour of each bit and he was so excited to see his design come to life.

 

 The above items were also from Jenna! She had won most of them and added in a few little extras - how lovely! I'm so so happy with the Bat Girl. I saw them in Smyths recently and I want them all!

Did you receive anything nice this week?

 

The Kids First Cinema Trip

Before having children, Chris and I would go to the cinema at least once a week. It was one of our favourite things to do together and we'd usually grab dinner beforehand too. We went to see The Dark Knight Rises in August 2012, when I was pregnant with C and we didn't go again until we saw Deadpool in March 2016 - a long time!

I felt that C was always too young to go before his sister was born. He hadn't yet turned two. Then, when she arrived, she would have been too young to bring with us. Time was passing and before we knew it, we had an almost four year old who had never had a cinema experience.

We had seen advertisements for The Secret Life of Pets and thought we'd try our luck and take both of the kids to see it. I thought C would sit well but I worried about E as she was at the age C was when I thought he was too young. 

I made sure they were in good moods first and explained to them how exciting it would be to be in a big room with lots of seats and a massive TV screen to watch a brand new movie. C couldn't wait to go. We chose an afternoon screening so E napped on the way there and just woke up as we were going in so she sat snuggled on my knee with her dummy in. C chose some popcorn and chocolate so he was happy enough eating and watching.

About halfway through, E was fidgety and kept switching from my knee to Chris's and around 5 minutes before the end, they both got a little fussy so we decided to leave. E wanted down to walk around and was getting a bit annoyed with me trying to keep her sitting down.

I felt that our first experience went so well that I wanted to make it a regular thing. They both love Finding Nemo so when Finding Dory came out, I knew they'd be excited to see it too. This time round, I booked in for 10.30 so they'd be fresh-faced, awake and in a good mood. 

This time, we made it through the entire film! They were both transfixed on the screen and it was a lot less stressful than the first time. Chris and I have decided to take them every time a kids movie that we think looks decent is released. I don't know why we didn't just take C when he was E's age! We have plenty of making up to do.

Have you taken your little ones to the cinema yet? Do they enjoy going?

 

Introducing my children to Spot! (+ giveaway)

One of the earliest memories I have is my dad reading me my Spot books at bedtime. They were my favourites and I asked for them every night.
Eric Hill created Spot way back in 1980 in a lift-the-flap book. His toddler-like behaviour introduces children to new experiences through friendship and play. The adorable little puppy has been loved internationally since and the books have been published in 50 languages including sign language and Braille and over 60 million books have been sold.

20+ years since reading the books myself, I was thrilled to receive a little Spot themed pack for the kids. We received a copy of Spot's Hide and Seek book, a DVD of Spot Goes to the Farm, a cute Spot hand puppet and tote bag.

The kids absolutely love reading so we had to give the book a go first. The book is called Hide and Seek and on every double page spread you are in a different setting such as the beach, farm or kitchen. To the right of the pages there is a list of things to find across those two pages with images of the items to help. C (almost 4 years of age) was better at this than E (who is almost 2). She tended to point at the helping images whereas C really tried to search. Some things he'd find right away and others he needed a bit of help with. It was a really fun activity to do with the kids and I loved combining fun with learning.

At the back of the book you are also given some bonus items to find. These were a little harder for C as he had to remember the image then flick back to the right page to search. He did quite well though! I was impressed. 

There is also a great new website Fun with Spot which we took a look at too. You can find out more about the books, Spot news and there are even some games to play and activity sheets to download. C had fun with the dress up game! There is a new app coming out on August 16th which I will be reviewing here on the blog so do keep an eye out for that.

I put the Spot Goes to the Farm DVD one early evening whilst we were waiting for Chris to get home from work. Both kids snuggled up in a blanket and couldn't wait to watch. 

The DVD contains 11 episodes:

• Spot Goes to the Farm
• Spot's Horse
• Spot's Breakfast
• Spot in the Woods
• Spot Goes to the Circus
• Spot's Umbrella
• Spot Goes Splash!
• Spot Stays Overnight
• Spot Goes to the Fair
• Spot Goes to the Park
• Spot Help Grandma

C and E were totally engrossed in the DVD whilst it was playing. C kept telling me about different things that Spot was doing, the characters he was meeting and how he thought Spot felt. It was really nice to see that he was taking such an interest in it. I loved watching too. The animation just seems like pages of those original Spot books that I read years ago were coming to life. I think the kids really like Spot because he does things that they do and likes the things that they are interested in. After the first episode at the farm, I asked him where he thought Spot should go next and he replied, "the park" so he liked that there was actually an episode about the park. The episodes are quite short (the entire run time is 55 minutes) so every time an episode went over, E would point and shout, "oh no!" She didn't want it to be over!

I've also been offered a second copy of Spot Goes to the Farm to give away to one of my readers! All you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter widget below. 

 T&C's:

• The giveaway will run from August 15th until August 28th
• One winner will win one copy of Spot Goes to the Farm on DVD
• The prize will be sent to the prize winner from the PR
• Open to entrants aged 18+
• UK and ROI residents only
• No automated entries
• One entry per person

  Good luck!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

(We received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

What I've Won - July 2016

We are well and truly into August and I still haven't shared with you what I've won in July. I had quite a good month with some lovely wins from local comps as I decided to focus a bit more on those and it seemed to pay off. Here's what I won in July in full:

1) The Wolf Is Not Invited (RRP £7.99) from Toppsta

Good old Toppsta! I haven't been doing so well with them this month though. This is a nice story, even if the ending is a bit odd!

2) Personalised print and felt unicorn (RRP £10.00) from cloud9prints

I'm so sad that this got crumpled in the post. I won these on Instagram in a simple like and comment giveaway. I think the unicorn will be lovely in display in E's room.

3) Rockin' Baby pouch (RRP £49.00) from Midwife and Life

I entered this blog giveaway for a friend of mine who is pregnant so I have sent it to her. I've used a Rockin Baby ring sling before, not the pouch, and loved it so I'm sure she will love this too.

4) Skull necklace (RRP £1.50) from Raspberry Kiss

This came from a simple follow and retweet Twitter giveaway. I love skulls so it's perfect for me.

5) Anchor Dairy Sam plush from Anchor Dairy

This was a total surprise. I had a quick search and apparently it's from Anchor Rewards but I have no recollection of entering for it. E loves him.

6) Playcolor paints (RRP £36.96) from Playcolour

This was a really low entry Facebook comment giveaway. We have owned some of the solid paint before and that's all I was expecting to receive so I was really delighted to get the extras too. The kids love the face paints.

7) Aquabeads (RRP £24.99) from Aquabeads

Aquabeads are always hosting giveaways on Facebook and Twitter and I had been trying to win for ages. I finally managed to win on Twitter and I've put it away for C's birthday next month. He keeps seeing them advertised on TV and asking me to buy him some so he'll be chuffed.

8) Signed kids books (RRP £24.97) from drawingonbooks

I love kids books so much and my dad always comments on how many we have when he comes to my house so this was a great win for me. I love that they are signed!

9) Baby milestone cards (RRP £16.99) from Birds and Lillies

 This was a blog win that I have posted over to my pregnant friend that I mentioned before.

10) The Lion Guard mini figures and talking soft toy (RRP £32.98) from UKMumsTV

A Twitter party win! I don't do very well at Twitter parties at all and I very nearly didn't take part in this one. I couldn't believe it when I was announced as a winner. They haven't arrived yet but I'm hoping they'll come before the kids birthdays next month so I can pop them in with their gifts.

11) Handmade unicorn skirt (RRP £10.00) from h_b.2015

I won this in a loop giveaway on Instagram. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know how much I love my handmade clothing. This is so cute!

12) Art book (RRP £10.76) from Mumzilla

I love this! C is so artistic and loves doing crafts. It's a bit old for him at the moment so I've put it away until he's a bit older.

13) Miles of Smiles book (RRP £11.30) from Belle du Brighton

Another book win - hooray! This is such a lovely story and I really recommend it.

14) The Secret Life of Pets book (RRP £3.85) from Centum Books

I entered this Facebook giveaway a couple of days after we had seen the movie in the cinema. I was so happy to have won and C loved telling me all the characters on the cover when it arrived.

15) Atticus & Gilda nightie (RRP £43.00) from Little Flea 

Wow. This is probably the most expensive nightwear that E has ever owned. I love that they included the little slippers and bamboo toothbrush.

16) Rapeseed oil (RRP £3.50) from BITETOSAVOUR

I won this on Twitter from a local company. I very rarely use rapeseed oil but I have recently read a lot about the benefits so I had wanted to try it out.

17) £25 Mothercare voucher from Tots100

Another Twitter party win! I say I don't do well in them and end up winning two in the space of a month. This was during Tots 100 #SoundOfHappy party. I'll probably put it towards a dress for E's birthday.

18) Ice Age Collision Course merchandise bundle (RRP £30.00) from Maximum Pop

Love this bundle! Usually merchandise wins can be a bit hit and miss but I love everything that we received.

19) Monin syrup (RRP £5.49) from Monin

I love the Monin caramel syrup so I was keeping everything crossed for this. It is so nice! It was a simple follow and retweet giveaway on Twitter.

20) Bows (RRP £10.00) from It's A Bow Thing This was a Facebook giveaway where you had to tag a friend and each of you would win two bows. The friend that I tagged very kindly offered her set to me too because she knows about my bow obsession - how nice! Can't wait for them to get here.

21) Lip colour (RRP £6.95) from Benecos

Benecos are always hosting giveaways on Facebook and I finally won! This is such a lovely shade.

22) Beard oil (RRP £14.50) from Mr Hyde

Mr Hyde hosted a giveaway for 300 Napiers beard oils so I was thrilled to be one of the winners. Chris takes care of his beard and goes through so much oil.

23) Spiralizer (RRP £24.00) from Jane Plan UK

This was on my comping wishlist for 2016. I won a spiralizing cookbook a few months ago so I needed a spiralizer too - hooray!

24) Bing app (RRP £2.99) from Bing

I won a code to download the new Bing Baking app simply by sharing a photo of C baking with me on Bing's Facebook page. The kids both love Bing so they think the app is great.

25) The Lost Smile book (RRP £4.99) from The Mini Millionaire

 Yep, another kids book! You can never have too many in my opinion. This hasn't arrived yet but I can't wait to read it to the kids when it does.

26) 10,000 Coins and 100 Gems for Cooking Fever from Cooking Fever

 I've recently started playing Cooking Fever on my phone and I've become obsessed. Every Wednesday, the Facebook page do a live feed at noon where the give away prizes and all you have to do is join in the chat. I asked a few legitimate questions that I had about the game. I got those answered and won some coins and gems to spend on the app!

27) £20 spend at Carly's Homemade Crafts 

 This was a simple regram competition on Instagram. I knew I had to get E the dinosaurs and My Little Pony skirts as she loves both. I just had to put £4 towards it!

28) Power bank (RRP £8.99) from TP-Link

I use my phone so much and the battery really drains fast so this is perfect!

29) Digital breast pump (RRP £89.99) from Nuby

 Nuby ran a giveaway on Facebook and urged their followers to vote for them in a competition that they were in. I voted for them and won a breast pump! That will be sent to my pregnant friend when it arrives too. I'm so happy that I've won it for her.

30) LeapTV game (RRP £24.99) from LeapFrog

 I won this game from the LeapFrog Facebook page. They are always hosting them so keep an eye out. We don't actually own a LeapTV yet but I'm planning on getting C one for Christmas so I'll save it for then.

31) Family pass to see the Thomas the Tank Engine movie at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum (RRP £25.00) from Pop-Up Cinema Club

 I had been trying to search for more local giveaways and it really paid off this month. I am so excited to go to this on Sunday. C will love watching the movie and all of the old trains and cars!

32) Family pass to see Finding Dory and a family pass to Exploris Aquarium (RRP £47.00) from Odyssey Cinemas

 Another local win! We did half of this win last week and went to see Finding Dory in the cinema. All four of us loved it so much that we want to go back again. Our local aquarium has been closed for almost two years but recently got refurbished and is reopening this Monday. We're hopefully going to go in 2 weeks time. The kids will love it! Chris and I will too, I'm sure.

33) Cooking, Blokes & Artichokes book (RRP £17.00) from Books etc

 Chris is the main cook in our house and definitely likes to experiment in the kitchen. Books etc always have giveaways running on both Twitter and Facebook.

34) Heavenly Organics bundle (RRP £16.40) from NI4Kids

 Another local win! The kids got stuck in as soon as these arrived and they absolutely love them.

35) 2 Elvis Costello tickets (RRP £60.00)

 This wasn't really my win but I'll include it anyway! A local comper entered this giveaway for another local comper. She managed to win her own tickets so these were going spare and she very kindly offered them to me. I took my dad and we had such a great night!

In July 2016 I won 35 prizes worth a total of £721.08. I love comparisons so in July 2015 it was 24 prizes worth £182.20 and in July 2014 it was 9 prizes worth £242.71 so it's definitely going in the right direction!

Did you win anything nice in July?