by Karen

Nonabox – November

Receiving my November Nonabox delivery definitely helped to get me in the mood for December. I was also very happy to see some lovely sweet relief in there, this is great because up until then it had most definitely been one of those days!

Nonabox

Inside this months Nonabox:

Gumigem – Jewellery. O is already showing signs of teething so I’m getting my army of products at the ready. This necklace is great as it looks like a normal item of jewellery and means that I can have something permanently to hand for him.  The necklace comes in a variety of colours and designs.

Lindor – Milk Chocolate Truffles. Always a favourite with me. It was only a small box so the chocolates were gone fast (oops!). But a very nice treat.

Mumkind – Nutritional Bar. This is a nutritionally balanced bar for pregnant woman and mums. It was very tasty, it reminded me of a cereal bar, and didn’t feel too naughty.

Sleepytot – Baby Comforter. This item has been an absolute godsend! O has just started to show an interest in his dummy but gets frustrated when it falls out of his mouth. With the Sleepytot rabbit comforter he now has more control. He loves snuggling against the rabbit and can now take the dummy in and out of his mouth as he pleases. It is now his favourite toy!

Yoomi – 5oz Bottle. This is a bottle and warmer in one. It is a great idea but such a shame that the warmer needs to be purchased separately so I was unable to give it a whizz!

Ella’s Kitchen – Spinach, Apple and Swedes. It was great to receive a different flavour of these to try out.

Sleeptot

Once again, there was a nice balance to this box and a good mix of old favourites and products that I’d never heard of. As mentioned above I was especially delighted with the Sleepytot rabbit and have already been recommending it! I worked out the approximate value of the box to be around £38. Nonabox is £24.95 a month, including delivery.

I was sent a selection of products for the purpose of review – all opinions are my own and honest.

by jo

Collage Canvas

I’m a big fan of canvas prints – we have several which sit on our walls, and are a great reminder of happy times. We had an opportunity to review a Collage Canvas, and given we spent over two weeks in Australia in the summer (their winter, which is nothing like our winter), I had so many pictures to choose from so knew I’d be happy with the result.

Collage Canvas have a good selection of frames you can choose from, and an easy website to navigate. I chose the type of canvas and size, then the design of the collage. Shaun’s mum and dad live out in the bush near Toodyay in Western Australia, but we have rubbish cameras – how would pictures of things we took come out was my biggest problem – could I capture what I love about Western Australia as well as making sure my favourite photos were on there?

canvas collage

I chose the pictures – and decided for a cross design, with four larger photos in each corner. I kept those for family related things (a group shot, H at Kings Park, Shaun and H at sunset by the Indian Ocean, all of us on the Duyfken) with the smaller images being shots which reminded me of nice things – across the centre were bush flowers, gum nuts, the trees and some wattle. The upper parts of the cross were a grass tree, the big wheel at Fremantle, all of us in Kings Park in front of a baobab tree, plus H by the Kings Park sign.

The colours worked well. Shaun isn’t keen on me getting more pictures for the wall, but having a collage to remind us of our brilliant time was a great compromise.

Once I’d uploaded the pictures I was able to swap the pictures around and edit them to make sure the right parts of the photo were on there. Once I’d finished the collage canvas was ready to order. You can also link your Facebook and Instagram accounts to add pictures.

collage canvas

The collage canvas was delivered really quickly, right before Christmas too. It now lives in our little alcove where we can see it all the time – and it’s a great reminder of our summer (their winter, sigh). I’d never thought about a collage canvas before, but it makes perfect sense when you have lots of photos you want to create one memory with. I made sure the pictures were mirrored around the edges and the border between photos was a black-grey colour – and I’m delighted with the result!

Collage Canvas offer many different types of canvas, and I would definitely recommend them. I’m already planning my next one – after all, we went to North Yorkshire for October half term and I have a lot of photos which need to live somewhere!

Collage Canvas website is here

We were provided with a Collage Canvas for the purpose of review. All opinions are our own.

by jo

Aveeno and Dry Skin

I’m prone to dry skin and H inherited it from an early age. Aveeno has always been our cream of choice – mainly for the varieties available and that it works. I like to steal a bit of H’s too as it’s so gentle!

aveeno

Aveeno have asked for some hints and tips with dry skin, and what to do. So here’s a few bits from us.

I seem to be prone to dry skin on my legs, which develops into a painful rash. I’ve found that drinking plenty of water and applying cream at least three times a day on the painful areas seem to help. Oil-based treatments have helped a lot, as well as not shaving my legs. I had to make sure I didn’t let my legs get too dry, as that provoked the rash and made it itchy.

H seems to get dry skin on her arms and legs, as well as very small patches on her face. Now she’s five I can squirt the right amount of cream onto her hands, and she applies it to her face so she can be ‘just like mummy’ – though I am able to rub my own cream in, she’s still working on that one*!  Aveeno’s Dry Skin lotion is soft enough for the face and light enough your five year old won’t pull too many faces as they rub it in.

aveeno book

H does understand the importance of moisturising, mainly thanks to the book Aveeno have produced, featuring the cartoon characters Ellie and Eddie, which is available as a free download from their site. Anything that helps spell it out is a good thing, as you can guarantee she’ll listen to a book more than she will me! Also, she feels more in control of her skin – she understand why she needs cream on there.

There’s always the chance your strong-minded child will refuse to put cream on; but a bit like blending onion into a pasta sauce so they can’t see it; Aveeno’s Bath Oil does the trick. Add it to the bath and there’s a nice gentle moisturising going on – and it doesn’t make the bath slippery afterwards, thank goodness!

aveeno ellie and eddie

But what is eczema? I know when I have an outbreak of spots it’s usually classed as that. 1 in 5 children and 1 in 2 adults have eczema. It is a dry skin condition which can vary in severity from person to person, and is triggered by different things. Aveeno’s range of products feature Colloidal Oatmeal which is clinically proven to restore the top layer of skin, keeping it feeling soft and comfortable. Having oats in the lotion is beneficial for dry skin – it moisturises, soothes, protects, buffers and cleanses. When H has had bad outbreaks, we’ve even been given Aveeno on prescription.

* stop press – tonight H got in from school, rubbed some Aveeno on her face and did a marvellous job – I think she’s got it!

Aveeno’s website is here

We were sent a selection of Aveeno products to use.

by jo

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Turns 45

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is older than me – just. It’s a book I’m more than familiar with, what with H owning at least three copies of it since birth. Did you know that in 2014 The Very Hungry Caterpillar turned 45?

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar needs no introduction – Eric Carle’s favourite has been an essential book in a child’s collection for such a long time now – 45 years to be precise. I grew up with it, and now H is too. Did you know that last year a copy of the book was sold every 150 seconds on average in the UK?

Turning 45 is a big deal. You get nice things made which commemorate that birthday – and The Very Hungry Caterpillar is no exception! We were sent a selection of goodies. Being sensible I passed a few on to Karen for the boys next door, and kept the ones I knew H would love.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

We got a lot of play with The Very Hungry Caterpillar Strawberry Shaped Chalkers – a.k.a. outdoor chalks. We had a funny old summer this year with a bit of rain, and I was pleased to see that the chalk didn’t wash out straight away – in fact, on walls where H had drawn the chalk stayed for a good couple of weeks which makes these chalks really good value. They do wash off, they just have much more staying power! They have a rrp of £9.99 and are available at John Lewis.

Any crafty creative type will enjoy playing with The Very Hungry Caterpillar Stamper Set – with a rrp of £9.95 and available at John Lewis, there are six stamps from the book, with coloured ink pads. H has enjoyed playing with them and creating pictures!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Bubble Bath was a favourite too – it comes with a rrp of £3.50, and available from Waitrose and Fenwicks. H has delicate skin and this was ideal for her – nice and gentle and no reactions to it. My only complaint? She loved it so much we used it up super fast as she kept insisting on having baths!  There’s also a handwash (rrp £3.50) which encouraged her to wash her hands rather a lot!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar toothbrush was a good size for H – she’s at that in-between stage where she has gaps in her teeth and is moving up into bigger sizes, but does still have a small mouth. The brush was bright and colourful and yet another incentive to get her teeth cleaned – she loves a good toothbrush! It has a rrp of £3.50 and is available from Waitrose and Fenwicks.

I thought our days of having plates with sections for food would be over, but The Very Hungry Caterpillar Melamine divided plate is brilliant – perfect for H when she doesn’t want her rice and vegetables all mixed up, and it’s dishwasher-friendly too – top shelf only, mind! We use it almost every night and while she likes to consider herself grown up, it’s the kind of plate which is very useful even for older kids. I’ve also noticed she’s started to get fussy about food – something she never really was. Having it sectioned at times seems to make it more appealing for her. It has a rrp of £7.95 and is available at John Lewis.

We were also sent a drinks bottle which is a good size and comes with the new(er) twister tops that I’ve noticed bottles seem to have. I also noticed that it didn’t leak very much at all. It comes with a rrp of £7.99 and is available from Amazon.

We passed on the following to Jacob and Oscar next door, and from what I’ve heard they’ve had a lot of fun! The Very Hungry Caterpillar Numbers Peel and Stick Wall Art is something I’d have loved to try because they’re re-peelable wall stickers, but H’s walls are pretty full at the moment, so we gave them to a good home. Having the numbers and fruit is a nice idea – it will help a child learn to count as well (exactly like the book does). Lovely! It has a rrp of £8.00 and is available from John Lewis and Amazon.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Pull Out Pop Up Book is a smaller version of the book, but with enough to it a young child who may like to wreck a book has things to pull and put their fingers through. I liked it and wished we had one for when H was a baby, as our pop-up book got a bit destroyed when she was at that stage. It has a rrp of £5.99 and is available at Amazon and all good gift shops worldwide. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cloth Book is a baby essential – the story is there and it’s in a gentle cloth book, ideal for babies who want colours and a book they can hold comfortably – I loved it! It comes with a rrp of £10.99 and is available from Amazon and all good bookstores.

We received all these Very Hungry Caterpillar goodies for the purpose of review – thank you!

by jo

Project 365 – Week 2

A back to normal kind of week – back to work, back to school, back to normality again. Christmas tree back in the loft one, and waiting for the tooth fairy to pay a visit which felt like it would never happen. So, onwards…

Sunday 4th Jan – H had an invite to a schoolfriends’ football party at Sutton Arena. There was an athletics display on too (which we all spent more time watching while the kids ate) – but no parking so Shaun had to park several streets away. But they have these bumpers at the crossing as we headed back to the car – how cool?

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Monday 5th Jan. I was back to work but H had an inset day, or as we like to call it, an Insect Day. She corrects us every time. She had a movie afternoon, and chose Annie. I made it my job to make sure H has plenty of good DVDs to watch which I enjoy too 🙂

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Tuesday 6th. Back to normal, back to work, school, everything. I got in and started removing decorations from the tree, tried to move the tree and spilt water on the carpet. Oops! But it was packed up and going. It had gone by Saturday. There is now a big empty space.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Wednesday 7th Jan – H’s first copy of Anorak Magazine turned up. She has three magazine subscriptions and I love them all; Okido which is a present from her Auntie, Storytime and now Anorak which are presents from me as they’re FABULOUS magazines. It’s opening a whole new world to her, where magazines aren’t full of ads and are full of wonderful content, with stories, activities and fun things. I’m so glad we’ve done it. My first magazines were Twinkle and Bunty, and if I can get her enjoying content and creating things like I did, I’m doing something right. 

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Thursday 8th Jan – The mornings and nights are getting lighter, but will I get home on a Thursday before it gets dark? Just… Wednesday had a really light morning followed by a dark one on Thursday. Friday was light again, I’m just confused.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Friday 9th Jan – We played ‘Labyrinth’ by Ravensburger games tonight – H got it for Christmas. I won. She was not happy, even though she finished the move after me. She’s a terrible loser, but this year I’m going to make sure I don’t let her win, as she’s getting better at accepting other people might get there before her. Phew.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

Saturday 10th Jan. We have been waiting for nearly two weeks for the wobbly tooth to come out – H even told me that she was friends with it on Facebook. She has a paper phone with an F on it, you see. FINALLY it came out with a bit of help and bribery from me. She has another wobbly tooth which is probably a week or two (or a month going on this one) away, and an adult tooth coming through at last. She had her front tooth extracted in hospital a year and a half ago. I’m relieved as I was convinced it would come out at school – one less worry there!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

by jo

Big City Explorer by Maggie Li

Occasionally we’re sent books which are absolutely perfect with H’s development and interests. Big City Explorer is one of those. Maggie Li who illustrates it is also the Art Director of one of our favourite magazines, Okido!

big city explorer

Big City Explorer is a different kind of book. A journey around the world, visiting 28 different cities.

Each double page is dedicated to a city around the world and is beautifully illustrated. Being the global traveller H is, she has an interest in the world, especially due to her dual nationality. She has found facts about cities we’ve stopped by and enjoyed learning about them (including that Singapore isn’t just a city, it’s actually a small country). There’s information like currency, language and population as well as lots of pictures, interesting buildings and places.

Facts are broken down into a readable style which makes learning interesting, plus the illustrations are lovely and clear. For Christmas we’ve bought H the wonderful Maps book by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski and this is a great accompaniment.

big city explorer

What makes this book really unique is the compass. It needs to be removed from the front cover, then on most pages you’re told which direction to point it in for the next page – for example, from Sydney to Tokyo ‘set your compass to north’ – simple enough directions to help a child learn directions. At the end of the book is a Super City Match Up game, where you can identify buildings that you’ll have come across throughout the book as well.

On the contents page of Big City Explorer everything is colour coded into continents as well which helps with learning where cities are in the world. Maggie Li’s illustrations capture the spirit of each city, and H has enjoyed learning about different places around the world.

If your child has an interest in cities of the world, this would make a fabulous present. If your child loves Okido magazine, you definitely need this book! Big City Explorer is published by Pavilion Books, and retails for £11.99.

We were sent Big City Explorer by Maggie Li for the purpose of review, all opinions are our own. The jpeg at the end links to Amazon via an affiliate link.

by jo

Chessington in the Rain

Chessington World of Adventures is just 30 minutes up the road for us, and is somewhere we’ve never been – that was until we bought a Merlin Pass, which started today. Of course, it was pouring down for most of the day, and while the whole park isn’t open until March, we did wonder if it was possible to still have fun, so here’s my review of Chessington in the rain!

Chessington World of Adventures

Chessington in the rain is probably not the first thing on someone’s mind when thinking of something to do on a rainy day. We would have gone the following day except H has a party – and really, we were curious what was there. It’s all well and good looking at maps online but you only really get a feel for a place once you’re there. As Premium Merlin Pass holders we could do lots of things at no extra cost, though actually to be fair there’s only a few hours in the day you can do it anyway, so most things were achieved!

chessington in the rain

We spent the bulk of our sheltered time in two places – the All-You-Can-Eat buffet (which came in at £20 with our Merlin discounts) and the SeaLife area which looks small, but packs a lot into the space – and which we enjoyed very much. Add to that a discount in the shop afterwards and I can see how we’ll end up making our money back on our passes once the season gets into full swing.

3- jellyfish

SeaLife – deceptively small, and plenty inside, including jellyfish, which I love watching. The stingrays got pretty close too, and H got to put her hand in the water to have a shrimp tickle her hand which she started off nervous about, and found it quite fun in the end.

sealife tickly shrimp

We wandered around the grounds – most shops were open, and the remnants of the Christmas displays were still out – Christmas songs over the speakers, which I know will change in a day or two when it will just be Zoo Days. The monkey area at Amazu (which also had the most gorgeous of capybara’s) also has the treetop walk, which H slipped over in – Shaun kept her company up there, but with it being wet the slide was closed, so they didn’t stay there too long.

There were reindeer although we missed the meet and greet, and donut stands which couldn’t keep up with the demand (always a good excuse to tell a cold and tired five year old when she’s desperate for some), as well as a Gruffalo show at the Africa Stage which lasted for around 25 minutes.

gruffalo chessington in the rain

We arrived around midday and stayed until closing at 3pm – it was nice to get a feel of the place, and actually, Chessington in the rain is absolutely fine – there really is plenty under cover to do. There was a lot more we could have done as well, we’ll be back to do that as soon as we can!

Chessington’s website is here

by jo

Project 365

I start it every year and fall away mid-February, so I figured if I do it here and have it as a snapshot of our daily lives (even if it’s just showing what H is playing with), then I can do it! So, Project 365 – a photo for every day of the year. I probably take a photo most days, I’m just bad at keeping on top of things.

So without further ado, here’s my photos for January 2015 so far…

1st January. Happy New Year! A lazy day. A really lazy day. Watching Mary Poppins on tv despite us owning it on DVD. We only got half way through before we had a visit from one of H’s new school friends for an hour or so. Anyway, it gave H the perfect excuse to start to read the Mary Poppins book I won on Facebook last year.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

2nd January. We always go to the seaside at New Year. We decided to go on Friday this year as it was sunny and ten degrees, especially as we felt we need Vitamin D. Eastbourne it was, and we got there in time for plenty of sun, a walk on the pier and afternoon tea half way down the pier before wandering back to the car. Lovely. We drove up to Beachy Head and caught sunset at Birling Gap which was beautiful – but cold! We’re definitely going back when it’s warmer for some fossil hunting. 

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

3rd January. Our Merlin Premium Passes came into effect as of today, so we headed to Chessington World of Adventures which is only 30 minutes down the road. It was cold, but lots of things were open – including SeaLife which is almost always a safe bet, especially when cold. With it being so close we know we can head back, and it’s so easy to get to with several routes there. In SeaWorld there are, of course, jellyfish. My favourites.

3- jellyfish

TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

by Karen

Nonabox – October

I was very excited to receive my Nonabox October delivery and see what new surprises it had in store for me! I forgot to mention that my September Nonabox also contained a cute activity for you and your child to do. Last month were adorable animal book marks and this month was a very cool monster mask!

Nonabox

Inside this months Nonabox:

Aden + Anais – Swaddle. This giant muslin was a surprise to me. I wasn’t impressed when I first received it thinking the size was impractical but now I love it! It has a multitude of uses and weirdly dries much faster than O’s other muslins… great job for my super sickie baby!

Water Wipes – Travel Pack. Though pricier than your highstreet brands these wipes are a must for babies with sensitive skin. They smell a little ‘clinical’ for my liking but there is no denying they do an awesome job on baby’s delicate skin.

NUK – Bottle. I have to admit to not knowing much about NUK so it was great to receive one of their bottles. I am a mega Winnie the Pooh fan so was very impressed with the cute design on the bottle.

Hampton Brands – Bennett’s Baby Bum Creme. Always handy to have and I’m always keen to try different brands. This one smells nice, a little goes a long way and it spreads nicely.

Chillipeeps – Teats. This 3 in 1 teat set can be used on the likes of water bottles and formula cartons and is a brilliant idea. I’m genuinely delighted I’ve discovered this brand.

Cheeky Rascals – Belly Belt. I am so gutted I am no longer pregnant as this belt would have gone a long way to extending my pregnancy wardrobe. Definitely something to mention to newly pregnant friends.

Aden + Ana

I worked out the approximate value of the box to be around £34. However I am, generally, pleased with the selection of the products. It’s a shame about the belly belt as I would have loved the opportunity to use this but all other products are highly appropriate. Nonabox is £24.95 a month, including delivery.

I was sent a selection of products for the purpose of review – all opinions are my own and honest.

by Karen

Nonabox – September

Nonabox is a company that I’ve only recently discovered. For £24.95 a month, including delivery, the company will send you a monthly box with products tailored to you and your bump/ child. Anyone that knows me well knows how much I love surprise gifts and trying new things out. As a result I was very excited when Nonabox sent me some boxes to show me what they were all about!

Nonabox

Now firstly I have to apologise for my Nonabox reviews being super, super late. A newborn and severe internet issues do not make a good combination! On the plus side I’ve had bags of time to receive and enjoy these lovely products!

I was very excited to receive my first Nonabox. The presentation box is gorgeous and makes you want to dive inside.

Here’s what I received:

Snooze Baby – Sweet Dreaming Natural Brown. This is a furry comfort toy with labels attached for babies to explore. O seems to really enjoy the soft material and is curious about the labels. I love this gift idea and think it would make a wonderful present, especially for a baby shower.

Paper Shaker – Postcard. Included was a mock up birth announcement card and money off should you decide to purchase. This was OK, was nice to see the options out there but not something I would personally pursue.

MAM – Feeding Spoons.  These may be simple but I loved these. These spoons made for the perfect travel companion as they come with travel lids.

Green People – Toothpaste. I was a bit sceptical about this certified organic toothpaste as it contained no Flouride! However after putting it to the test and doing some sneaky research I was pretty impressed. Little man loved it too!

Ella’s Kitchen – Blueberry and Pear Baby Brekkie/ Carrots, Peas and Pears.  I’m a massive fan of Ella’s kitchen and was great to receive these to try. I’ve put these aside for O but unfortunately Little Man has already nabbed the Baby Brekkie for himself!

Shea Mooti – Mama’s everything body balm. This was very luxurious and I love that Nonabox thinks of mums too! This product smells like you’re in a luxury spa and feels great… especially on my neglected mummy skin!

Nonabox contents

I worked out the approximate value of the box to be £33. I really liked the fact that baby, toddler and I are all thought of with the contents of the box. Looking forward to next month!

I was sent a selection of products for the purpose of review – all opinions are my own and honest.